ST. LOUIS – Illinois State volleyball outside hitter Tamara Otene was named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the first time in her career after a dominating performance over the Redbirds' three-game swing last week.
Combining for 52 kills (4.73 kills/set) in Illinois State's three wins over Bradley, UNI and Drake, Otene hit an impressive .366 percent. In ISU's two sweeps over UNI and Drake last weekend, Otene combined for 35 kills, averaging 5.83 kills/set across the six sets played.
After posting 17 (@ Bradley), 16 (vs. UNI) and 19 (vs. Drake) kills in the Redbirds' matches, Otene has now gone 12-straight games with 10+ kills, recording double-digit figures in 20 of ISU's 23 games this season.
In each of ISU's three-set wins last weekend, Otene improved her three-set career-best for kills, posting 16 against UNI and then 19 against Drake. The Auckland, New Zealand native also posted her third double-double of the season against the Bulldogs, finishing with 10 digs.
Otene leads the MVC and is 17th in the nation with 341 total kills this season.
UP NEXT
Otene and the Redbirds are back in action this weekend when they take on Southern Illinois at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 29 and Missouri State at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 30. Fans who can't make the trip to Carbondale or Springfield can watch the matches on ESPN3/ESPN+.
For all latest on Illinois State volleyball, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
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