2016 NCAA Women's Volleyball ChampionshipDec 10, 2016 by Megan Kaplon
Top 10 Players from the NCAA Volleyball Regional Semis
Top 10 Players from the NCAA Volleyball Regional Semis
Find out who were the top players from the regional semifinal round of the 2016 NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament.
At this point in the NCAA Division I women's volleyball tournament, every team and every player is elite, but in the eight regional semifinal matches on Friday, Dec. 9, we noticed 10 players (listed below in alphabetical order) whose performance elevated them above even their incredibly talented peers.
Stanford's senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku can take over a match. In a four-set victory over Florida State in the regional semifinals, Ajanaku led the match with 17 kills and only three errors to hit .538. She also helped Stanford hold its title of best blocking team in the country by tallying three block assists and one solo.
Late last season, Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani came up big for Texas, posting a team-high .538 hitting percentage on 15 kills against Minnesota in the 2015 national semifinal match. As a sophomore, Bedart-Ghani has made the switch from the right side to the middle, and against BYU in the regional semifinals Friday night, she put away seven kills with no errors to hit .538. At the net, she added eight block assists.
When UCLA needed a kill against North Carolina in the regional semis, the Bruins looked to Reily Buechler, as they have done all season long. The junior outside hitter took 56 swings in the four-set match, terminating 19 times to lead the UCLA squad. Buechler tied Bruins libero Taylor Formico for a match-high 24 digs, a career-high for the Del Mar, California, native.
4. Lydia Dimke | Junior | Setter | Creighton
Creighton setter Lydia Dimke showed why she earned the title of 2016 Big East Player of the Year in the Bluejays' regional semifinal match versus Michigan. In the five-set comeback victory, Dimke dished out 57 assists and added scooped up 14 digs.
Ali Frantti fueled the fire that allowed Penn State to gain a 2-0 lead over No. 1 seeded Nebraska. She stuffed six of the Huskers swings by herself, marking a career-high for the junior outside hitter. She also set a season-high with 21 kills in the five-set loss to the Huskers.
Despite Penn State putting up 17 blocks in the five-set match against Nebraska, Huskers middle blocker Briana Holman found a way to get 17 kills to the Devaney Center floor. The junior, who transferred from LSU where she earned first team All-American honors, also contributed five block assists and two solos.
Junior Crissy Jones scored the first kill for Washington in the Huskies' regional semifinal match against Arizona, and she stayed hot throughout the match. The Los Alamitos, California, native has played various roles for Washington this season, and in the Sweet 16, she did it all. With 11 kills, she tied Courtney Schwan and Tia Scambray for the team high, but with only one error on 21 swings, her .476 hitting percentage was unmatched. Oh, and did we mention her six block assists and team-high 10 digs?
It's not for nothing that Michigan sophomore Jenna Lerg was named one of the top 10 liberos in the country. In the five-set loss to Creighton, Lerg dug 30 balls, a number matched only by BYU libero Mary Lake in the regional semifinal round of the 2016 NCAA tournament.
Sophomore defensive specialist Amber MacDonald has been a rock for Wisconsin throughout the 2016 season, quietly collecting 198 digs and 16 aces. In the regional semifinals against Ohio State, she came up big. With the Badgers down two sets to one and trailing 16-19 in the fourth, MacDonald went behind the service line and sparked a comeback, serving all the way to 20-20. The 5-foot-4 Georgia native also added 11 digs.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/BadgerVB/status/807328838925635584" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
On a team as balanced as Minnesota, it is difficult to pick out a star. In the Gophers' 3-1 victory over Missouri to move on to the regional finals, Paige and Hannah Tapp each contributed 14 kills and Sarah Wilhite had 16, but it's senior defensive specialist and backup setter Katie Schau who impressed us the most. Her 14 digs were only one shy of matching libero Dalianliz Rosado's team-high 15. Not stopping there, the 5-8 Richland, Michigan, native also contributed a point from behind the service line.
All photos USA Today Sports, with the exception of Jenna Lerg photo, which is Michigan Photography.
