Sept. 24, 2007

IRVING, Texas - With the first full weekend of Conference USA volleyball action wrapped up, Marshall's outside hitter Kelly-Anne Billingy and setter Elizabeth Fleming have earned weekly C-USA honors. In addition, Rice's Caroline Gill and Tulsa's Julia Silva have earned player of the week accolades.

Billingy averaged 6.38 kills, second most in the league for the week, and 2.25 digs per game. Fleming averaged a league-best 14.12 assists per game after dishing out 57 and 56 assists, respectively, in wins over SMU and Tulsa. The duo has Marshall on a three-match win streak. Billingy was named offensive player of the week, while Fleming shared setter of the week merits.

Gill, defensive player of the week, was a force for Rice at the net, averaging 1.57 blocks per game, an increase of 0.51 from her previous average, for the week.

Silva posted her second triple-double of the season and eighth of her career with 14 kills, 31 assists and 12 digs at Marshall. She also had the third-best hitting percentage in the league with a .429 mark to earn a share of C-USA Setter of the Week honors.

C-USA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kelly-Anne Billingy, MARSHALL
6-3, Sr., OH, Trincity, Trinidad (Holy Name Covenant) Billingy averaged 6.38 kills, second most in the league for the week, and 2.25 digs per game and has Marshall on a three-match win streak. The senior posted match highs in kills against SMU and Tulsa and was a dig short of a double-double in each. Billingy had 28 kills at SMU and 23 vs. the Golden Hurricane, while hitting over .300 in each. She also landed three service aces and had three blocks for the weekend. Billingy currently ranks third in the league in kills (5.02) and points (5.76) plus seventh in hitting percentage (.338). This marks Billingy's seventh career C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honor.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CAROLINE GILL, RICE
6-0, Fr., MB, Fairhope, Ala. (Bayside Academy) Gill was a force for Rice at the net, averaging 1.57 blocks per game, an increase of 0.51 from her previous average, for the week. She finished the week ranked fourth in blocks per game. The freshman played in all seven games and added 2.43 kills and 3.29 points per game to her totals. In addition to her defensive prowess, she had one of her most efficient offensive nights against UCF, leading Rice with a .389 hitting percentage. Rice defeated Southern Miss on the road and UCF at home. This is Gill's first C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honor.

C0-SETTERS OF THE WEEK
ELIZABETH FLEMING, MARSHALL
5-10, FR., S, South Bend, Ind. (Adams) Fleming averaged a league-best 14.12 assists per game after dishing out 57 and 56 assists, respectively, in wins over SMU and Tulsa. The freshman also made her presence felt defensively as she averaged 1.62 digs and registered a combined five blocks (1 solo, 4 assist) in eight games. This is Fleming's first C-USA Setter of the Week honor.

JULIA SILVA, TULSA
5-11, SR., S, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (Jefferson College)
Silva produced one of her best all-around weeks as she averaged 10.92 assists, 2.85 digs, 2.27 points, 1.85 kills and 0.69 blocks per game in 13 games. Silva posted her second triple-double of the season and eighth of her career with 14 kills, 31 assists and 12 digs at Marshall. She also had the third-best hitting percentage in the league with a .429 mark. She has recorded double-doubles in 15 of TU's 17 matches. TU ended the week with a 2-1 record that included a five-game win over East Carolina. This marks Silva's 11th career C-USA Setter of the Week honor.

2007 C-USA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offensive
A27 - Fernanda Domingo, UAB
S4 - Natalie Peters, SMU
S10 - Justine Farmer, Houston
S17 - Shelby Burton, Memphis & Kelley Wernert, East Carolina
S24 - Kelly-Anne Billingy, Marshall

Defensive
A27 - Candice Davis, SMU
S4 - Brianna Galvin, UAB
S10 - Jenn Miller, Tulane
S17 - Jenn Miller, Tulane
S24 - Caroline Gill, Rice

Setter
A27 - Julia Silva, Tulsa
S4 - Julia Silva, Tulsa & Stefanie Kons, SMU
S10 - Katie Koop, East Carolina
S17 - Laura Cote, Memphis
S24 - Elizabeth Fleming, Marshall & Julia Silva, Tulsa