DENVER – Lauren Kersey has earned yet another accolade in an illustrious career in Purple and White, as the senior was named the Ticketsmarter WAC Offensive Player of the Week for Oct. 25-31.
An outside hitter from Norman, Oklahoma, Kersey turned in a trio of standout performances from the right pin to lead Tarleton to a 2-1 record on the week. She combined to average 3.56 kills per set on the strength of a .420 hitting percentage while recording just four errors.
Kersey capped her week by leading Tarleton to a match and season sweep of Abilene Christian on Saturday, landing 12 kills on 27 swings for a match-high .420 hitting percentage. Tarleton trailed just once in the match and cruised to a straight set victory in scores of 25-17, 25-21 and 25-19.
Her performance helped Tarleton continue its recent run of dominance over its longtime rival on the volleyball court. Tarleton has now won four straight meetings vs. the Wildcats dating back to 2012 when the schools called the Lone Star Conference home.
Four days prior, Kersey engineered a straight set home victory over Incarnate Word (25-17, 25-19, 25-19). She led all players in points (15.5), kills (13) and hitting percentage (.480). Kersey’s hitting percentage was her third-highest figure in a single game this fall.
Kersey also added eight points and seven kills to her stat line for the week on Thursday in Tarleton’s defeat at North Texas.
For Kersey, the award marks her second set of weekly WAC honors. She was chosen as both the WAC Offensive Player of the Week and AVCA National Player of the Week on March 3. Kersey was the first player in Tarleton’s Division I era to receive WAC and AVCA Player of the Week recognition.
Her latest set of weekly WAC credentials that is expected to grow as Tarleton’s fall 2021 season winds down. Kersey, who will participate in Senior Day festivities at Tarleton’s home match vs. Sam Houston on Saturday, is a two-time recipient of All-Conference honors. She was selected to the All-WAC first team in March after leading the conference in points (314) and kills (289). As a sophomore in 2019, Kersey earned All-Lone Star Conference second team and All-LSC Tournament Team recognition in the Texans’ final season at NCAA Division II.
Kersey has led Texans (13-12, 3-3 WAC) in kills in 10 of its last 13 matches and finished in double-figures in all-but-five of Tarleton’s contests this season. She currently ranks third in the WAC in kills (319), fourth in hitting percentage (.324) and seventh in kills per set (3.49). Kersey statistically ranks among the nation’s best outside hitters as well. She is No. 41 nationally in total kills and leads all reclassifying players in the category.
Fans have just two more opportunities to see Kersey compete inside Wisdom Gym, beginning with Tarleton’s home match vs. Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Tarleton concludes its season with road matches at UTRGV on Nov. 11 and Lamar on Nov. 14 following Saturday’s clash against the Bearkats. Kersey will graduate in May with an undergraduate degree in biology.
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