(Posted October 16, 2008)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Women's volleyball outside hitter Amber Thomas (Ephrata, Pa./Conestoga Valley) and football safety and kick returner Brandon Spayd (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon Area) have been named Juniata College's Athletes of the Week, for the week ending October 12, 2008.

Thomas, who is winning the award for the second consecutive week, led the Juniata women's volleyball team to a pair of victories over top-five opponents last weekend at the University of La Verne (Calif.) Leopard Invitational. She pounded out 25 kills as Juniata downed third-ranked La Verne, 3-1, and then added 12 kills and three aces in a 3-0 win over second-ranked Emory University. She tallied 56 kills over the three matches, putting together a .306 attack percentage while averaging 4.67 kills per set. Thomas also logged 28 digs, and contributed five aces without a service error.

Juniata currently holds a 19-2 record, 6-0 in the Landmark Conference. The Eagles have already clinched the top seed for the 2008 Landmark Conference Tournament, and will host the final two rounds of the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Kennedy Sports + Recreation Center in Huntingdon, Pa.

Spayd is also receiving Athlete of the Week honors for the second time this season.â??He returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of Juniata's Cenntennial Conference clash against fifth-ranked Muhlenberg, cutting the Mules' lead to 17-7. It was the first kickoff return for touchdown by a Juniata player since Kurht Engle's 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on Oct. 4, 2003, at Susquehanna. Defensively, Spayd finished the game with six tackles, including four solo stops.

The Eagle football team hosts Gettysburg College this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Knox Stadium in Huntingdon.

Previous Juniata College Athletes of the Week:
October 16: Amber Thomas (Women's Volleyball), Brandon Spayd (Football)
October 9: Amber Thomas (Women's Volleyball), Andrew Masullo (Football)
October 2: Lauren Auster-Gussman (Women's Soccer), Sam Williams (Men's XC)
September 24: Paula Price (Field Hockey), Jay Leonard (Football)
September 17: Erin Albert (Women's Volleyball), Brandon Spayd (Football)
September 10: Caitlin Bigelow (Women's Soccer), Bryan Jung (Football)

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Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.