Last Week’s Stats: .260 hitting percentage, 5.92 points/set, 5.31 kills/set, 2.15 digs/set, 0.46 service aces/set, 0.31 blocks/set
One of the nation’s most lethal hitters ran it back as the NEC/Molten Player of the Week on Tuesday after she helped lead the Red Flash to a 2-1 record at the Altoona Grand Red Flash Classic. Burns put together another sensational weekend to take home a weekly award from the conference for the sixth time in her career. She stifled the competition with 5.31 kills per set, hit .260 during the three-match tournament behind 69 kills and contributed 5.92 points per set to a Red Flash attack that averaged 13.08 kills per set. In addition, the Clarion, PA native delivered a solid all-around performance by chalking up 28 digs, six service aces and four blocks. In the opening match of the tournament on Friday, Burns burned Siena by rifling 30 kills, the most ever recorded by a player in a Saint Francis home match in program history. Completing the double-double with 11 digs while adding a trio of aces, she led the Red Flash to a five-set win over the Saints. The veteran outside hitter turned the double-double trick again on Saturday, as her 24 kills and 12 digs led her squad to a 3-2 triumph against Lafayette. Burns is currently the nation’s leader in kills per set with 5.58, while her 143.5 total points on the year also top the NCAA Division I charts. The only NEC player with 100-or-more kills this season, her .311 hitting percentage is second-best among NEC attackers that have 75-or-more kills.