ST. LOUIS – Illinois State volleyball outside hitter Tamara Otene was selected as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season after an impressive performance where she combined for 39 kills (4.88 kills/set) in Illinois State's two matches against Evansville and Indiana State last weekend.
Otene recorded a match-high 13 kills on her second-best hitting percentage of season at .440 in route to the Redbirds' 3-0 win over the Purple Aces.
Against the Sycamores, Otene notched a career-best 26 kills, nearly posting a double-double adding eight digs as well. Otene's 26 kills tie the MVC season record for kills in a single match this year, joining Evansville's Alondra Vazquez (26 vs. Northern Kentucky, 9/11/21) as the only two Valley players with 26 kills in a match during the 2021 season. Otene stands alone at the top during conference play, however, with no other Valley player recording more kills in a single match than her 26 against Indiana State.
In addition to making her mark in the Valley record book, Otene has etched her name into the Illinois State record book, tying for the eighth-most kills in Redbird Arena in school history. She joins Tracy Young in the No. 8 spot, who had 26 kills against Northwestern on Sept. 5, 1989.
With 13 kills against Evansville and 26 against Indiana St., Otene has posted 10+ kills in 23 of ISU's 27 matches this season, including six times with 20+ kills in a single match. Nailing a conference-leading 403 kills this season, including 251 in MVC play, Otene ranks 19th in the NCAA for total kills during the 2021 season.
UP NEXT
Otene and the Redbirds are back in action this weekend when they take on Valparaiso and Loyola-Chicago on November 12-13. Fans who can't make the trip to Valparaiso or Chicago can watch the matches on ESPN3/ESPN+.
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