Melendez becomes the second LIU player to take home NEC Player of the Week distinction with her first award this season, joining teammate Alasha Colon, who was honored on Sept. 19. The junior outside hitter was a key component in LIU’s dominant week that featured a pair of straight-set road wins at Le Moyne and Saint Francis U. Averaging 3.50 kills per set to tie teammate Amaris Smith for a league-best mark, she added 2.17 digs per set to that number. In addition, Melendez combined for an impressive .340 hitting percentage during that stretch after committing just three miscues in 53 attempts. The Caguas, Puerto Rico was lethal from the service line in the Sharks’ first-ever meeting with the Dolphins on Friday, racking up a season-high four aces while adding seven kills in the triumph. She had a hot hand on Saturday against the Red Flash, as she led all players with 14 kills to finish the match with a sizzling .429 hitting percentage in the big road win. Melendez enters the week ranked fifth in the NEC in kills per set (2.85), while her 177 total kills are good for third-most in the circuit.