SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Southern Conference announced today that College of Charleston’s Annie Uthe and Furman’s Nicole Palazzo have been named the Molten Volleyball Co-Players of the Week for the week of October 2.

Uthe, a junior middle blocker from Dubuque, Iowa, led College of Charleston to a 3-0 record last week including two conference wins over Wofford and Furman which improved the Cougars record to 5-0 in conference play.  On Tuesday, Uthe tallied five kills and five blocks in the 3-0 win over Winthrop, ending Winthrop’s 15-game win streak.  In conference action on Friday, she recorded 12 kills and a .750 hitting percentage in the 3-0 victory over Wofford.  She notched 12 kills, five blocks and three service aces in the 3-1 win over Furman on Saturday.

On the week, Uthe tallied 29 kills and 15 blocks with a .434 hitting average.  She ranks among the conference leaders in blocks per game. 

Palazzo, a sophomore middle blocker from Grayson, Ga., helped Furman to a 2-1 record last week in conference play.  She recorded nine kills and a .375 hitting percentage in a 3-0 win over Wofford on Tuesday.  She hit for .600 and tallied nine kills in the 3-0 victory over The Citadel on Friday.  In a close battle against College of Charleston on Saturday, Palazzo notched 10 kills and nine blocks, including one solo, in the 3-1 loss to the Cougars.

On the week, Palazzo tallied 32 kills, averaged .424 in hitting and had 15 blocks.  She leads the league in hitting percentage with .384 and ranks second in the conference with 1.35 blocks per game.  

Other top performers include Appalachian State’s Brittany Zahn, Chattanooga’s Leslee Ball, Davidson’s Liz Williamson, Elon’s Juliena Gigon, Georgia Southern’s Christy Dowd, Western Carolina’s Meredith Harmon Wofford’s Shanna Hughes.