Volleyball: Kelsey Bennett Captures Second Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week Award

Ragin’ Cajuns top point producer is first Sun Belt Volleyball athlete to win award multiple times in 2021

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Volleyball’s Kelsey Bennett was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday (Oct. 5), marking the second time in the 2021 season that the junior outside hitter has received the award.
 

 
Bennett fired off 38 kills at a rate of 4.2 per set in leading Louisiana to its first-ever sweep of the Sun Belt’s Texas road trip, which included the program’s first-ever win over Texas State in San Marcos, and a first-place standing in the SBC West Division.
 
The Allen, Texas product took home match-high honors in kills in both matches against UT Arlington and Texas State.
 
The weekend started with Bennett claiming her fifth 20-plus kills effort of the season, totaling 21 kills at UTA with the final two tallies of the night leading to match point in the fifth set.
 
She then recorded at least four kills in every set on Saturday in San Marcos and finished with 17 total to pace Louisiana’s offensive efforts in the program’s first-ever win on Texas State’s home court.
 
Bennett is the first Sun Belt Volleyball athlete to claim multiple Offensive Player of the Week accolades this season. She becomes the first Ragin’ Cajun to win the award multiple times in the same season.
 
It’s the third career SBC Weekly award overall for Bennett, adding to the SBC Offensive Player of the Week honor earned following the opening weekend of the season (Aug. 31) and the SBC Defensive Player of the Week honor received back on Nov. 18, 2019.
 
For the season, Bennett leads Louisiana’s offense averaging 4.0 kills per set (202 kills total) on a .279 hitting percentage and is seven digs shy of a third consecutive 200-200 season of kills and digs.
 
Louisiana (8-4, 3-1 Sun Belt) is back home at Earl K. Long Gym from Friday-Saturday, Oct. 8-9 for Sun Belt West battles with Arkansas State and Little Rock. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and admission is free.
 
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