The Wildcat volleyball team had one of its best weeks of the season last week, thanks in large part to the dominating play of outside hitter Stephanie Meschke. The senior helped the Wildcats finish 1-1 on the week which included a huge five-set win over Augsburg and a 3-1 loss to a tough No. 7 nationally-ranked St. Thomas squad. Her efforts have earned her Wildcat Athlete of the Week honors.
Meschke started the week with her season-best performance against Augsburg. She led the team in a huge home-court win with 17 kills and a .256 hitting percentage. Meschke recorded three kills in the15-10 fifth set win, including match point. En route to victory, the Wildcats recorded a season-best 13 service aces, and Meschke was one of three Wildcats to rack up three aces in the win. Defensively, Meschke chipped in 16 digs and two block assists. Her monster numbers against the Auggies were good enough for her first double-double performance of the season.
In a tough MIAC contest against St. Thomas, Meschke helped the Wildcats become the first MIAC team to take a set from the Tommies all season and hold them to a .204 hitting percentage overall (their second-worst outing in 2012). Meschke again led the hitting effort for the Wildcats, putting up eight kills in the match. She also came up big in other categories serving two aces, recording five digs and adding two block asssits to the team's total of eight.
Meschke and the Wildcats return to action on Wednesday as they travel to Hamline for a 7 p.m. MIAC match.
