Eastern Michigan University volleyball student-athlete Hannah Blaney has been named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the conference on Monday, Sept. 30. This marks Blaney's first career Defensive Player of the Week honor and the second time the Eagles have earned this accolade this season. Freshman middle blocker Hatteras Welker claimed the award just last week, making it two consecutive wins for the program.
Blaney, a senior libero from Saline, Michigan, led the EMU defense in two key victories against Kent State University on Sept. 26-27. Over the weekend, Blaney recorded an impressive 50 digs, averaging 6.25 digs per set. In Friday's reverse sweep win, she set a career-high with 27 digs—second-most by any player in the conference this season. This performance also brought her career digs total to 1,037, surpassing the 1,000-dig milestone. Blaney followed up with 23 digs in Saturday's sweep of Kent State, the highest dig total in a three-set match in the MAC this season.
Currently, Blaney ranks second in the MAC with 258 total digs, placing her 12th nationally. The Eagles, as a team, are 21st in the country for total digs, showcasing their strong defensive capabilities. With her stellar defensive play, Blaney contributed four assists, two aces and one kill over the two matches.
Up Next
Blaney and the Eagles will face Central Michigan University on Oct. 1 at McGuirk Arena in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. A win would give EMU its first 3-0 start in MAC play since 2010. The match will begin at 6 p.m.
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