Nikki Morrison Named AVCA DIII National Player of the Week

St. Louis, Mo., November 12, 2008 – Senior right side Nikki Morrison of the No. 3 Washington University volleyball team was named the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III National Player of the Week, as announced by the association. She earns the national accolade after helping Washington University secure the 2008 University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship with a 3-2 win over then No. 1 Emory University on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the WU Field House in St. Louis, Mo.

Morrison is the 22nd player in school history to garner Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week honors, and is the second Bear to achieve the distinction this season. Senior outside hitter Alli Alberts was named the AVCA national Player of the Week on Oct. 7.

In leading the Bears to their 19th UAA Championship, Morrison hit .432 in four matches last week, tallying 52 kills, for an average of 3.47 per set. She also averaged 1.27 digs and 4.17 points per set. After notching eight kills in Washington University’s UAA tournament opener against New York University, she recorded 11 kills in a sweep of Case Western Reserve University.

Morrison used a season-high 19-kill performance to power the Red and Green past Carnegie Mellon University, hitting .548 in the four-set win. Her strong play continued in the UAA Championship match with Emory, where she had a team-high 14 kills to pace her team to a thrilling five-set victory. For her efforts in leading the Bears to the UAA crown, Morrison was tabbed as the UAA Most Valuable Player on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

Enjoying the best statistical season of her four years at Washington University, Morrison leads the team in kills (337) and attack percentage (.385). She eclipsed 1,000-career kills on Sept. 12, 2007, and has 1,252 kills in her career, which ranks No. 10 all-time at Washington University. Her 2008 hitting percentage of .385 is a personal best, and her career-hitting percentage of .358 is also 10th in school history.

Washington University (30-6, 10-1 UAA) begins its NCAA championship defense as the No. 1 seed in the Great Lakes Regional. The Bears open postseason play against Frostburg State University on Thursday, Nov. 13, in Springfield, Ohio, at 3:30 p.m. (ET).