Burlington Central alum Holthus named national player of week
Following her tremendous performance in the 32nd Wildcat Classic, the accolades have continued to pour in for Northwestern senior and Burlington Central product Stephanie Holthus.
The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced that the 2012 AVCA All-America selection was named the Sports Imports/AVCA Division I National Player of the Week Tuesday.
“Stephanie plays a critical role on our team and she’s doing it at a very high level right now,” said Northwestern head coach Keylor Chan. “She really rose to the challenge and was outstanding on the court this weekend. For her to be recognized as the top performer, not only in the Big Ten, but in the entire country is something very special.”
Holthus, who was named Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday, averaged a stunning 6.2 kills and 4.1 digs per set as Northwestern defeated South Florida, Miami (OH) and IUPUI to win its second tournament of the season. The senior hit .358 on the weekend and recorded double-doubles in all three victories.
In the tournament opener on Friday, Holthus helped the ‘Cats climb out of a 2-0 deficit to knock off USF in five games. Holthus tallied a career-high 24 digs in the match and finished with 27 kills, one shy of a career-high performance. All she did during the nightcap was set a school record with 24 kills in a three-set match as Northwestern downed the Miami RedHawks with ease.
Holthus’ 24 kills against Miami were the most since Iwona Lodzik put down 22 against North Carolina on Sept. 19, 2003. During her sophomore season, Holthus had 21 kills in a three-set affair against Utah on Aug. 27, 2011.
After a day of rest, Holthus came back to Welsh-Ryan Arena and posted 17 kills and 11 digs to help her team topple the IUPUI Jaguars for its second three-set win of the tournament.
Holthus is only the second Wildcat standout to be named the AVCA National Player of the Week, and the first since Erika Lange received the distinction on Sept. 8, 2003.
Northwestern opens Big Ten play this weekend with a pair of matches at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The ‘Cats welcome No. 12 Nebraska on Friday at 7 p.m. before entertaining the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 888-GO-PURPLE (847-467-8775) or online now.