Garcia, Kavanaugh again collect GPAC weekly honors

GPAC release

SEWARD, Neb. – No strangers to weekly awards, Concordia sophomore Jocelyn Garcia and junior Alayna Kavanaugh have again earned recognition from the GPAC. On Tuesday Garcia earned GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports defensive player of the week while Kavanaugh received GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports setter of the week honors. The duo has five combined weekly conference awards on the season.

Garcia, also tabbed the GPAC defensive player of the week on Sept. 22, put together one of the most productive three-match stretches of her career last week for the 15th-ranked Bulldogs. The native of Brighton, Colo., averaged 6.5 digs per set while racking up more than 20 digs in each of Concordia’s three wins. Garcia added four aces on the week and currently ranks 30th among all NAIA players with 47 aces in 2015.

Meanwhile, Kavanaugh has continued to drive a powerful offensive attack. Over last week’s trio of GPAC wins, the Lincoln Christian High School product dished out a total of 116 assists (11.6 per set) while also adding 22 digs and nine kills. One of the nation’s top setters, the 2014 first team all-conference honoree currently ranks 11th among all NAIA players with an average of 10.7 assists per set. Last week she eclipsed 3,000 assists for her collegiate career. Kavanaugh has been named GPAC setter of the week three times this season and four times in her career.

Garcia, Kavanaugh and the rest of the Bulldogs (23-5, 11-2 GPAC) return to action on Wednesday when they host Doane (18-10, 8-5 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. Walz Arena will be home to “hippie night” when the Tigers come to visit.