ST. PAUL, MINN. – The St. Catherine University volleyball team is playing its best volleyball of the season right now. The Wildcats earned their first Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) win of the season on Wednesday and pushed the top team in the conference to four sets on Saturday thanks to an offensive explosion. In the center of it all was first year middle blocker Libby Kreuser (White Bear Lake, Minn. / Totino-Grace) who led the team offensively in multiple statistical categories. For her performances, she has been named Wildcat Athlete of the Week.
Kreuser’s career week started in St. Kate’s 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-13) sweep of Macalester on Wednesday. The first year ended the match with 11 kills and 1 error in 23 attempts and a team-leading hitting percentage of .435. She also was a key figure for the Wildcats defensively and had a hand in all five of the team’s total blocks with one solo and four block assists.
Kreuser put together her second 11-kill performance of the week in a competitive 3-1 (20-25, 25-17, 19-25, 19-25) loss to MIAC leading Augsburg College. The Wildcats pushed the top team in the conference to four sets again in large part thanks to Kreuser’s strong offensive play. Kreuser hit .286 with 11 kills and only three errors in 27 attempts and topped off her night with three blocks and her 22nd ace of the season.
All in all, Kreuser hit .360 during the week, with 22 total kills and just four errors. She currently ranks third on the team in kills (171) and hitting percentage (.196) this season, is fourth in kills/set average (1.74) and third in aces (22).
