The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following Week 6 of the 2026 volleyball season. Michigan Tech outside hitter Rachel Zurek was selected as GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week, Northern Michigan libero/defensive specialist Liesl Haugen was honored as GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week and Northern Michigan setter Allie Barlow was recognized as GLIAC Setter of the Week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rachel Zurek, Michigan Tech
Rachel Zurek is the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for the second straight week. In a pair of home sweeps, Zurek tallied 20 kills, averaging 3.33 per set while hitting .237. The senior outside hitter tallied eight kills and three blocks against Lake Superior State on Friday and 12 kills versus Purdue Northwest on Saturday. Zurek leads the GLIAC with 264 kills and is second averaging 4.19 kills per set.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Liesl Haugen, Northern Michigan
Northern Michigan’s Liesl Haugen has been named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week following a pair of Wildcat wins over the weekend. In NMU’s 3-1 win over Parkside, Haugen recorded a season-high 29 digs, the most in a four-set match across the conference this season. Haugen again helped lead the Wildcats defensively in a 3-0 win at Lake Superior State, adding 17 digs. She added seven assists and three aces in the two matches. This season, the senior from Maple Grove, Minnesota, is third in the GLIAC with 4.53 digs per set and 263 in total. She recently surpassed 1,500 career digs a few weeks back, becoming just the fourth player in program history to reach that milestone.
SETTER OF THE WEEK: Allie Barlow, Northern Michigan
Allie Barlow of Northern Michigan has been named the GLIAC Setter of the Week for the second consecutive week after helping lead the Wildcats to a 2-0 weekend. The senior from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was impressive in every facet of the game. In a 3-1 win over Parkside, Barlow recorded 44 assists and 11 digs, along with five kills, two aces, and two blocks. In a 3-0 victory at Lake Superior State, Barlow recorded seven aces, which was not only the most aces in a GLIAC three-set match this season, but also the most in any match. She also added 28 assists, three kills, and three digs in the match. This season, Barlow has 628 assists and 10.30 assists per set, both second across the conference.
HONORABLE MENTION
Offense: Kennedy Arp (Grand Valley State), KC Fortune (Northern Michigan), Gabby Piazza (Ferris State), Avary Polavin (Parkside), Katie Smith (Wayne State), Rachel Townsend (Saginaw Valley State)
Defense: Kennedy Arp (Grand Valley State), Giselle Burlingame (Wayne State), Hope Davies (Ferris State), Natalie Harris (Parkside), Keeley Nellis (Michigan Tech), Kendall White (Saginaw Valley State)
Setter: Kayla Dulgar (Wayne State), Madelynn Kreider (Michigan Tech), Gabby Orlet (Grand Valley State), Lucy Russ (Parkside), Taylor Smith (Saginaw Valley State), Hayley Wegener (Ferris State)
