San Diego State volleyball senior middle blocker Tamia Reeves said she did not think getting an award like Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week would happen.
But it did.
Reeves was honored with the award on Oct. 7.
“It is exciting, I haven’t gotten it before,” Reeves said. “Coming into senior year, I wasn’t thinking about titles or accomplishments, so it’s a huge honor for me.”
The native from Carrollton, Texas said it’s great to see her diligence pay off and that it establishes trust in the play she brings.
“For me, it gives me confidence,” she said. “I see what my hard work is doing just for a week. It gives me confidence, it gives the team confidence that we know what we’re doing (works).”
In the two games against UNLV on Oct. 3 and New Mexico on Oct. 5, Reeves posted a .667 attack percentage, including a season-high .692 hitting percentage against the Rebels.
Reeves also record 19 kills on 27 attacks and only one error in those two games.
Head coach Deitre Collins-Parker said Reeves’ hard work led to the award.
“What a great honor for her,” Collins-Parker said. “She’s come a long way in her four years here. She’s always been pretty steady. To get recognized for those high percentages is awesome.”
Collins-Parker said Reeves’ honor relates to the team’s performance.
“It’s a testament to how they’re playing and the numbers we’re putting up offensively,” Collins-Parker said.
Collins-Parker, who started at middle blocker on the 1988 U.S. Olympic team, said she was shorter than average-size middle blockers, like Reeves.
Despite being 6-foot-1, Reeves has found a way to put up points consistently.
“She’s been steady,” Collins-Parker said. “As much as I’ve wanted to find someone taller, nobody finds a way to score like she does. Being an undersize (player), which is how I felt when I was on the Olympic team, and finding a way to score is special when you’re not as big as everyone else.”
Reeves joins sophomore setter Camryn Machado to receive the award.
Collins-Parker said it is beneficial to the team when someone is presented with the honor.
“Any validation that we’re doing something right helps them have confidence,” she said. “This team is focused on doing well in conference. Even though it is a single-person award, to know people are noticing and what (we’re) doing, matters.”
Reeves’ teammate, senior outside hitter Hannah Turnlund said the award shows how much work Reeves puts in.
“It’s always good for people on our team to get noticed like that and she deserves it,” Turnlund said. “It shows how consistent she is and the work she puts in every day to be a solid player.”
Turnlund said Reeves is a big factor and the team looks up to her.
“She comes in every day and works hard and is diligent in everything she does and it’s a positive thing for our team,” she said. “It gives our team confidence, it gives her confidence to play our best in these big games.”
Collins-Parker said the senior leadership from Reeves and Turnlund expands to the upperclassmen that have been at SDSU for four years.
“(Our juniors and seniors have) been here through the ups and downs,” she said. “(Junior libero Loren Teter) and (junior defensive specialist Sam McGrath) can be seniors however you look at it, but they’ve been here as long as Hannah and Tamia and it’s a nice group of older statesmen that can help the young ones come along.”
