Monday, November 09, 2009

Valparaiso senior setter Kim Bukowski (Waukesha, Wis./West) was honored by the Horizon League today as its Offensive Player of the Week after guiding the Crusaders to some gaudy offensive numbers in a pair of sweeps last weekend.

Bukowski ran the offense to a .308 hitting percentage against UIC on Friday night in Valpo’s sweep of the Flames, picking up 30 assists and four kills on just eight swings to go along with eight digs, three blocks and a service ace.  The senior then recorded 46 assists in a sweep of Loyola on Saturday as the Crusaders totaled 57 kills in just three sets.  She also added five kills, seven digs and a block against the Ramblers as well.

On the week, Bukowski averaged 12.67 assists/set and also chipped in 1.50 kills/set and 2.50 digs/set as the Crusaders went 2-0, while also breaking the 1,000-assist milestone for the season.  She has helped guide Valpo to the top-15 in the nation in both kills and assists, and ranks second in the Horizon League in league-only play with 11.24 assists/set.

The weekly honor for Bukowski is the third of her career, following in the footsteps of a pair of Offensive weekly accolades last season.  With the weekly honor, Bukowski is now eligible for the Horizon League Network’s ‘The People’s Choice’ honor.  Fans can vote for Bukowski by visiting www.horizonleaguenetwork.tv and voting in ‘The People’s Choice’ poll on the right-hand side of the page thru Tuesday afternoon.