(Posted October 20, 2003)

Huntingdon, PA ? Carli Dale (Cochranton/Cochranton), a junior setter for the Juniata College women?s volleyball team has been selected the Sports Imports/AVCA Division III National Player of the Week for leading the Eagles to a 5-0 record, including wins over three top-25 opponents this past week.

Dale was selected as the most valuable player at the Emory National Invitational as Juniata topped University of La Verne, Emory University and Simpson College, teams ranked fourth, 14th and 21st respectively in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Dale averaged 13.92 assists and 5.33 on the week, while directing the Juniata offense to a .304 team hitting percentage. The junior setter was also chosen as the Commonwealth Conference player of the week for the second time this season.

?Carli is so tactical and athletic that she finds a way to raise the level of play of those around her,? Juniata volleyball coach Larry Bock stated. ?There were times over the weekend where she struggled a little bit, but she was able to recover and still be extremely successful. She was also very strong defensively, which is a key part of what we do. We believe she?s the best defensive setter anywhere.?

Dale rose to the occasion during the week, as she dished out 61 assists while recording a career-high 30 digs in leading Juniata to a 3-1 win over La Verne. She followed up that win with a 45-assist, 22-dig effort in a 3-0 win over Emory. She tossed out 47 assists with 10 digs in a 3-1 triumph over Simpson and added 14 assists playing in one game in a mid-week conference victory over Messiah. Dale dished out 167 assists during the week, while bringing up 64 digs, the second-highest total on the team. She helped the Juniata offense attack at a .275 or higher clip in three of the five matches she competed in. She also chipped in 11 kills, a serve ace and a block.

For the season, Dale is averaging 13.91 assists per outing with a total of 1,029. Through October 8 she was tops in Division III in assists per game. She is second on the team with 281 digs, an average of 3.80 digs per game. She is tied for second on the team with 28 serve aces, and is third on the unit with 26 blocks. For good measure, Dale has chipped in 78 kills, with an attack percentage of .286. Her assist total for this season gives her 4,208 assist for her career, which puts her in fifth-place all-time at Juniata in career assists.

Juniata has not dropped a match in 2003, posting a 26-0 record through their first 26 contests. The Eagles have been ranked first in the AVCA poll for each of the six polls that have been released during the regular season. Of Juniata?s 26 wins, seven of them have come against teams ranked in the AVCA top-25 including wins over three of the top five teams in the most recent poll.

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