Zerwas Named Student-Athlete of the Week

Photo by: All Pro Photography/Dale Sparks

September 23, 2019 02:36 PM | General, Golf, Men's Soccer, Cross Country, Women's Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball

By: WVU Athletics Communications

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – After leading WVU to the 2019 Mountaineer Invitational tournament title, West Virginia University volleyball sophomore setter Lacey Zerwas has been named the WVU Student-Athlete of the Week, presented by University Apartments.

The Phoenix, Arizona, native helped WVU post a 3-0 record at the Mountaineer Invitational to earn MVP honors. Zerwas finished the weekend ranking fourth in the Big 12 Conference with 10.82 assists per set, as she assisted on 119 of WVU's 150 kills last weekend. The setter also notched 24 digs in three matches to average 2.18 per set and posted a trio of service aces.

Zerwas quarterbacked the Mountaineer offense to a 3-2 victory over Navy on Saturday evening, dishing out 55 assists to match her career high previously set at San Diego State on Sept. 6. She also registered 11 digs in the win to notch her third double-double of the season. Of note, the assist mark was third in the Big 12 last week.

Zerwas also had 30 assists, eight digs and two service aces in the team's 3-0 win over Duquesne to open the weekend, followed by 34 assists and five digs in a three-set win against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday morning.

This Week in Women's Soccer: The Mountaineers open Big 12 Conference play with a match against Iowa State on Friday, Sept. 27 … first kick at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. ET … it's Diversity and Inclusion Night, and fans are encouraged to wear their favorite international soccer team jersey to receive $3 admission … it is also Friday Night Happy Hour, with half-priced beverages available from 6-7 p.m.

Last Week in Women's Soccer: WVU (5-3-1) earned a pair of shutout wins over the weekend at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson, 2-0, on Sept. 20, and Bowling Green, 2-0, on Sept. 22 … sophomore defender Jordan Brewster earned her first career game-winner with a penalty kick in the 12th minute against Fairleigh Dickinson … sophomore midfielder Isabella Sibley doubled the Mountaineer lead in the 53rd minute with her second goal of the season on Friday … sophomore forward Alina Stahl tallied her first career brace against the Falcons on Sunday, scoring the game-winner in the 2nd minute and adding an insurance goal in the 83rd minute … the WVU defense denied a goal in both matches over the weekend as the squad picked up its third and fourth clean sheet of the year.

Notes: Stahl's goal at the 2:03 mark against Bowling Green is the 14th-fastest goal scored to open a game in WVU history ... the Mountaineers now show four shutouts this season … senior Rylee Foster earned credit for the two clean sheets, pushing her career total to 35 … Foster is one clean sheet away from moving into a tie for second place on the all-time career shutouts list … WVU has outshot its opponents 146-69, with a 79-29 advantage in the second half … freshman forward Julianne Vallerand paces WVU with 11 points (5 G, 1 A) … the Mountaineers won five straight Big 12 Conference regular-season titles from 2012-16 and own nine total Big 12 titles after capturing the 2018 Big 12 Tournament title.

This Week in Men's Soccer: The No. 20-ranked Mountaineers play a pair of matches this week, beginning with a trip to Ohio State on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, before returning home to host Penn on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium … both matches are slated to begin at 7 p.m. ET.

Last Week in Men's Soccer: WVU (4-2-1) split a pair of contests last week … on Sept. 17, the Mountaineers earned a 2-1, come-from-behind, overtime victory over Cincinnati at the Bearcats' Gettler Stadium … West Virginia also hosted Dayton on Sept. 21, falling to the Flyers, 2-0 … junior defender Kevin Morris tallied the game-winning goal against UC, as he won a header that bounced into the back of the net in the 96th minute … trailing, 1-0, senior midfielder Andres Muriel Albino tied the match against UC with an indirect free-kick goal in the 50th minute … on Saturday, WVU registered 11 shots as a team but surrendered back-to-back goals to Dayton in the 65th and 67th minute, respectively.

