Hutchinson Community College sophomore Jade Nelson was named the first Verizon/Jayhawk West Volleyball Player of the Week on Monday after an outstanding weekend in the Land of Enchantment.
Nelson, a 6-foot opposite-side hitter from Milwaukee, Wis., helped Hutchinson start the 2012 season 2-2 at the New Mexico Military Invitational in Roswell, N.M. on Friday and Saturday. One of the victories was a 3-0 sweep of No. 11 Seminole State.
Nelson posted two career highs during the tournament, where she was named to the All-Tournament Team, along with freshman libero Samantha Lackey.
In the season opener against South Mountain, Nelson posted a career-high .688 hitting percentage with 11 kills and no errors on 16 attacks. Later on Friday, Nelson hit .593 with a career-high 18 kills in a five-set loss to home-standing New Mexico Military. She hit .350 or better in three of Hutchinson’s four matches.
In the sweep of Seminole State, Nelson hit .353 on seven kills with three total blocks.
For the weekend, Nelson hit .449 with averages of 2.50 kills and .69 blocks per set.
Nelson is now eligible for NJCAA Division I Volleyball Player of the Week honors; they will be announced later in the week.
Hutchinson opens at home on Wednesday night when they open the Jayhawk West season with Colby at 6:30 p.m. in the Sports Arena. The match can be seen live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network.
(HCC Sports Information)
