SLIAC Announces Final 2011 Athletes of the Week for Fall Sports

St. Louis, Mo. - The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) has announced the Athletes of the Week for the week of October 24-30.

MEN'S SOCCER - OFFENSIVE
Webster University's Clint Carder, a junior from St. Louis, Mo. (DeSoto), has been named the Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the week of October 24-30.

Carder, a 5-10 forward, led the Gorloks offensively in their 2-0 victory versus Blackburn College, a game that both teams needed to win to gain entry into the SLIAC Tournament. Carder setup Webster's goal at the 68:46 mark with a cross to teammate Agustin Villalba, who scored to put Webster ahead 1-0. Carder then secured the victory with a goal of his own at the 81:43 mark, marking his sixth goal of the season.

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 24-30. It marks the third time this season that he has earned the honor.

Cupp played all 90 minutes in goal and recorded the shutout in a 2-0 win over Blackburn College that secured a spot for the Gorloks in the 2011 SLIAC Tournament. Cupp had an exceptional first half, making several sprawling saves and tallying seven of his nine total saves for the game. The shutout was Cupp's third of the season and lowered his goals-against average to 0.97.

WOMEN'S SOCCER - OFFENSIVE
Principia College's Alicia Girbes-Pierce, a senior from San Diego, Calif. (Mira Mesa), has been named the Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the week of October 24-30.

Girbes-Pierce, a forward, recorded a hat trick with three goals all in the second half of Principia's 4-1 win versus Fontbonne University. She also tallied the game-winning goal in the victory.

"Alicia [Girbes-Pierce] has continued to be a solid player for us in the attack," said Principia head coach Jess Semnacher. "Although she was man-marked in the game against Greenville, she was still able to get scoring opportunities and find ways to move the ball for her team. Her ability to hold the ball when she has two or three defenders pressuring is what makes her lethal in the attack."

WOMEN'S SOCCER - DEFENSIVE
Principia College's Carlie Sanderude, a sophomore from Ridgefield, Conn., has been named the Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for the week of October 24-30. It marks the second time this season that she has earned the honor.

Sanderude played at defensive midfielder, outside defender and center back for Principia this past week, showing her positional versatility in defensive roles. Against Greenville College, Sanderude played defensive holding midfielder and scored Principia's first goal just one minute after Greenville scored. She took a shot outside the 18-yard box to tie the game at 1-1. She later moved to her usual outside defender position, where she helped prevent Greenville from attacking down the left side for the remainder of the game.

Sanderude filled in at center back versus Fontbonne University and stepped up to pressure the Griffins' midfielders and make solid tackles.

VOLLEYBALL - OFFENSIVE
Greenville College's Nicole Schaeffer, a freshman from Carlyle, Ill., has been named the Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week for the week of October 24-30. This marks the second time this season that she has earned the honor.

Schaeffer, a 5-9 outside hitter, played near perfect in four matches last week, committing only three hitting errors on 82 attempts and posting a .524 attack percentage. She recorded an .889 attack percentage with eight kills on nine attempts in a 3-0 win (25-10, 25-18, 25-13) versus Blackburn College. She added 11 kills and 19 digs against Illinois College, and Schaeffer had 11 kills, an .846 attack percentage, nine digs, four service aces and three blocks against MacMurray College. Schaeffer finished the week with four kills, seven digs and one block as Greenville defeated Westminster 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-12, 25-7).

VOLLEYBALL - DEFENSIVE
Principia College's Tara Edwards, a senior from Lake Forest Calif. (El Toro), has been named the Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the week of October 24-30. This marks the second time this season that she has earned the honor.

Edwards, a 5-8 setter, recorded two double-doubles and one triple-double in three matches played last week. She tallied a total of 135 set assists in 12 sets played for an average of 11.25 assists per game. Edwards began the week with 44 set assists, 11 digs and three service aces in a 3-1 win (25-16, 25-20, 20-25, 25-16) versus Westminster College (Mo.). She then recorded 46 set assists and 16 digs as Principia defeated Spalding University, 3-2 (21-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 15-9). Edwards ended the week with a triple-double of 45 set assists, 13 service aces and 10 digs in a 3-0 victory (25-18, 25-11, 25-22) over Blackburn College.