Notes: Tuesday's match marks the 21st time WVU and Ohio State will meet but the first since 2009 … the Buckeyes are one of 11 Division-I opponents to play WVU at least 20 times in program history … the Mountaineers lead the all-time series over the Buckeyes, 10-6-4 … West Virginia also is 3-1 all-time against Penn … Saturday's loss to Dayton snapped the Mountaineers' four-match unbeaten streak … it also was the squad's first regular-season home loss since Sept. 25, 2018, against Radford … Muriel Albino paces the team with three goals on the season, while freshman midfielder Luke McCormick owns a team-high three assists … junior goalkeeper Steven Tekesky has made 21 saves on the year, good for No. 3 in the Mid-American Conference … senior defender Logan Lucas made his team-leading 60th career start against Cincinnati … Morris' game-winning goal against the Bearcats was the second of his career.

This Week in Volleyball: WVU (8-4) opens Big 12 play this week, as the team travels to Lubbock, Texas, to face Texas Tech (10-4) on Wednesday, Sept. 25, inside United Supermarkets Arena … the match will air live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. ET … after the trip to Lubbock, Texas, the Mountaineers return home to the WVU Coliseum on Saturday, Sept. 28, as West Virginia plays host to Oklahoma (8-3) in a 1 p.m. ET tilt … a t-shirt giveaway is scheduled for Saturday's match … in addition, the Mountaineer Maniac students will receive free food and a giveaway item … Mountaineer Kids Club members also can pick up their t-shirts during the afternoon matchup ... additionally, the Mountaineers will sign autographs following the match … fans can purchase tickets by visiting WVUGAME.com, calling 1-800-WVU-GAME or at the Mountaineer Ticket Office, located at the Gold Gate of the WVU Coliseum … all tickets are general admission.

Last Week in Volleyball: West Virginia made it four straight wins, going 3-0 last weekend to claim the 2019 Mountaineer Invitational tournament title … WVU picked up a 3-0 win over Duquesne in its opening match of the two-day tournament on Friday evening … West Virginia did not miss a beat on Saturday, closing out the Mountaineer Invitational with a 3-0 sweep over Eastern Kentucky, as well as a five-set victory over Navy … sophomore setter Lacey Zerwas was named the tournament's MVP, assisting on 119 of the team's 150 kills throughout the weekend to average 10.82 assists per set … she also notched 24 digs in 11 sets to average 2.18 per set and posted a trio of service aces … junior defensive specialist Alexa Hasting averaged 4.09 digs per set, totaling 45 digs in a trio of matches, as she joined Zerwas on the all-tournament team … Hasting also served up four aces and dished out 12 assists on the weekend.

Notes: The Mountaineers and the Red Raiders will meet for the 17th time overall and the 15th time in league play since WVU joined the Big 12 in 2012 ... the all-time series is knotted at eight wins apiece, with the two teams splitting the series in 2018 ... West Virginia won its most recent meeting, defeating Texas Tech in four sets on Oct. 24, 2018, in Morgantown … WVU is 3-4 against TTU in Lubbock ... the Mountaineers and Sooners meet for the 16th time overall on Saturday and the 15th time in league play since WVU joined the Big 12 in 2012 … the two squads met once as nonconference opponents back in 1999, with OU claiming the 3-0 win in a neutral-site match … the Sooners own a 14-1 lead in the all-time series, though, the two teams split the home-and-away series in 2017 … WVU picked up its first-ever win over OU in four sets on Oct. 13, 2017, inside the WVU Coliseum … as a team, WVU is hitting .217, while holding its opponents to a .188 clip … sophomore middle blocker/outside hitter Kristina Jordan leads the team with 3.22 kills per set, followed by sophomore outside hitter Kristin Lux, with 2.70 per set … Hasting leads the floor defense with 4.35 digs per set, while redshirt junior Audrey Adams leads the team's blocking efforts, with 40 total blocks, averaging 0.98 per set.

This Week in Cross Country: The Mountaineers are off this week … WVU returns to competition on Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas … the women's 5k race is scheduled to begin at 11:40 a.m. ET at the University of Arkansas Cross Country Course.

