GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following Week 10 of the 2025 volleyball season. Wayne State senior middle blocker Kayla Giroux was honored as GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week, Northern Michigan junior libero Liesl Haugen was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week and Michigan Tech freshman setter Madelynn Kreider was recognized as GLIAC Setter of the Week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Kayla Giroux, Wayne State
Kayla Giroux (Flat Rock, Mich.) was named GLIAC Player of the Week for the eighth time in her career on Monday (seven offensive, one defensive) and fourth instance this season (all offensive). This past week, in a pair of road wins for Wayne State, Giroux hit .538 with 39 kills and only four errors on 65 total attacks. Starting with the sweep at Lake Superior State on Friday, the senior finished with 14 kills and just one error on 23 attempts (.565). Then on Saturday, the middle blocker led the Warriors to a reverse sweep of Saginaw Valley State with 25 kills (career high), three miscues and 42 swings (.524).
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Liesl Haugen, Northern Michigan
For the third time this season, Northern Michigan junior libero Liesl Haugen has been named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week, following another remarkable weekend anchoring the Wildcat defense. Haugen was once again lethal on the back line, recording her second 38-dig performance of the season to tie herself for the second most digs in a match in program history. She was the foundation of a dominant defensive effort as the Wildcats defeated Davenport 3-1 on Saturday, posting a season-high 102 digs as a team. She also recorded 24 digs in NMU’s five-set victory over Ferris State on Friday and added six aces on the weekend. The Maple Grove, Minnesota, native has recorded 20+ digs in 11 of 21 matches this season, and her pair of 38-dig matches both rank in the top-20 individual performances in Division II this season. She paces the GLIAC with 5.44 digs/set in conference play. This marks Haugen’s third GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week award of 2025, adding to honors from back-to-back weeks in mid-October.
SETTER OF THE WEEK: Madelynn Kreider, Michigan Tech
Michigan Tech freshman setter Madelynn Kreider averaged 12.44 assists per set and 3.11 digs per set in a pair of home matches over the weekend. She tallied a season-best 69 assists in Friday’s 3-2 win over Davenport while also adding 13 digs. Kreider added 43 assists and a season-best 15 digs against No. 18 Ferris State on Saturday. She added four kills, three blocks, and an ace on the weekend. Kreider ranks seventh in the GLIAC in assists per set (8.33). Her 69-assist match is the most by any GLIAC player this season and the third most in NCAA Division II in 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION
Offense: Sam Fisch (Parkside), Kate Goudreau (Grand Valley State), McKenzie Gruner (Northern Michigan), Emily May (Ferris State), Rachel Townsend (Saginaw Valley State), Rachel Zurek (Michigan Tech)
Defense: Kendyl Andrews (Wayne State), Mariena Coon (Parkside), Hope Davies (Ferris State), Julia Fledderjohn (Michigan Tech), Brianna Stawski (Grand Valley State), Kendall White (Saginaw Valley State)
Setter: Allie Barlow (Northern Michigan), Ava Beard (Saginaw Valley State), Kayla Dulgar (Wayne State), Gabby Orlet (Grand Valley State), Hayley Wegener (Ferris State)
