DeWalt, Fitzgerald claim weekly Sun Belt Conference honors

Texas State seniors Emily DeWalt and Janell Fitzgerald were both named Sun Belt Players of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday.

“Our team knows that personal honors are due to the team's success, so it's great to see multiple Bobcats getting these awards,” Texas State head coach Sean Huiet said in a statement. “Janell being able to put together back-to-back strong weekends, at this point in the season, is huge for us. Her offensive numbers continue to rise and she's playing at a really high level. Emily has battled a lot this season and playing through an injury is always hard. I'm proud of how she is still finding new and different ways to lead this team. Last week, she averaged over 13 assists per set, which is big time, then this week, went out and raised the bar by getting 14.83. Her statistical numbers this past week were very elite.”

Fitzgerald picked up Offensive Player of the Week honors for the second week in a row. The outside hitter tallied 4.83 kills per set on a .343 hitting percentage as the Bobcats swept Little Rock on Friday and Arkansas State on Saturday, both matches taking place on the road. She also picked up a double-double against the Red Wolves with 16 kills and 15 digs.

DeWalt received the Setter of the Week laurel for the first time this season. She dished out 14.83 assists and 4.17 digs per set in the team’s pair of wins and helped Texas State hit for over .300% as a team. The setter had double-doubles in both games, posting 45 assists and 14 digs in the first match and 44 assists and 11 digs.

It’s the first time this year the maroon and gold has had multiple players win the Sun Belt’s weekly awards. Texas State (10-11, 6-2 conference) will host Coastal Carolina (14-4, 8-0) on Friday and Appalachian State (7-13, 3-5) on Saturday inside Strahan Arena, both matches beginning at 6 p.m.