Iowa, Purdue and USC Claim Big Ten Volleyball Weekly Honors

by | Oct 28, 2025 | College Sports, Headlines, Women's Volleyball

Iowa, Purdue and USC Claim Big Ten Volleyball Weekly Honors

Boilermakers’ Heaney and Anderson, Hawkeyes’ Whittingstall and Trojans’ Messer share weekly honors

Player of the Week
Grace Heaney, Purdue
RS-So. – OPP – Omaha, Neb.

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  • Led Purdue to a 2-0 week with wins over RV Illinois (3-0) and No. 20 Minnesota (3-2)
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  • Tallied 16 kills on a .536 hitting percentage (16-1-28) at Illinois, leading all players in the match in both kills and hitting percentage  
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  • Against No. 20 Minnesota, totaled a career-high 22 kills on a .364 clip, adding 11 digs for her third career double-double. Her 23 points were also a career-best  
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  • Went errorless on the attack in the first set against Minnesota on 11 swings  
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  • In set three against the Gophers, Heaney scored the final two points which sparked Purdue to the reverse sweep, scoring the go-ahead point for the 26-25 advantage and then was on the set-winning block to force a fourth set
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  • Added five blocks on the week to help limit opponents to a .199 hitting percentage  
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  • Last Purdue Player of the Week: Kenna Wollard (Oct. 6, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week
Hannah Whittingstall, Iowa
Jr. – MB – San Antonio, Texas

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  • Totaled 15 blocks to lead Iowa to a 2-0 week with wins over Michigan State (3-1) and Rutgers (3-2)  
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  • Averaged 1.67 blocks per set across the two matches, highlighted by her first career double-double against Rutgers with a team-leading 14 kills and a career-best tying 10 blocks
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  • Led Iowa to a season-high 16.5 team blocks on Sunday against the Scarlet Knights  
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  • Tallied five blocks in Iowa’s four-set win over Michigan State
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  • Was Iowa’s point leader in both matches (35.5), including a team-high 19 against Rutgers
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  • Last Iowa Defensive Player of the Week: Bethany Yeager (Sept. 2, 2013)

Setter of the Week
Taylor Anderson, Purdue
Jr. – S – San Antonio, Texas

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  • Led Purdue to a pair of wins vs. opponents ranked or receiving votes in the top 25 poll, including a 3-0 win at RV Illinois and a 3-2 reverse sweep vs. No. 20 Minnesota
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  • Guided the Purdue offense to a combined .310 hitting percentage with 91 assists (11.38 per set)
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  • Recorded a double-double with 32 assists and 11 digs at Illinois as Purdue hit .376 in the match, the third-highest team attack percentage this season
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  • Recorded 59 assists against the Gophers as Purdue hit .269 in the match  
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  • As a team, Purdue’s 74 kills vs. Minnesota were a season-best and most by a Big Ten team last week  
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  • Collects second consecutive Setter of the Week honor
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  • Last Purdue Setter of the Week: Taylor Anderson (Oct. 20, 2025)

Freshman of the Week
Reese Messer, USC
S – Olathe, Kan.

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  • Guided USC to a pair of wins over Maryland (3-0) and Washington (3-1)
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  • Set USC to a season-high .427 hitting percentage with 35 assists, four digs, two blocks and a kill in a win over the Terrapins
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  • Produced her eighth double-double with a career-high 48 assists and a career-high matching 16 digs in the win over the Huskies, adding three kills, three blocks and two service aces  
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  • Averaged 11.86 assists per set to go with 2.86 digs per set and 1.21 points per set
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  • Last USC Freshman of the Week: Taylor Deckert (Oct. 20, 2025)

2025 Big Ten Players of the Week

Aug. 26
P: Kennedy Martin, Jr., PSU
D: Rebekah Allick, Sr., NEB
S: Bergen Reilly, Jr., NEB
F: Virginia Adriano, NEB
Sept. 1
P: Julia Hanson, Sr., MINN
D: Leah Ford, RS-So., USC
S: Stella Swenson, RS-Fr., MINN
F: Alanah Clemente, ORE
Sept. 8
Co-P: Allison Jacobs, Gr., MICH
Co-P: Kenna Wollard, Jr., PUR
D: Duru Gökçen, So., MD
S: Teodora Kričković, Fr., IND
F: Jaidyn Jager, IND
Sept. 15
P: Mimi Colyer, Sr., WIS
D: Ryan McAleer, So., PUR
S: Charlie Fuerbringer, So., WIS
F: Malayah Long, MSU
Sept. 22
P: Mimi Colyer, Sr., WIS
D: Carter Booth, Sr., WIS
S: Charlie Fuerbringer, So., WIS
F: Reese Messer, USC
Sept. 29
P: Kennedy Martin, Jr., PSU
D: Lola Schumacher, So., UCLA
S: Kenna Phelan, Jr., ILL
F: Eliana Urzua, UCLA
Oct. 6
P: Kenna Wollard, Jr., PUR
D: Ryan McAleer, So., PUR
S: Bergen Reilly, Jr., NEB
F: Teodora Kričković, IND
Oct. 13
Co-P: Harper Murray, Jr., NEB
Co-P: Kennedy Martin, Jr., PSU
D: Marianna Singletary, RS-Jr., UCLA
S: Kate Duffey, So., UCLA
F: Malayah Long, MSU
Oct. 20
P: London Wijay, RS-So., USC
D: Andi Jackson, Jr., NEB
S: Taylor Anderson, Jr., PUR
F: Taylor Deckert, USC
Oct. 27
P: Grace Heaney, RS-So., PUR
D: Hannah Whittingstall, Jr., IOWA
S: Taylor Anderson, Jr., PUR
F: Reese Messer, USC

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