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Louisiana’s Kelsey Bennett, Arkansas State’s Tatum Ticknor and Texas State’s Emily DeWalt all led their teams to successful weekends and garnered Sun Belt Volleyball Player of the Week recognition. All are multi-time recipients of their respective honors.

Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week
Kelsey Bennett, Louisiana
(Jr., Allen, Texas)

Ragin’ Cajuns junior outside hitter averaged 4.6 kills per set and recorded a .270 hitting percentage as Louisiana picked up a key road sweep of Arkansas State and Little Rock. Bennett’s weekend stat line included 37 kills and 30 digs over eight sets. She started with a 20-20 double-double of 23 kills and 21 digs in a five-set win over Arkansas State, the offensive production pushing her past 300 kills in a single season for the first time in her career. On Saturday in Little Rock, Bennett landed six kills apiece in each of the first two sets as the Ragin’ Cajuns built a commanding 2-0 match lead. Her final tally of 14 kills against the Trojans marked the 19th time in 21 matches she has reached double figures in kills. This is Bennett’s third Offensive Player of the Week honor this season.

Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Tatum Ticknor, Arkansas State
(Jr., Grapevine, Texas)

Red Wolves junior libero Tatum Ticknor joined elite company over the weekend, becoming just the fourth player in Arkansas State history to join the 2,000-digs club with 54 total digs (6.75 digs per set) in a pair of matches vs. Louisiana and ULM. Ticknor became one of just eight players in Sun Belt Conference history to eclipse the 2,000-dig mark. The Grapevine, Texas, native matched her season high with 34 digs against the Ragin’ Cajuns before notching 20 digs and nine assists in a 3-0 win against ULM on Saturday. This is Ticknor’s fourth Defensive Player of the Week honor this season.

Volleyball Setter of the Week
Emily DeWalt, Texas State
(Sr., Helotes, Texas)

Bobcats’ senior setter Emily DeWalt earned her third consecutive Setter of the Week honors. For DeWalt, it marks her 17th career Sun Belt Setter of the Week accolade and her 22nd overall Sun Belt Conference honor dating back to 2018. This past week, DeWalt was credited with 75 assists (12.50 assists per set) in Texas State’s two three-set victories. In the Bobcats’ three-set win at Georgia Southern on Friday night, DeWalt charted 33 assists while directing the team’s offense that finished the match with a .380 attack percentage. The following night in Atlanta, DeWalt registered 42 assists as the Texas State offense had three student-athletes with double-figure kills en route to finishing the match with a .331 attack percentage. Her 42 assists marked the seventh time this season that DeWalt has been credited with 40 or more assists in a single match, and it was the third-most assists in a three-set match for DeWalt this season. On the week, she also earned eight kills (1.33 kills per set) on a .615 attack percentage. Defensively, she totaled 13 digs (2.17 digs per set), while also claiming three block assists throughout the week.

2021 Sun Belt Volleyball Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Kelsey Bennett, Louisiana
Week 2 – Julia Brooks, Troy
Week 3 – Macey Putt, Arkansas State
Week 4 – Laura Jansen, Little Rock
Week 5 – Doris Carter, Coastal Carolina
Week 6 – Kelsey Bennett, Louisiana
Week 7 – Janell Fitzgerald, Texas State
Week 8 – Janell Fitzgerald, Texas State
Week 9 – Laura Jansen, Little Rock
Week 10 – Kelsey Bennett, Louisiana

2021 Sun Belt Volleyball Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Zanobia Willis, Little Rock
Week 2 – Alli Wells, UTA
Week 3 – Tatum Ticknor, Arkansas State
Week 4 – Tatum Ticknor, Arkansas State
Week 5 – Ashlyn Lovett, Georgia Southern
Week 6 – Alli Wells, UTA
Week 7 – Tatum Ticknor, Arkansas State
Week 8 – Alli Wells, UTA
Week 9 – Ashlyn Lovett, Georgia Southern
Week 10 – Tatum Ticknor, Arkansas State

2021 Sun Belt Volleyball Setters of the Week
Week 2 – Amara Anderson, Troy
Week 3 – Amara Anderson, Troy
Week 4 – Lauren Musante, Arkansas State
Week 5 – Kailey Keeble, South Alabama
Week 6 – Kailey Keeble, South Alabama
Week 7 – Grace Slader, Georgia Southern
Week 8 – Emily DeWalt, Texas State
Week 9 – Emily DeWalt, Texas State
Week 10 – Emily DeWalt, Texas State