UH’s Taylor named national volleyball player of the week
UH's Nikki Taylor puts down a kill against Eastern Washington's Natasha Burns in a match at the Stan Sheriff Center in Manoa on Sept. 12. Honolulu Star-Advertiser photo by Krystle Marcellus
On the heels of a third consecutive Big West player of the week award, Hawaii junior hitter Nikki Taylor added the Sports Imports/AVCA national player of the week on Tuesday.
This is the eighth time a Rainbow Wahine has earned the honor, the first time since Emily Hartong was named on Oct. 29, 2012.
Last week, Taylor had a tournament-high 57 kills with 27 digs, 16 blocks and nine aces in helping Hawaii to the title of the Outrigger Resorts Volleyball Challenge. The Kaiser High product was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, her second in three tourneys this season, a performance that included a career-high 27 kills against the Gators.
On Tuesday, Taylor became just the third player in the history of Big West volleyball to earn weekly honors three weeks in a row. She joins Long Beach State’s Antoinette White (1991) and Pacific’s Dominique Benton-Bozman (1995) in the league’s record book.
