FRISCO, Texas — Nicholls' Tamara Chavez along with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi's Brooklyn Jaeger and Virginia Van Der Werff have earned this week's Jersey Mike's Southland Conference Volleyball Player of the Week awards, the conference office announced Monday.
Offensive Player of the Week: Tamara Chavez, Nicholls – Gr. – OH – Lima, Peru (Saco Oliveros)
Chavez paced the Colonels' offense during an action-packed week where she totaled 87 kills while hitting .323 from the floor. She added 31 digs and 6 total blocks, and four service aces to her stat line. After her outstanding week, Chavez sits atop the SLC in kills per set (4.68) and points per set (5.10). For her effort, she was named Co-MVP and to the All-Tournament team for the 2025 SLC-SWAC Challenge as she helped the Colonels start the season 9-1.
Defensive Player of the Week: Brooklyn Jaeger, A&M-Corpus Christi – R So. – OH/L – Fayetteville, Texas (Fayetteville High School)
Jaeger recorded 71 digs over the weekend, averaging 4.44 per set in three matches at the Islanders Classic. She posted back-to-back 20+ dig performances against Prairie View and Sam Houston, her second and third time this season hitting that benchmark.
Honorable Mention: Anna Melgren, HCU; Celianiz Cabranes, UTRGV
Setter of the Week: Virginia Van Der Werff, A&M-Corpus Christi – So. – S – Lansing, Kan. (Lansing High School)
Van Der Werff ran the Islanders' offense to a .310 hitting percentage as a team and assisted on 176 of the team's 220 kills while averaging 11.00 assists/set which increases her season average that ranked her second in the league entering the weekend. She additionally posted 15 kills with a .244 hitting clip and tallied 29 digs, five blocks, and 14 service aces.
Honorable Mention: Isabella Padilla, Nicholls
2025 Southland Conference Volleyball Players of the Week
| Date |
Offensive |
Defensive |
Setter |
| Sept. 1 |
Kyra McKelvey, Southeastern |
Celianiz Cabranes, UTRGV |
Virginia Van Der Werff, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Sept. 8 |
Katherine Holtman |
India Bennett, Southeastern |
Calissa Allison, UIW |
| Sept. 15 |
Tamara Chavez, Nicholls |
Brooklyn Jaeger, A&M-Corpus Christi |
Virginia Van Der Werff, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.