Tuesday, October 31, 2017
LEXINGTON, Ky. – One day after earning the GNAC Volleyball offensive Player of the Week award, Alaska Anchorage junior outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson was honored Tuesday with the Sports Imports/AVCA Division II National Player of the Week award, thanks to her efforts in a pair of critical wins against nationally-ranked opponents.
An outside hitter from Anchorage’s Dimond High School, Johnson led the Seawolves (16-7, 11-3 GNAC) with 40 kills (4.00 kills per set) with a .243 hitting percentage and 48 points as they stayed alive in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title race with five-set home wins over No. 25 Central Washington and No. 10 Northwest Nazarene.
In Thursday’s win 21-25, 25-17, 28-26, 19-25, 15-11 win over the Wildcats, she pounded career-high and then-UAA season-high 24 kills, along with 15 digs, four block assists and an ace. Clinging to a 13-11 lead in the fifth set, Johnson ripped consecutive kills to end the match.
In Saturday’s 19-25, 25-14, 12-25, 25-23, 15-9 victory over previously one-loss NNU, she tallied 16 kills on .256 hitting – including match point again – and equaled her season high with 18 digs.
Johnson becomes just the second Seawolf ever to earn the AVCA’s top national weekly award for NCAA Division II, following former All-American Rhea Cardwell, who won the honor on Nov. 18, 2008.
The selection of Johnson is the fifth national player of the week award for the GNAC this season. Fellow Seawolf Caroline Kurgat has been named the USTFCCCA Division II Women's Cross Country Athlete of the Week three times while Simon Fraser's Emma Pringle has been selected by the United Soccer Coaches as their Division II Women's Player of the Week.