Three-straight for KU: Rigdon named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
IRVING, Texas – For the third-straight week, Kansas volleyball was awarded the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week as senior All-American outside hitter Madison Rigdon was chosen for the award on Monday afternoon. Fellow senior All-Americans Ainise Havili and Kelsie Payne were honored in the first two weeks of the season, respectively.
Rigdon became the 16th Jayhawk to reach 1,000 career kills and was named to the Kansas Invitational All-Tournament Team after helping lead the ninth-ranked Jayhawks to a pair of top-20 wins during week three. She notched three double-doubles and averaged 4.08 kills per set on a .342 hitting percentage.
The Pflugerville, Texas, native passed the century mark in career kills with 15, plus 10 digs, in a four-set win over No. 17 Purdue on Friday night, Sept. 8.
She started the week with 16 kills on a .577 hitting percentage with seven digs during a three-set sweep of No. 13 Kentucky on Monday, Sept. 4. Her .577 hitting clip against the 13th-ranked Wildcats is the highest by a Big 12 player this season against a ranked opponent (minimum 12 kills). Rigdon also posted 11 kills and 11 digs in a three-set win over Belmont (Sept. 8) and ended the week by collecting her sixth double-double of the season with 11 kills and 14 digs in three sets against No. 9 Creighton (Sept. 9).
Rigdon enters this week with 1,023 career kills and currently ranks second in the Big 12 in points per set this season (4.60).
Kansas concludes the nonconference portion of its schedule at the Santa Clara / San Jose Tournament in the Bay Area of California this weekend, Sept. 15-16. The event features San Jose State, Santa Clara and Idaho.
Big 12 Offensive Players of the Week (three-straight, same team, different players)
Since the Big 12 began awarding offensive players of the week in 2007, there have been only three times when a team has earned three-straight Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors from three different players. Kansas has done it the last two times in 2013 and 2017.
2007, Texas: Michelle Moriarty (10/15), Juliann Faucette (10/22), Lauren Paolini (10/29)
2013, KANSAS: Erin McNorton (9/23), Tiana Dockery (9/30), Sara McClinton (10/7)
2017, KANSAS: Ainise Havili (8/28), Kelsie Payne (9/4), Madison Rigdon (9/11)
KU’s 2017 Big 12 Offensive Players of the Week
Aug. 28: Ainise Havili
Sept. 4: Kelsie Payne
Sept. 11: Madison Rigdon
Madison Rigdon’s Career Big 12 Weekly Honors
• Sept. 22, 2014 – Offensive Player of the Week
• Oct. 6, 2015 – Offensive Player of the Week
• Sept. 11, 2017 – Offensive Player of the Week
On The Back Row with Addie, Addison Barry recently caught up with Rigdon after she reached 1,000 career kills:
?? The Back Row with @Addie_Barry: Madison Rigdon recaps her 1,000th kill & get a peek at tonight’s Big 12 Champs banner giveaway #KUvball pic.twitter.com/UyxsJmvEop
— Kansas Volleyball (@KUVolleyball) September 9, 2017
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