Morvant, Lewis sweep SLC weekly honors

FRISCO – Sam Houston's Ashley Lewis and McKenzie Morvant are the final Southland Conference Volleyball Players of the Week for the 2020 season, the league announced Sunday. Southland weekly honors are presented by Hercules Tires.

Lewis and Morvant pushed the Kats' (10-2, 10-2 SLC) to a 1-1 record in their final week of regular-season conference action, earning the No. 2 seed at next week's 2020 Southland Volleyball Tournament. Lewis was named the Offensive Player of the Week after recording a pair of double-double performances, while driving home 38 kills and averaging 4.75 kills-per-set.

Morvant claimed Defensive Player of the Week honors after averaging 1.75 blocks-per-set, assisting on 13 blocks while recording one solo block. The freshman was pivotal in the Sam Houston defensive scheme, which limited opponents to a combined .160 hitting percentage over its two matches.

The award marks the second of the season for Lewis and the first of the season for Morvant. After completing regular-season play with a 10-2 record, Sam Houston has earned a double-bye at the conference tournament and was granted an automatic berth in the semifinal round. The Kats' will make their postseason appearance Friday, April 2, for an opening serve against the winner of match 3 at 12 p.m. CT. Each round of the Southland Volleyball Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Offensive Player of the Week: Ashley Lewis, Sam Houston – Sr. – Outside Hitter – Houston, Texas
Lewis had a pair of double-doubles on the week, upping her season total to nine over 12 appearances. The Houston, Texas, product delivered a match-high 14 kills and 14 digs in a four-set loss to Stephen F. Austin on Thursday. She then bounced back with 24 kills, 13 digs and a .412 attack percentage in a 3-1 win over Abilene Christian Saturday.
Honorable Mention: Bethany Clapp, UIW; Bre'Ala Box, Lamar; Kailin Newsome, Southeastern Louisiana; Payton Cerny, Stephen F. Austin; Chloe Simon, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Defensive Player of the Week: McKenzie Morvant, Sam Houston – Fr. – Middle Blocker – Deer Park, Texas
Morvant averaged 1.75 blocks per set, picking up 7 blocks in each match on the week against the Ladyjacks and the Wildcats. She averages 1.21 blocks per set for the year, which ranks second in the Southland this season.
Honorable Mention: Ansley Tullis, Southeastern Louisiana; Maddie Miller, Stephen F. Austin; Carissa Barnes, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.

Morvant, Lewis sweep SLC weekly honors

Players Mentioned

Ashley Lewis

McKenzie Morvant

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