Following a weekend that saw her dish out 84 assists and lead Morehead State volleyball to a .254 team hitting percentage, freshman setter Bridget Bessler has garnered Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week honors for the second straight week.
Monday's honor marks the second Newcomer of the Week award in Bessler's young career while also marking her third overall conference weekly award win of the season. Claiming the award in back-to-back weeks, Morehead State garnered back-to-back Newcomer of the Week honors for the first time since junior outside hitters Olivia Lohmeier and Lauren Rokey claimed the award in consecutive weeks during their freshmen campaigns in 2017. Bessler also marks the first Eagle player to claim consecutive Newcomer of the Week awards since Merideth Jewell won the first three Newcomer of the Week honors in 2015.
Bessler passed out a staggering 12.00 assists per set over seven sets played last weekend against Belmont and Tennessee State, helping Morehead State to a 2-0 start in league play. Overall, she handed out 84 assists as the Eagles hit .254 as a team, collecting 104 kills on the weekend.
In the team's conference opener against Belmont, Bessler dished out 49 assists during the four-set match, averaging 12.25 assists per set. Morehead State collected 59 total kills against the Bruins, hitting .248. In the weekend finale, Bessler collected 35 assists (11.67 per set) in three sets versus Tennessee State. During the match, the Eagles hit .261, registering 44 kills.
Bessler also chipped in seven kills on the weekend, committing just one error in nine attempts. She hit .667 on the weekend, standing as the most efficient attacking setter in the OVC during conference play. Bessler also tallied 11 digs, two service aces, and two total blocks to round out her stat sheet.
On the season, Bessler is the only true freshman setter to rank among the top-25 in the NCAA in assists per set, collecting 11.08 assists per set to rank 18th in the country. In all, she's totaled 432 assists this season across 39 sets.
Bessler and Morehead State return to action this weekend, continuing OVC play. The Eagles travel to Tennessee Tech and Jacksonville State with match times set for 3 p.m. ET Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, respectively.
