Courtesy: Kory Wallen, FightingSioux.com http://www.korywallen.com/ Senior Lindsay Vortherms collected her third Great West Defensive Player of the Week honor on Tuesday, while teammate Erin Joki was named the Offensive Player of the Week.
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota volleyball standouts Erin Joki (Jr., Grand Rapids, Minn.) and Lindsay Vortherms (Sr., Windom, Minn.) were each recognized on Tuesday for their efforts in a big victory for the Fighting Sioux this past Saturday. The duo helped UND take over sole possession of first place in the Great West standings by defeating Utah Valley in a five-set thriller on Halloween.
League officials named Joki the Offensive Player of the Week, while Vortherms collected her third Defensive Player of the Week honor this season. The victory broke a tie between the two clubs, who both entered the match with 7-1 league records.
“We are very proud of Erin and Lindsay for the way they played in such a big match,” UND head coach Ashley Hardee said. “Both players are deserving of this recognition. Erin was outstanding on the offensive side and really provided a spark for us, while Lindsay continued to play at a high level and kept us in a lot of rallies. Plus, she gave us a boost on the service line with four aces, which proved to be big.”
Joki registered a career-high 14 kills, including the match-clinching kill in the fifth set, and equaled her season-high with five digs in what was the seventh straight victory for UND. The weekly honor is her first of the season. She is the fourth different Sioux to earn the league’s weekly offensive accolade.
Vortherms had 27 of UND’s season-high 97 digs in the match as the defense limited the Wolverines to a .183 attack percentage. The weekly honor is the third overall and second in the last three weeks for Vortherms, who earlier this season became UND’s all-time leader in career digs.
UND is back on the road for its final two Great West road matches of the season this week. The Sioux will play at Chicago State on Thursday at 7 p.m., then head further east to take on New Jersey Institute of Technology on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Courtesy: Kory Wallen, FightingSioux.com
