Monmouth College freshman Kaylee Celus (Annawan, Illinois) was named Midwest Conference Offensive Performer of the Week on Wednesday. The honor covers the opening week of the Monmouth season as Celus played in two of the four matches in Ohio
Celus racked up 31 kills in her first two college matches while hitting .441 and serving three aces. She leads the Midwest Conference in hitting percentage, kills per set (4.43) and points per set (4.86). Celus had 21 kills in her debut match on Friday against Bluffton while hitting .486. She also had five digs and an ace in the four-set win. Her 21 kills were the most by a Monmouth player since Layne Wright (Davenport, Iowa) had 24 in a 5-set match against Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 1, 2023. The 21 kills for a 4-set match ranks 13th in Monmouth history.
In Monmouth’s second game on Friday, Celus had 10 kills while hitting .364 in a 3-0 win over Waynesburg. She added seven digs and two aces for the Scots. Celus didn’t play in Monmouth’s games on Saturday as she had a family commitment.
“Even though the season is young, Kaylee shows up every day wanting to improve and be the best she can be,” said head coach Derrick Broekemier. “She loves the game and every time she plays she shows that love not only to the sport but to her teammates and the fans. She’s someone everyone cheers for on and off the court.”
The Scots head to the Wisconsin Lutheran Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin this weekend. Monmouth faces host WLC on Friday night before playing Dubuque and Wheaton on Saturday The home opener is part of the Monmouth College Invitational next Friday at 5 p.m. against Westminster.
***Courtesy of Nathan Baliva, Monmouth College***
