Havili earns second Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week nod

IRVING, Texas – Senior All-American setter Ainise Havili has been awarded the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after standout performances during victories over No. 18 Iowa State and TCU. It marks her eighth-career Big 12 weekly award and fourth of the season for the 11th-ranked Jayhawks.

Havili led Kansas (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) to highly-efficient offensive performances against some of top defensive teams in the league as the Jayhawks won their 16th- and 17th-consecutive Big 12 matches. During week six of the regular season, Havili led the Big 12 in assists per set (12.38) and guided KU’s offense to a .302 hitting percentage.

The Fort Worth, Texas, native reached 60 assists for the third time of her All-American career as she led KU from a two-set deficit to a five-set victory over No. 18 Iowa State on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The Cyclones entered Wednesday’s match with the seventh-best defense in the country — touting a .139 defensive hitting percentage — but Havili led KU’s offense to a .263 clip during the five-set victory. KU’s .263 hitting percentage and 70 kills were the most Iowa State has allowed this season.

Havili, a four-year starter at KU, added 17 digs against ISU for her 13th double-double of the season and 56th of her career.

On Saturday, Sept. 30, Havili guided KU to a .386 hitting percentage against TCU with 39 assists — an average of 13.0 assists per set. It marked KU’s second-highest hitting percentage of the season and the highest during Big 12 play since 2015.

This season, Havili leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth in the nation in assists per set (11.97). With 4,655 career assists, she stands less than 200 away from owning KU’s career record for assists.

No. 11 Kansas continues Big 12 play with a pair of road matches this week — at West Virginia on Wednesday and at Oklahoma on Saturday.

KU’s 2017 Big 12 Offensive Players of the Week
Aug. 28: Ainise Havili
Sept. 4: Kelsie Payne
Sept. 11: Madison Rigdon
Oct. 2: Ainise Havili

Havili’s Career Big 12 Weekly Awards
Four-time Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
• 9/21/2015, 10/12/2015, 8/28/2017, 10/2/2017

Four-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week
• 10/13/2014, 10/20/2014, 11/10/2014, 12/1/2014

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