DALLAS – After extending its win-streak to seven-straight games, Western Kentucky once again swept the weekly Conference USA awards as senior Merel Abdelgawad picked up her third C-USA honor of the season as she was named the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. For the third-straight week, freshman guard Mya Meredith, was named the C-USA Freshman of the Week, making her the first league freshman to win the award in three straight weeks since Jessica Kuster of Rice did so in 2010-11. The 2021-22 C-USA Players of the Week awards are presented by Surf & Turf Golf and are voted on by the league’s women’s basketball communications directors.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MEREL ABDELGAWAD, WKU
SENIOR, G, 5-11, CAIRO, EGYPT
Abdelgaward poured in 33 points at Rice for her fourth 30-point game of the season, which is tied for the most in the NCAA this season and the fourth most in a single-season at WKU. The senior averaged 25.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 1.0 assists per game for the week, leading WKU to two road wins at Rice and North Texas while shooting 65.5 percent from the field and 60.0 percent from three. With just three made 3-pointers in two games, 42 of her 51 total points were from short range or the free throw line. The senior's 20.3 points per game on the season leads C-USA and she's upped that to 24.8 points per game in league play. Abdelgawad has the second highest field goal percentage (54.2%) of any player in the conference this season, the highest mark for a guard and is shooting a blistering 65.2 percent from the field through five conference games, which leads the league.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
MYA MEREDITH, WKU
FRESHMAN, G, 5-11, TAYLOR MILL, KY.
Meredith averaged 15 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 steals, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 assists per game in WKU's wins at Rice and North Texas. She opened the week by scoring 20 points against a stout Rice defense that has only allowed five players total this season to score 20-or-more. She also set a career high five steals against the Owls only to outdo herself in the very next game with six steals against North Texas. Meredith now has four 20-point games on the season and has scored in double figures in seven-straight games after reaching 10 points against the Mean Green. The freshman led the Lady Toppers on the boards in both games, notching eight rebounds against Rice and five against North Texas and added two blocks in each game as a guard.
 
2021-22 WINNERS
Player of the Week
N15      Iggy Allen, Old Dominion
N22      Domonique Davis, Southern Miss
N29      Octavia Jett-Wilson, Charlotte
D6        Zakyia Weathersby, UAB
D13       Amber Gaston, FAU
D20      Merel Abdelgawad, WKU
D27      Savannah Wheeler, Marshall
J3         Merel Abdelgawad, WKU
J10       Kseniya Malashka, Middle Tennessee
J17       Merel Abdelgawad, WKU
 
Freshman of the Week
N15      Amaya Brannon, LA Tech
N22      Elyssa Coleman, UTSA
N29      Alexis Mead, WKU
D6        Jalynn Gregory, Middle Tennessee
D13       Malia Fisher, Rice
D20      Jalynn Gregory, Middle Tennessee
D27      Mackenzie Wurm, LA Tech
J3         Mya Meredith, WKU
J10       Mya Meredith, WKU
J17       Mya Meredith, WKU