Player of the Week: December 8, 2014
Each week during the indoor and sand seasons, one player originally reported as a recruit by AVSR Global is named Player of the Week for an exceptional performance.
2014 Week #15: Anete Brinke
Long Beach State University
Reported to subscribers in 2013 by AVSR Global.
Home: Riga, Latvia.
Freshman, 6'2" Outside Hitter/Middle Blocker.
See Anete Brinke’s bio at the Long Beach State website.
Last Week’s Action:
• Brinke closed her sharp first season as a passer-hitter for 15th-ranked Long Beach State. The 49ers defeated San Diego to open the NCAA tourney, then fell at UCLA.
• Long Beach was perfect this season in the Big West Conference, rolling to a 16-0 record. The team was 27-5 overall. Brinke broke into the starting lineup in October.
• Brinke will shift to the sand courts now. She’s a veteran beach player, expected to be a leader of Long Beach’s sand team. The 49ers won the sand national championship in 2013.
Excerpt from 2013 AVSR Global report:
“A swift, springy athlete and a perceptive, low-error player. Comfortable and disciplined at an elite level of training and competition. … She’s among Europe’s top junior beach players. As a collegiate sand player she can be among the nation’s best.”
Other Notables
Milica Stamenic
Southern Wesleyan University, Sophomore, 5'7" Libero.
Reported to subscribers in 2012 by AVSR Global.
Home: Belgrade, Serbia.
Last Week: Stamenic and Southern Wesleyan placed third in the National Christian College Athletic Association championship. SWU closed the season with a 27-10 record.
Stacey Niao
Illinois State University, Senior, 5'11" Outside Hitter.
Reported to subscribers in 2010 by AVSR Global.
Home: Kawerau, New Zealand.
Last Week: Niao scored big in the fifth set to key a first-round NCAA victory over Marquette. Illinois State’s best season since 1992 ended with a loss at Wisconsin.