Holly Hutcheson named SSAC Player of the Week
October 14
Faulkner University’s Holly Hutcheson has been named the Southern States Athletic Conference’s volleyball Player of the Week. The senior from Rowlett, Texas, proved invaluable to the Eagles’ offensive front throughout the weekend in both conference and tournament play.
Hutcheson’s week started off strong against conference rival Brewton-Parker at home on Thursday. She had 17 kills with a hitting percentage of .424 and added 17 digs and a pair of aces. Hutcheson then helped lead the Eagles into the Gold Division of the Faulkner Invitational over the weekend and was named to the event’s all-tournament team. The senior finished the five-game weekend with 69 kills - hitting .260 – 74 digs, seven aces and three total blocks.
Hutcheson spent her first three years as an Eagle on the outside offering strong kills and smart ball placement. She also excelled as an all-around player and her defensive strengths became paramount for the program this season when the libero position became available.
“She’s an exceptional passer,” said head coach Tori Bartels. “She loves playing defense and she’s very good at it. She was a threat on the outside as well, but with a strong freshman class coming in, we felt we could move her to the back row full-time without weakening our offense.”
After spending nearly half of her senior year in the defensive role however, things changed abruptly. Two weeks ago freshman outside hitter Abbie Melvin sustained a season-ending knee injury against Reinhardt College. Since then, Hutcheson has made the transition back to the outside and has been a constant headache for opponents.
“She’s a team leader both spiritually and on the court,” Bartels added. “She’s a team captain and has proven that this season. Regardless of where we’ve moved her she’s executed and that’s something that has really benefited this program.”