GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following Week 6 of the 2025 volleyball season. Grand Valley State senior outside hitter Kendall Stover earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, Northern Michigan junior libero Liesl Haugen received GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades and Ferris State sophomore setter Hayley Wegener was recognized as GLIAC Setter of the Week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kendall Stover, Grand Valley State
Kendall Stover was named the GLIAC’s Offensive Player of the Week, earning the award for the second time in her career. Stover tallied the 1,000th kill of her Laker career over the weekend and helped GVSU to two home sweeps. The senior had 24 kills on a .489 hitting percentage, adding 20 digs, two blocks, and one service ace. On Friday, she tied for a team-high with nine kills, swinging at a .563 clip, recording no errors in her 16 attacks. She added seven digs, one block assist, and one service ace. Stover followed that up with a season-high 15 kills on Saturday, including the 1,000th of her career, to help lead GVSU to a sweep over Parkside. She hit .448 and had 13 digs to record her fourth double-double of the season.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Liesl Haugen, Northern Michigan
For the second straight week, Northern Michigan junior libero Liesl Haugen has been named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. The Maple Grove, Minnesota native was everywhere on the court this past weekend for the Wildcats, turning in one of the most impressive defensive efforts in program history. In Thursday’s five-set thriller at Michigan Tech, Haugen piled up 38 digs, the most by any GLIAC player this season and the ninth-highest total in Division II. It was also the second-best single-match performance in NMU history, just one shy of Meirong Lu’s 39 digs from 1999. She followed it up with another strong outing at Purdue Northwest, adding 22 digs. Over the two matches, she added four receptions, three aces, and nine assists to help the Wildcats cap off a perfect road weekend. Since returning from injury on September 26, Haugen has helped spark a remarkable turnaround for Northern. The Wildcats are 6-0 with her back in the lineup, and she currently ranks second in the GLIAC with 5.0 digs per set in conference play. Her relentless effort on Northern’s back line continues to set the tone for the team, and for the second week in a row, she was honored for those efforts.
SETTER OF THE WEEK: Hayley Wegener, Ferris State
Ferris State University sophomore setter Hayley Wegener had a big week as the 15th-ranked Bulldogs rolled to three-straight road victories. Wegener finished the week with 100 assists while adding 32 digs, 12 kills, six service aces and five total blocks. She averaged 10.0 assists and 3.20 digs per set in 10 total frames. Wegener began the week with 41 assists and 13 digs in FSU’s 3-1 road win on Tuesday at Davenport before coming back with 27 assists and nine digs in a 3-0 sweep over Saginaw Valley State on Friday. Finally, she closed the stretch with 32 assists and 10 digs in a 3-0 win at Lake Superior State on Saturday. Her play helped the Bulldogs push their winning streak to six consecutive matches while improving to 13-4 overall this year.
HONORABLE MENTION
Offense: Allyson Cathey (Purdue Northwest), Kayla Giroux (Wayne State), Finley Helm (Saginaw Valley State), Sierra Kilbourn (Parkside), Kaylie McIntosh (Northern Michigan), Gabby Piazza (Ferris State), Sydney Swan (Davenport), Madelyn Torola (Michigan Tech)
Defense: Hayley Carr (Davenport), Hope Davies (Ferris State), Julia Fledderjohn (Michigan Tech), Paige Giehtbrock (Wayne State), Natalie Harris (Parkside), Brianna Stawski (Grand Valley State), Livia Thomsen (Purdue Northwest), Rachel Townsend (Saginaw Valley State)
Setter: Caroline Baker (Grand Valley State), Allie Barlow (Northern Michigan), Madison Berry (Davenport), Kayla Dulgar (Wayne State), Marina Gronkiewicz (Purdue Northwest), Tess Hayes (Michigan Tech), Jackie Scheiber (Saginaw Valley State)
