ROCK HILL, S.C. – For the first time in her career, senior outside hitter Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.) has been lauded as the Astroturf South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week announced by the league Tuesday afternoon after guiding Carson-Newman to a pair of victories on the road at Catawba and Queens (N.C.).
"It feels great to get this award," Fairley said. "I'm so grateful for this recognition and it's definitely a humbling thing. I couldn't have done it without my teammates and I'm so thankful for the girls that I get to play with. The hard work is paying off."
Fairley had a career weekend beginning with 16 kills and a .367 attack percentage coupled with 11 digs for her third double-double of the season surpassing her season total in 2014 of two. Her three double-doubles lead the Eagles this season. The 16 kills set a career-high for less than a day as the senior reset that high with 20 kills and a .264 attack percentage in her hometown on Saturday to go along with eight digs and two block assists.
The outside hitter ranks third in the conference with 3.6 points per set and 3.25 kills per frame. Her 91 total kills lead Carson-Newman and is good for seventh in the league. The 91 kills is just shy of halfway to the single-season high for Fairley set in 2014 of 200.
The accolade marks the first in Fairley's career. The outside hitter is the sixth different player to win a Player of the Week honor from the conference since the start of the 2014 season.
"It says a lot about our program," Fairley said. "It says that we are growing and improving every day. We are all pushing each other to get better."
Fairley joins fellow senior Molly Locke (College Grove, Tenn.), who took home the honor after the first week of the season, to win the plaudit this season as the Eagles have won two of the first three this year.
Carson-Newman continues league play Tuesday night as Lincoln Memorial makes the short trek to Holt Fieldhouse for a 7 p.m. first serve. The Eagle Sports Network will provide the broadcast beginning five minutes prior to the start of the contest by visiting cneagles.com/live.
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