BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After finishing the weekend with wins over Auburn and Alabama, the LSU volleyball team earned three SEC weekly honors as announced by the conference Monday. Raigen Cianciulli was named the Defensive Player of the Week while Taylor Bannister earned Freshman of the Week and Anna Zwiebel earned Co-Setter of the Week.
This is the first time the squad has earned three SEC weekly honors in one week and the first time the team and Zwiebel earned Setter of the Week. This is the first Defensive of the Week honor for freshman Cianciulli and the first defensive honor for the program since the 2015 season. Bannister’s Freshman of the Week accolade is the third this season.
Bannister led the Tigers on the offensive side of the ball, averaging 4.00 kills per set for a total of 28 kills in the seven sets played over the weekend. At Auburn, she finished with seven kills in the three sets with two blocks. Against Alabama, she recorded a match-high 21 kills, including seven of those in the third set and six in the fourth set. Bannister had the kill that tied the third set up at 25-25 which led to a third-set victory, giving the Tigers a 2-1 advantage in the match against Alabama.
Cianciulli anchored down the back row for the Tigers over the weekend, tallying a total of 44 digs in the seven sets for an average of 6.29 per set. She picked up a team-high 16 digs against Auburn, including eight in the third set alone. Sunday’s match against Alabama was a career-day for the freshman as she registered a match and career-high of 28 digs which included 12 digs in the fourth set. Cianciulli also recorded four assists in the win over the Crimson Tide.
Zwiebel put together a weekend of 87 assists, averaging 12.43 assists per set. She dished out 33 assists in the three sets against Auburn with one kill and two digs. Against Alabama on Sunday, she put together her sixth double-double of the year with 54 assists and 11 digs. She had back-to-back assists in the fourth set that helped clinch the victory against the Crimson Tide. She also hit .500 on the weekend, picking up three kills in the win over Alabama.
The team is 15-4 on the year and currently sits in third place in the SEC with a 6-2 record. The Tigers are on a four-game winning streak and will play host to Ole Miss on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Maravich Center.
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