North Carolina senior libero Ece Taner and NC State freshman middle blocker Kaitlyn Kearney have earned this week’s Atlantic Coast Conference volleyball honors, as Taner was named Player of the Week and Kearney was tabbed Freshman of the Week.

Taner led the Tar Heels to three victories over the weekend in the 18th annual Carolina Classic, including a signature victory over No. 16 Kentucky. In the five set thriller, Ece led the UNC defense with 21 digs and helped hold the Wildcats to a .237 hitting percentage, including a .000 attack percentage in the decisive fifth set. Taner chipped in four service aces on the weekend, including three against Georgia Southern. For her efforts, Taner was named the MVP of the Carolina Classic.

NC State’s Kearney had the best weekend of her young career and was rewarded with Georgia Tournament MVP honors. For the tournament, she averaged 3.27 kills per set and also chipped in with eight blocks. The Frisco, Texas native had her most impressive match of the weekend against the toughest competition in host Georgia. Kearney smashed 15 kills in the contest with only one error to register a .412 attacking percentage. She finished the weekend with 36 kills and a .403 hitting percentage.

– News release