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Weekly Roundup

Volleyball’s Gray earns OVC DPOW

Senior Kelsey Gray caught the attention of the conference and revealed why she is the best blocker in the Ohio Valley Conference when she turned in a 2.54 block per set performance over the weekend.
Gray’s spectacular play at the net snagged the senior Defensive Player of the Week honors.
This marks the first time Gray, a 6’2″ middle blocker, has earned Adidas OVC Defensive Player of the Week this season, but this is the second time she has been honored in her four-year career. Gray previously won the award her sophomore season after posting 10 blocks against Jacksonville State Unversity Oct. 15, 2010.
For the weekend, the Golden Eagles registered 25 team blocks with Gray having a hand in 18 of them. Against undefeated Morehead State University, Gray was a part of every Tech block. She had a career-high 10 block assists and a season-high 11 total blocks versus Eastern Kentucky University. Gray averaged 2.54 blocks per set, and to put in perspective the greatness of her performance, the best blocker in Division I is currently averaging 1.74 blocks per set.
Gray is currently ranked first in the OVC with 1.54 blocks per set, placing her 10th in Division I, ahead of perennial powerhouses such as Stanford University, the University of Texas and Pennsylvania State University.

Vanlier named to FCS Freshman Watch List

Tennessee Tech true freshman Ladarius Vanlier has been named to the prestigious Football Championship Subdivision National Freshman Performer of the Year Watch List by the College Football Performance Awards.
The watch list highlights freshmen whose performances merit recognition, and Vanlier was one of 30 athletes named.
In his first year wearing purple and gold, Vanlier has done just that. Throughout his freshman season, Vanlier has received nods for his exceptional play from the Ohio Valley Conference and the CFPA.
Vanlier took the field by storm, breaking OVC records and coming up just shy of NCAA records within his first month of play and also averages 21.4 yards per kick return.