DALLAS – Charlotte and Rice each garnered a pair of Conference USA volleyball weekly awards following the league's opening week of conference play. Senior Nicole Lennon was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week for the 10^th time in her career, while junior Carly Graham received her first Setter of the Week nod. Defensive Player of the Week went to Charlotte freshman Sophie Whalen, her second of the season, and Freshman of the Week was awarded to three-time winner Emani' Foster, the league's only player to ever claim the award in three-straight weeks. All C-USA weekly honors are presented by Surf & Turf Golf.

C-USA Offensive Player of the Week – Nicole Lennon, Rice, Sr., Katy, TX
Lennon powered Rice to back-to-back sweeps of Louisiana Tech (0-9, 0-2 C-USA West) as she posted two double-digit kill performances while hitting a combined .353. With her 25 total slams, Lennon became the fifth player in Rice history to surpass 1,500 career kills. The Texas product also averaged 4.58 points, 1.50 digs and 0.67 blocks per set as Rice improved to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in the West Division.  

C-USA Defensive Player of the Week – Sophie Whalen, Charlotte, Fr., Biltmore Lake, NC
Whalen earned her second defensive nod this season after a complete effort in her career's first two conference matches. She opened play at Marshall (2-1, 1-1 C-USA East) on Sunday registering 25 digs with another 14 coming on Monday, and went without a single error in 38 reception attempts. The newcomer anchored Charlotte's (3-2, 1-1 C-USA East) defense as it held the Thundering Herd to a .196 hitting clip in the split series. Whalen also chipped in 11 assists and four aces through her eight sets.

C-USA Setter of the Week – Carly Graham, Rice, Jr., Spring, TX
Graham dished out 63 assists at a rate of 10.50 per set in Rice's opening week of C-USA play. The junior coordinated a .362 team hitting percentage through the two sweeps, including a .411 mark in the series opener, as 53 percent of her sets found the floor for kills. Graham manufactured 33 assists on Sunday, followed by a double-double of 30 helpers and 11 digs on Monday.

C-USA Freshman of the Week – Emani' Foster, Charlotte, Fr., Henderson, N.C.
Foster is quickly making a name for herself with her third weekly award in as many weeks. The freshman played a pivotal role in helping Charlotte secure the split at Marshall by painting a double-double in Monday's 3-1 victory. She inked 21 kills and 17 digs with five aces that day to go along with her 19-kill, eight-dig and two-block outing the day before. On the weekend, Foster compiled 5.75 points, 5.0 kills and 3.12 digs.

2021 C-USA Offensive Player of the Week
J26          Paige Briggs, WKU
F2           Bianca Ejesieme, UTSA
F9           Nicole Lennon, Rice

2021 C-USA Defensive Player of the Week
J26          Sophie Whalen, Charlotte
F2           Duquesne Moratzka, Southern Miss
F9           Sophie Whalen, Charlotte

2021 C-USA Setter of the Week
J26          Nadia Dieudonne, WKU
F2           Nadia Dieudonne, WKU
F9           Carly Graham, Rice

2021 C-USA Freshman of the Week
J26          Emani' Foster, Charlotte
F2           Emani' Foster, Charlotte
F9           Emani' Foster, Charlotte