Player of the Week - September 21, 2009
Each Monday during the fall, one collegiate player originally reported as a recruit by AVSR is named AVSR Player of the Week for her cumulative performance during the current season.
Player of the Week: Iva Partaleva
Freshman; 5' 10 1/2" LH; Seminole State College (NJCAA).
Home: Kiustendil, Bulgaria.
NCAA Eligibility: Full qualifier. Available to transfer in January 2010.
Last week: Among the NJCAA national leaders this year in kills, aces, and hitting efficiency, Partaleva hit .491 (31 kills, 5 errors, 53 swings) and served 16 aces (1.6/set) in road wins over Vernon, Brookhaven, and Northeast Oklahoma.
Excerpt from original AVSR report: "Powerful athlete, hard-charging competitor, and all-purpose player without elite training. .... Has a great range of physical, mental, and emotional talents for higher-level development. .... Has always played MB, but she has greater potential as a LH or RH. Can be a six-rotation freshman starter at LH or RH in the top third of Division I. .... Plays an active, confident, determined game. Off the court she's outgoing, poised, and energetic." [August 2008]
See Iva Partaleva's bio at the Seminole State web site.
Special Mention: Svenja Engelhardt, Natalia Tomaszewska
University of the Pacific.
Engelhardt: Junior; 5' 11" LH; Sinsheim, Germany.
Tomaszewska: Senior; 6' 1" MB; Marklowice, Poland.
Last week: Both were named all-tournament as Pacific (10-1) swept Loyola Marymount, Nevada, and Cal State Bakersfield in straight sets at the Stockton Hilton Invitational. Tomaszewska hit .594 (21 kills, 2 errors, 32 swings) and posted 9 blocks. Engelhardt hit .357 (35 kills, 10 errors, 70 swings) and added 4 aces, 21 digs, and five blocks.
See Svenja Engelhardt's bio and Natalia Tomaszewska's bio at the Pacific web site.