1. Inky Ajanaku | Redshirt Senior | Middle Blocker | Stanford
Stanford's senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku can take over a match. In a four-set victory over Florida State in the regional semifinals, Ajanaku led the match with 17 kills and only three errors to hit .538. She also helped Stanford hold its title of best blocking team in the country by tallying three block assists and one solo.2. Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani | Sophomore | Middle Blocker | Texas
Late last season, Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani came up big for Texas, posting a team-high .538 hitting percentage on 15 kills against Minnesota in the 2015 national semifinal match. As a sophomore, Bedart-Ghani has made the switch from the right side to the middle, and against BYU in the regional semifinals Friday night, she put away seven kills with no errors to hit .538. At the net, she added eight block assists.
3. Reily Buechler | Junior | Outside Hitter | UCLA
When UCLA needed a kill against North Carolina in the regional semis, the Bruins looked to Reily Buechler, as they have done all season long. The junior outside hitter took 56 swings in the four-set match, terminating 19 times to lead the UCLA squad. Buechler tied Bruins libero Taylor Formico for a match-high 24 digs, a career-high for the Del Mar, California, native.4. Lydia Dimke | Junior | Setter | Creighton
Creighton setter Lydia Dimke showed why she earned the title of 2016 Big East Player of the Year in the Bluejays' regional semifinal match versus Michigan. In the five-set comeback victory, Dimke dished out 57 assists and added scooped up 14 digs.
5. Ali Frantti | Junior | Outside Hitter | Penn State
Ali Frantti fueled the fire that allowed Penn State to gain a 2-0 lead over No. 1 seeded Nebraska. She stuffed six of the Huskers swings by herself, marking a career-high for the junior outside hitter. She also set a season-high with 21 kills in the five-set loss to the Huskers.
6. Briana Holman | Junior | Middle Blocker | Nebraska
Despite Penn State putting up 17 blocks in the five-set match against Nebraska, Huskers middle blocker Briana Holman found a way to get 17 kills to the Devaney Center floor. The junior, who transferred from LSU where she earned first team All-American honors, also contributed five block assists and two solos.7. Crissy Jones | Junior | Opposite | Washington
Junior Crissy Jones scored the first kill for Washington in the Huskies' regional semifinal match against Arizona, and she stayed hot throughout the match. The Los Alamitos, California, native has played various roles for Washington this season, and in the Sweet 16, she did it all. With 11 kills, she tied Courtney Schwan and Tia Scambray for the team high, but with only one error on 21 swings, her .476 hitting percentage was unmatched. Oh, and did we mention her six block assists and team-high 10 digs?8. Jenna Lerg | Sophomore | Libero | Michigan
It's not for nothing that Michigan sophomore Jenna Lerg was named one of the top 10 liberos in the country. In the five-set loss to Creighton, Lerg dug 30 balls, a number matched only by BYU libero Mary Lake in the regional semifinal round of the 2016 NCAA tournament. 9. Amber MacDonald | Sophomore | Defensive Specialist | Wisconsin
Sophomore defensive specialist Amber MacDonald has been a rock for Wisconsin throughout the 2016 season, quietly collecting 198 digs and 16 aces. In the regional semifinals against Ohio State, she came up big. With the Badgers down two sets to one and trailing 16-19 in the fourth, MacDonald went behind the service line and sparked a comeback, serving all the way to 20-20. The 5-foot-4 Georgia native also added 11 digs.
[tweet url="https://twitter.com/BadgerVB/status/807328838925635584" hide_media="0" hide_thread="1"]
10. Katie Schau | Senior | Defensive Specialist | Minnesota
On a team as balanced as Minnesota, it is difficult to pick out a star. In the Gophers' 3-1 victory over Missouri to move on to the regional finals, Paige and Hannah Tapp each contributed 14 kills and Sarah Wilhite had 16, but it's senior defensive specialist and backup setter Katie Schau who impressed us the most. Her 14 digs were only one shy of matching libero Dalianliz Rosado's team-high 15. Not stopping there, the 5-8 Richland, Michigan, native also contributed a point from behind the service line.
All photos USA Today Sports, with the exception of Jenna Lerg photo, which is Michigan Photography.