Award round-up: Matthews, Dieudonne earn C-USA nods, Zappe put on O’Brien watch list

Fifth-year+setter+Nadia+Dieudonne+sets+up+an+attack+during+WKUs+match+against+Samford+on+Sept.+10%2C+2021.

Brittany Fisher

Fifth-year setter Nadia Dieudonne sets up an attack during WKU’s match against Samford on Sept. 10, 2021.

Drew Toennies, Soccer reporter

Multiple WKU student-athletes earned recognition for their performances over the past week on Monday.

WKU Volleyball senior middle hitter Lauren Matthews and fifth-year setter Nadia Dieudonne were given Conference USA weekly awards on Monday following WKU’s sweep of the Eastern Kentucky Colonels on Oct. 6.

Matthews was named the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week and Dieudonne was named Conference USA Setter of the Week.

Matthews put on a show in the Hilltoppers’ first trip to McBrayer Arena since 1995, contributing 20 kills over the course of the match. Dieudonne had an outstanding performance of her own, totaling five digs and 40 assists on the evening to ensure her team’s clean sweep of EKU.

Zappe threw for 523 yards on 38-of-60 passing with five touchdowns and an interception during WKU’s 52-46 loss to the undefeated UTSA Roadrunners on Saturday. Across WKU’s first five game of the season, Zappe has completed 171 of his 243 passes for 2,235 yards and 21 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions. His 447 yards-per-game average leads all FBS quarterbacks.

The Davey O’Brien Award is presented annually to the most outstanding quarterback in college football. The winner will be revealed on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 9 during the 2021 College Football Awards.

Soccer reporter Drew Toennies can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drew_toennies. Sports Editor Jake Moore contributed to this article.