For the second time this year and the fourth time in her career, Illinois State senior middle blocker Kendra Haselhorst is the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for volleyball.
Haselhorst pounded Northern Illinois, Evansville and Southern Illinois for a combined total of 64 kills, 35 digs and 25 blocks in 12 games, averaging 5.5 kills, 2.9 digs and 2.1 blocks per game.
During the course of that week, Haselhorst collected her first career 'triple-double' with 23 kills, 11 digs and 11 blocks in a win at Evansville. After just three games of that 5-game match, Haselhorst needed just one dig to earn her triple-double. In the deciding rally game, Haselhorst had four of Illinois State's six team kills in the 15--6 win which gave Redbird coach Sharon Dingman her 200th career coaching win. The win at Southern Illinois extended the Redbirds' current Valley winning streak to five in a row.
Additionally, Haselhorst recorded her 1,500th career kill in that win at UE. That means she is the first player in Missouri Valley Conference history to reach 1,500 career kills and 400 career block assists.
Currently she ranks No. 4 at Illinois State and No. 14 in the Missouri Valley in career kills (1,518). Haselhorst already owns the ISU and Valley career hitting percentage mark with .325, and she is the all-time block assist and total block leader in Illinois State history.
Haselhorst, a three-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-District selection, previously was player of the week once in 1997, again in 1999 and once earlier this season. Teammate Jackie Utz also has earned player of the week honors for Illinois State this year.
She has extended her current streak of consecutive matches with double-figure kills to 33 in a row heading into the Redbirds' 7 p.m. Friday match vs. Indiana State in Redbird Arena.
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