Szczepaniak named ICCAC Athlete of the Week
Sophomore outside scores 50 kills as Comets go 2-1
Jagoda Szczepaniak was named one of three Athletes of the Week for ICCAC Division II volleyball on Tuesday.
It's the first such individual honor for the Western Iowa Tech volleyball program, in its second year of operation.
Head coach Laurel Durst, in her first season leading the Comets, said this milestone is yet another indication the upstart program is making positive strides.
"It means a lot to me for her as an individual and for the program," Durst said. "I think it shows that even though we are still a new and upcoming program that we are growing already and competing at a high level.
"Jagoda is such a great athlete and I'm really glad her hard work was recognized."
The sophomore outside hitter scored 50 kills with a .370 hitting percentage over 13 sets as the Comets went 2-1 during the week of Sept. 9-15. The six-rotation starter also tallied 52 digs and four service aces.
The Comets opened the week with a monumental conference win against Hawkeye. Though still early in the season, their 1-1 ICCAC record and win against a consistent conference contender puts the Comets in position to earn a playoff berth by season's end. Szczepaniak swung for 17 kills and a .389 hitting percentage in the five-set home win versus the RedTails.
"When Jagoda is at her best, she electrifies the team and it absolutely increases our competitiveness," Durst said. "The girls know they can count on her to be an option every single time and they can trust her to score."
The 5-foot, 8-inch attacker from Pila, Poland, averaged 3.85 kills per set last week, raising her season average to a team-leading 3.17 kills/set.
"Jagoda has put up numbers like that almost every week this season," Durst said. "Despite her size, she sees the court really well and has great hand contact and power to hit open shots on the court. She is also very low error."
Szczepaniak leads the Comets in kills and kills per set, is third in digs and second in digs per set, and ranks fourth in both aces and aces per set.
"Her game IQ is definitely her biggest strength and she's able to play both sides of the ball really well," Durst said.