Grantham, PA - Messiah College senior
Lauren Rees was named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Week for women's volleyball on Monday, recognition for her outstanding play during the week of Oct. 8. Rees led the Falcons to a perfect 4-0 record,
making history in becoming the Falcons all-time leader in kills.
Rees' accomplishment came in the Falcons' second win of the week, a 3-1 defeat of Dickinson College on Thursday. In the win, Rees collected 16 kills to move to 1,290 for her career, passing Prisca Chase '02 (1,283) to become Messiah's all-time leader.
"Lauren has a great work ethic and is always looking to challenge herself," Messiah head coach
Judi Tobias said. "She is always looking for ways to improve her hitting, both in reducing errors and becoming better in her attack. She also knows that other teams are always keying on her, so she pushes herself."
Through the 4-0 week, Rees collected 63 total kills by way of a 0.264 attack percentage, picking up 12 block assists and 17 digs along the way. Messiah's wins came over Arcadia (3-0), Dickinson, Keynon (3-0), and Allegheny (3-1).
Rees now has 348 total kills on the season, as Messiah is currently on an eight-game win streak.
"Something that is special about Lauren is that she is also really humble," Tobias added, noting that Rees had no idea she broke the all-time record on Thursday. "She's a great team player."
With Rees leading the way, the Falcons will look to keep their momentum as they will enter a three-game stretch against conference opponents Widener, Hood, and Elizabethtown.
The Falcons (18-7, 5-1) are currently tied for second place in the Commonwealth with Elizabethtown. They will next play on Wednesday, Oct. 17 when they host Widener at 7:00 p.m.
