Press Release

AVON, Ohio – The Crossroads League announced the League Athlete of the Week Award winners for the week of October 5-11. A pair of area alums were among those honored by the league in its weekly awards.

Maddy Payne was named the League Defender of the Week, the fourth straight week the Defender of the Week Award has stayed in Mishawaka.

The middle blocker from NorthWood High School continued her impressive freshman campaign by adding 16 blocks and 21 kills in a pair of matches. The middle hitter turned in a 12-kill, 11-block double-double in Bethel’s five-set loss to No. 7 IWU, before going for nine kills, five blocks and two aces in a sweep of Goshen.

It is the seventh Crossroads League Athlete of the Week honor for the Pilots in 2020-21 and the second weekly accolade for the freshman. The Crossroads League Defender of the Week has been won by a Pilot for four straight weeks, as Payne earned the honor on September 21, while Isabelle North was awarded the title on both September 28 and October 5. Sports Information Directors from the league nominate student-athletes for the award and vote on each week’s winners.

Kacy Bragg earned her first Crossroads award. She finished the week atop the Crossroads League, logging 448 assists and 10.0 assists per set on the year. The sophomore leads all other league players by 123 assists and ranks fourth in the entire NAIA for total assists.

Bragg, a Warsaw Community High School alum, grabbed her first Crossroads League weekly honor on Monday, dishing out 46 assists, while corralling seven digs in the four-set win over SAU. Throughout the team’s 12 matches, Bragg has reached 40 assists in six contests.