Taylor Parker Named Mountain West Player of the Week
10/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Air Force junior Taylor Parker was named the Mountain West Volleyball Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 27, after leading the Falcons to conference victories over San Jose State and Nevada. Parker hit .524 for the week, while recording a career-high total in kills and debuting on the program's Division I list for assisted blocks.
This marks the first time since 2010 - and just the eighth time since joining the Mountain West in 1999 - that an Air Force player has won the conference's weekly award.
A native of Bozeman, Mont., Parker led the team in kills and hitting during both matches, while posting the squad's best blocking effort against San Jose State. Accounting for career-high tallies in kills (14) and points (16.5) over the weekend, Parker added season-best marks in attacking (.571), assists (2), assisted blocks (5) and total blocks (6). She also averaged 3.38 kills per match, which is more than a point above her season average.
Parker hit a match-best .571 against San Jose State on Oct. 23, recording a (then) career-high 13 kills on 21 attempts, while committing just one error. She also recorded six blocks during the contest (one solo, five assisted), which matched the squad's best single-match performance of the season. With the five assisted blocks, Parker debuted in 10th on the program's Division I career list (119).
The junior improved her kill total the next match, accounting for a career-best 14 scores against Nevada. In addition to recording a team-best .476 hitting performance (14k-4e-21a), Parker also recorded a pair of assisted blocks during the contest to move into ninth on the DI career list (121).
With its victories over San Jose State and Nevada, Air Force improved its conference record to 5-5 - a win total that is tied for the most conference victories in a single season since the Falcons' joined Division I. Air Force's win over the Spartans also served as the Falcons' 10th overall victory this year, which marks just the third time in DI history that Air Force has accounted for at least 10 wins in a season.
Parker and the Falcons return to action this Thursday (Oct. 30), when they travel to Utah State.