Last Week in Cross Country: WVU collected its first victory of the season at the Lock Haven Invitational on Sept. 21, in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania … seven Mountaineers finished in the top 10 to secure the win at the West Branch Cross Country Course … junior Hayley Jackson led WVU with a second-place overall finish, posting a 6k time of 20:42 … redshirt senior Candace Archer took third place in 21:06.6 … redshirt senior Olivia Hill notched a fourth-place finish in 21:06.7, followed by freshman Ceili McCabe in fifth (21:16.8) and redshirt junior Antigone Archer in sixth (21:19.9) … WVU topped the team standings with 15 points … Saturday's field featured 37 schools and 403 runners.

Notes: WVU's win was its first of the season and second consecutive at the Lock Haven Invitational … Jackson's performance marked the first top-five finish of her career … Hill and Candace Archer finished in the top-five for the second consecutive season at Lock Haven … two other Mountaineers tallied top-10 finishes as redshirt freshman Katherine Dowie took seventh (21:21.3) and redshirt sophomore Marianne Abdalah took ninth (21:25.8) … Hill and Abdalah posted their top times of 2019, as each finished in the top-10 for the second time this season … six Mountaineers made their season debuts on Saturday, including Antigone Archer, Candace Archer, Dowie, Jackson, McCabe and redshirt freshman Samantha Hatcher … the meet also marked the collegiate debut for Dowie, Hatcher and McCabe … Saturday's field of 403 runners was the largest event Lock Haven University has ever hosted … WVU's trip to the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival will mark its first visit to the home course of the Razorbacks.

This Week in Golf: West Virginia will take part in a pair of tournaments … the Mountaineers will head to the Old Town Club Collegiate Invitational on Monday and Tuesday … the event is hosted by No. 1 Wake Forest at the Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, North Carolina … the lineup of Matt Sharpstene, Philipp Matlari, Nico Lang, Mark Goetz and Etienne Papineau will represent WVU at the event … additionally, Logan Perkins, Kurtis Grant, Trent Tipton and Christian Boyd will compete as individuals at the NKU Fall Classic, also on Monday and Tuesday … Northern Kentucky will play host to the tournament at Lassing Pointe Golf Club.

Last Week in Golf: The Mountaineers were off last week.

Notes: The 2019-20 season marks the second straight year WVU has competed at the Old Town Club Collegiate … the team finished eighth last season behind a 12th-place finish by Grant … the Mountaineers enter the tournament ranked at No. 17 in the first Golfweek/Sagarin rankings of the year … Wake Forest comes in at No. 1 in the rankings … No. 13 Penn State, No. 8 Washington, No. 78 Virginia Tech, No. 7 Louisville, No. 40 Rutgers, No. 94 Cincinnati, No. 42 East Carolina, Yale, No. 72 Augusta, Georgia Southern and Maryland will be in the field as well.

This Week in Tennis: The Mountaineers travel to Williamsburg, Virginia, this weekend to compete in the William & Mary Hidden Duel Tournament from Sept. 27-29 ... this weekend's tournament will take place at the McCormack-Nagelsen Tennis Center on the campus of William & Mary.

Last Season in Tennis: WVU opened its fall tournament season at Thunder in the Mountains in Charleston, West Virginia ... last weekend's tournament was the first collegiate invitational women's tennis tournament jointly hosted by WVU and Marshall ... as a team, West Virginia finished with an overall tournament record of 17-9 (12-5 in singles, 5-4 in doubles) ... three Mountaineers led WVU with five total wins: sophomores Giovanna Caputo and Anne-Sophie Courteau and freshman Kat Lyman ... in her debut weekend with West Virginia, Lyman posted a 3-0 singles record.

Notes: West Virginia travels to Williamsburg for the first time since 2016, when the team opened its fall season at William & Mary ... Caputo, Courteau and Lyman lead the Mountaineers with five total wins this fall ... the trio also is tied for the team lead in singles wins, with each posting a 3-0 singles record at Thunder in the Mountains ... Caputo, Courteau, Lyman and senior Christina Jordan lead the team with two doubles victories ... in the opening weekend of the fall season, West Virginia posted a 12-5 record in singles play ... WVU posted six two-set victories in singles play at Thunder in the Mountains.