ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – For the third straight week, the UCF volleyball team had a player honored by the American Athletic Conference. On Monday, outside hitter McKenna Melville was tabbed as The American Offensive Player of the Week after guiding the Knights to sole control of first place in the league.
It was the second time she has received the honor from the conference this season.
“McKenna stepped up big time for us on a a weekend that was very pivotal to setting up a second half run and achieve our goals,” head coach Todd Dagenais said. “Her all-around play is rare, especially at the level she is playing at as a freshman this late in the season.”
Melville was phenomenal all around the court with a pair of double-doubles over eight sets at ECU and Cincinnati. The Eagan, Minn., native averaged 4.62 kills and 3.5 digs per set. On Friday, the freshman drove home 14 kills and notched 13 digs in a sweep of ECU.
The rookie stepped it up on Sunday as the Knights faced conference co-leader Cincinnati on the road. Melville converted 23 of her 59 attacks into kills with just four errors for a .322 clip at the net. She also dropped in a trio of service aces to go along with 15 digs and two block assists.
This season, Melville is leading the team with 4.24 kills per set at a .250 hitting percentage. The freshman has 14 double-doubles on due in part to 3.47 digs per set.
Anne-Marie Watson, who broke the school record for block assists in a game with 12, was named to the conference honor roll after averaging 2.33 blocks per set on the weekend.
The Knights return home to The Venue this weekend for a pair of matches against Houston and SMU.
Follow the Knights
Follow UCF Volleyball on social media on Facebook (UCF.Volleyball), Twitter (UCF_Volleyball) and Instagram (UCF.Volleyball).
Get the App
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news.