Kansas State’s Aliyah Carter (Offensive) and Mackenzie Morris (Defensive) along with Iowa State’s Nayeli Gonzalez (Rookie) brought home Big 12 volleyball accolades for the 12th week of the season.Carter led the Wildcats to a takedown of then-No. 3 Texas with her 20 kills on a .311 hitting percentage. The victory snapped a 39-match losing streak to the Longhorns for K-State, which stretched back to 2003. It was Carter’s 17th career match with 20 or more kills and she helped the Wildcats set a single-season program record with five ranked victories this year, including the first top-five win under head coach Jason Mansfield. This is her fourth Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honor and her ninth overall weekly recognition, tying her for the ninth most all-time and the most ever by a K-State student-athlete.Morris added her 28th career 20-dig match in the win over UT, the first top-five win at home in K-State history. The 2022 Big 12 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year helped hold the Longhorns to a .246 hitting percentage while earning her fourth career Defensive Player of the Week title. The league leader in digs per set (4.74) has guided the Wildcats to four straight ranked wins at home where K-State has swept each match.Gonzalez became the first Cyclone since 2008 to have a 30-plus kill match with 31 in the first match victory against then-No 14 Kansas. It was the fourth-highest individual single-match total, the highest by a freshman in school history and the most in the rally-scoring era by a Cyclone. The freshman added 12 digs, three aces and two solo blocks for a total of 36.0 points, the first 30-plus point performance by a Cyclone since 2008. The back-to-back Big 12 Rookie of the Week winner is the second ISU player of all time to procure the honor four times.
A full list of this season’s weekly award winners can be found here.Offensive Player of the WeekAliyah Carter, K-State, OH, Sr.Defensive Player of the WeekMackenzie Morris, K-State, L, Sr.Rookie of the WeekNayeli Gonzalez, Iowa State, OH/RS, Fr.
