GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Alexander Rabadzhiev and Lucas Sauder made history Monday, becoming the first Goshen College men’s volleyball players to win weekly honors from the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference. Rabadzhiev was named Hitter of the Week and Sauder was Setter of the Week.
Rabadzhiev, a freshman outside hitter from Razlog, Bulgaria, led the Maple Leafs with a .296 hitting percentage and 51 kills, racking up 4.64 winners per set across three matches. He also led the team with 21 digs in addition to posting 8 blocks and 4 aces. This season, he ranks 2nd in the NAIA in kills and 20th in digs while also holding top-40 spots in aces and blocks.
Sauder, a freshman from Lititz, Pennsylvania, averaged 8.5 assists per set as the fulcrum of a Maple Leaf offense that recorded a .193 hitting percentage. He posted 14 digs and 7 blocks while serving at a .923 clip to lead the team. He ranks 25th in the nation in blocks and 34th in assists after stepping into the setter role in mid-February; his 35 assists against North Park on Friday are a season high.
The Maple Leafs went 2-1 last week, topping Judson and North Park before losing to Lawrence Tech.
Goshen hits the hardwood three times this week, all in non-conference play. The Maple Leafs will visit Cincinnati Christian University on Monday at 7 p.m. before traveling to Adrian College for two matches at 6 p.m. Wednesday. GC’s next WHAC match is Wednesday, March 6, at Aquinas.
The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference names one or more conference players of the week in each league-sponsored sport based on nominations from each institution’s sports information director.
Goshen College is an affordable, nationally-ranked Christian liberal arts college in Northern Indiana known for leadership in intercultural and international education, sustainability and social justice.
The Maple Leafs compete in 14 varsity sports in the NAIA’s highly competitive Crossroads League and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, continuing a tradition of intercollegiate athletics that dates to 1956 and included women’s competition nearly a decade before Title IX. For more information on GC athletics, visit www.GoLeafs.net and follow the Maple Leafs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @GCMapleLeafs.
