ST. LOUIS – Illinois State volleyball student-athlete Ali Line has been given the Missouri Valley Conference's Offensive Player of the Week distinction, the league office announced on Tuesday. This honor is Line's first career player of the week nod, and it marks the second-straight week a Redbird has been recognized for their athletic success on the court in 2018.
"Ali, along with the support of her teammates, earned this recognition through hard work," head coach Leah Johnson said. "She puts in the effort to be a great transition middle every point. Her diversity as an attacker directly impacted our success this weekend."
Line started all three matches for the Redbirds this past weekend, as Illinois State went 3-0 with sweeps over Eastern Illinois and Butler, and a four-set victory over Auburn, to win the Top Dawg Challenge in Indianapolis, Indiana. The hometown hero was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after finishing the weekend with a team-best 26 kills on .438 hitting, averaging 2.60 kills per set. Line was one of two Redbirds to register a solo block, contributing six total blocks on the weekend.
She reached double-digit kills against Eastern Illinois and Auburn to lead the team, while finishing second on the team in the category against Butler. Line's 11 kills against the Panthers matched a career-high for the senior, dating back to the 2016 season. She also matched a career-high in digs with four against Eastern Illinois, while finishing the weekend with a team-best 32.0 points for the Redbirds. At the conclusion of this weekend, Line is currently seventh overall in the MVC in hitting percentage.
Illinois State (5-1) will head west for the Cougar Challenge, hosted by Washington State University, in Pullman, Washington, this weekend. The Redbirds are set to face Stony Brook (3-4) and the tournament host No. 23 Cougars (4-0) on Friday, before wrapping up their third tournament of the season on Saturday against McNeese (0-7).
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