Sept. 21, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Duke sophomore setter Kellie Catanach is selected as this week's Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball Player of the Week after her three-match performance at the Wake Forest Black & Gold Challenge on Sept. 18-19 helped lead the Blue Devils to the tournament championship while also earning Most Valuable Player accolades.

The Tampa, Fla., native tallied a match-high 37 assists and added two service aces and four assists in helping Duke to a 3-1 win against Wake Forest in the ACC-opener for both teams. Catanach collected a season-high 57 assists in a 3-2 win against Liberty to go with five kills and five digs. Facing a 2-0 deficit against Liberty, she sparked a Duke comeback by setting 34 of her 57 assists in the final three frames for a Blue Devil win. Riding a wave of momentum, Catanach notched her second double-double of the season with a 42-assist and 12-dig performance in a 3-1 win against Appalachian State.

Overall, Catanach directed Duke to a .298 hitting percentage, totaled 136 assists over 12 sets (11.33 assists per set), and saw 45.8 percent (136-of-296) of her sets go down for kills at the Black & Gold Challenge. Catanach has a streak of nine straight matches without a ball handling error and leads the Blue Devils with 468 assists and 9.96 assists per set, is second on the team with 11 service aces, and is third with 25 total blocks.

The ACC Volleyball Player of the Week will be announced by 5:00 p.m. each Monday during the season. More ACC volleyball information can be accessed at http://www.theacc.com/sports/w-volley/acc-w-volley-body.html.