Sackett earns Big 12 honors

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Flathead grad and West Virginia University freshman outside hitter Hannah Sackett has been named Big 12 Offensive Volleyball Player and Rookie of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday.

Sackett becomes the fourth student-athlete since the Rookie award was established in 2008 to earn both the Offensive Player and Rookie of the Week honor in the same week. The feat was accomplished three times in 2011.

The Somers native claimed the MVP of the Mountaineer Invitational after posting 54 kills, 4.91 kills per set, a .371 hitting percentage, six service aces and 23 digs over three matches last weekend. After the opening weekend of play, she leads the Big 12 in kills and kills per set. WVU has not had a player average more than 2.93 kills per set since 2007. She totaled 62.5 points on the weekend and also ranks in the league top 10 in hitting percentage and service aces. As a team, WVU recorded a match and season-high 100 digs in the match.

“That’s a great deal for Hannah, that’s super,” Flathead coach Leon Wilcox said. “It doesn’t suprise me that she’s playing that well. We’re happy for her. We’re excited. All the girls in the program are excited. It brings a little bit of pride.

“She’s showing that girls from Montana can play at a high level too ... We’re excited for her, we’re excited to watch her all season long.”

The Mountaineers will host their first Big 12 opponent, the No. 2 Texas Longhorns, on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the WVU Coliseum. Texas will be the first Big 12 opponent to visit Morgantown since joining the league on July 1.