Posted: Oct 10, 2011

Webster's Cupp, Principia's Andersen Repeat as Players of the Week

St. Louis, Mo. - The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) has announced the Athletes of the Week for the week of October 3-9.

MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Greenville College's Xavier Ortiz, a senior from Chicago, Ill. (Amos Alonzo Stagg), has been named the Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week of October 3-9.

Ortiz finished 22nd out of 189 runners at the Gibson Family Invitational hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. He ran the 8K course, which was rough with high grass and warm temperatures, in a time of 27:30. Ortiz also helped the Panthers to a seventh place finish out of 14 teams competing.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Webster University's Heather Heisse, a sophomore from Silex, Mo. (Buchanan), has been named the Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week for the week of October 3-9.

Heisse placed 47th in a field that included four NCAA Division III regionally ranked teams and one nationally ranked team at the Gibson Family Invitational hosted by Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. She posted a time of 26:16 on the 6K course, finishing more than a minute faster than the closest SLIAC runner at the event. Webster finished ninth out of 12 teams competing.

MEN'S SOCCER - OFFENSIVE
Spalding University's Wes Miller, a senior from Louisville, Ky. (Male), has been named the Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the week of October 3-9.

Miller, a 6-0 forward, scored three goals and tallied one assist in two games played last week. He had one goal and one assist in a 4-3 loss to MacMurray College. Miller also added two goals in a 3-2 loss to Blackburn College.

MEN'S SOCCER - DEFENSIVE
Webster University's Alex Cupp, a senior from St. Louis, Mo. (Lutheran South), has been named the Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for the week of October 3-9. This marks the second consecutive week that he has earned the honor.

Cupp, a 5-9 goalkeeper, won his third straight game in goal, facing 11 shots, making six saves and allowing one goal in a 4-1 victory versus Knox College. The lone goal came on a shot from 20 yards out that snuck under the crossbar and just out of reach of Cupp's outstretched fingers. Cupp now has a 0.93 goals-against average on the season.

WOMEN'S SOCCER - OFFENSIVE
Spalding University's Bailey Frantz, a junior from Lagrange, Ky. (Oldham County), has been named the Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the week of October 3-9.

Frantz, a 5-5 midfielder, led Spalding in scoring last week to contribute to their first two wins of the season. She had two goals in a 4-0 victory versus MacMurray College. Frantz added two more goals in a 4-2 win over Blackburn College.

VOLLEYBALL - OFFENSIVE
Spalding University's Alex Marquardt, a senior from Louisville, Ky. (Atherton), has been named the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week for the week of October 3-9.

Marquardt, a 6-0 middle hitter, recorded 56 kills and 12 blocks in four matches played last week. She set a school record for kills in a single match with 23 in a 3-1 win (25-23, 23-25, 25-21, 25-22) versus Webster University. She also posted a .381 attack percentage in that match and posted two block solos and two block assists.

Marquardt recorded 15 kills and three block assists in a 3-2 loss (25-22, 21-25, 27-25, 26-28, 13-15) to Greenville College. She had six kills and four block solos earlier in the week as the Golden Eagles lost to non-conference opponent Oakland City University 3-1 (18-25, 11-25, 25-20, 25-27), and she added eight kills, one block solo and one block assist in a 3-1 non-conference loss (23-25, 25-23, 24-26, 21-25) to McKendree University.

VOLLEYBALL - DEFENSIVE
Principia College's Kiersten Andersen, a junior from Sterling Heights, Mich. (Adlai E. Stevenson), has been named the Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the week of October 3-9. This marks the second time this season that she has earned the honor.

Andersen, a 5-8 outside hitter, stepped in with an outstanding defensive effort for Principia last week. In six matches played she recorded 111 digs, for an average of 4.83 digs per set. She also finished the week with 81 kills, eight service aces and five blocks.

Andersen recorded three double-doubles last week. She had 27 kills and 18 digs versus Lindenwood-Belleville, while also added five service aces and three blocks. She added 11 kills and 28 digs in a 3-2 loss (11-25, 25-20, 26-24, 11-25, 13-15) against Chapman University. Andersen ended the week with 10 kills, 21 digs, one service ace and one block in a 3-0 loss to University of La Verne. Principia finished 2-4 on the week with victories over MacMurray College (25-19, 25-22, 25-13) and Lindenwood-Belleville (20-25, 25-11, 25-23, 21-25, 15-8).