University of Illinois Springfield volleyball player Hannah Nicolaisen was named the GLVC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. She is the first Prairie Stars player to earn that award since Tiffany Wentworth in 2018.
 
Nicolaisen had 21 kills in two victories last week over Drury and Southwest Baptist. She hit .452 for the week with just two errors in 42 attempts. She also had two service aces and eight blocks, and led the team with 27.5 points for the two matches.
 
Nicolaisen scored some of her biggest points during the team's biggest moments of the week. Against Drury, two sets were decided by two points, with Nicolaisen leading UIS to victories in those sets. UIS was trailing the first set 21-19, and she sparked a comeback with a block and kill. In the fourth set, she ended the match with a kill on match point.
 
Nicolaisen leads the team this season with 86 blocks and 237 points. She also has 178 kills, 11 service aces, and 83 digs on the year.
 
The UIS volleyball team improved to 10-13 with the victories last week, and it is now 6-6 in GLVC play. The Prairie Stars host nationally-ranked Lewis on Tuesday night at TRAC.