New Hampshire's Erin Walker (Fulton, N.Y./G. Ray Bodley) garners her first Player of the Week honor of the 2005 season, while Maine's Amy Lawson (Coeur D’Alene, Idaho/Lake City) earns her first Rookie of the Week accolade. Blair Buchanan (Muncie, Ind./Delta) of Albany garners her seventh Setter of the Week honor of the 2005 campaign. The awards were announced on Monday (November 7).
The senior middle hitter notched 33 kills on the week with a .353 hitting percentage and 5.50 kpg. Walker added 16 digs as she recorded 17 kills and 10 digs in the loss to Albany and amassed 16 kills and a .467 hitting percentage in the 3-0 win against Hartford. She also averaged 5.67 ppg.
Lawson averaged 3.00 kpg, 4.12 ppg, 1.88 bpg and hit a solid .296 on the week. She totaled 24 kills and 15 blocks in a pair of wins over UMBC and Binghamton this weekend in Orono. Lawson posted 11 kills and a career-high nine blocks in the win over UMBC and followed with a 13 kill, six block performance against Binghamton. Lawson leads the team with 50 kills and is second on the squad in hitting percentage at .242.
Buchanan averaged 13.50 apg, 2.00 kpg, 2.75 dpg, 0.62 bpg and 2.75 ppg in two victories last week. Buchanan fell one kill shy of a triple double, tallying a career-high nine kills, 66 assists and 14 digs in a five-game victory over Syracuse. It was her eighth double-double and second 60-plus assists performance this season. She also hit .529 in the match. Buchanan stuffed the stat sheet against New Hampshire with 42 assists, seven kills, eight digs and two blocks to go along with a .462 hitting percentage. For the season, Buchanan is averaging a conference-best 12.26 assists per game to go along with 1.46 kills and 2.37 digs. She also is hitting a team-best .344 for the season.