After playing a key role in the volleyball team’s 3-2 win over archrival University of New Hampshire, Karrin Moore has been named The Northeastern News Player of the Week.
The junior stepped into the outside hitter position after Jana Kubalova went down with a knee injury in Friday’s game against Maine and led the team with 23 kills, while adding 20 digs. Kubalova underwent an MRI on Tuesday, the results were not immediately known.
Moore’s 23 kills, against only seven errors, figured out to a .286 hitting percentage, second highest on the team.
“Karrin is in the unenviable position as being the utility player on our team,” said head coach Ken Nichols. “She plays solid defense and has a great serve, she is a starter, but sometimes you don’t always have a spot for her.
“This was a little bit of a breakthrough week for her,”he added. “She might be one of the league’s best kept secrets.”
Team captain Kristin Ursillo seconded her coach’s opinion.
“Karrin has been a go-to player all year,” said the senior setter. “I like her presence on the court, she is a very calming influence.”
Nichols also had high praise for Moore’s work off the court.
“She is a real student of the game, she has coached a little bit in the past,” he said. “When we are watching films she absorbs most everything. She gets it.”
The win ran the Huskies record to 15-6 overall and 3-0 in the America East. Moore has high hopes for the remainder of the season.
“You never know what can happen,” she said. “We have a deep bench, I hope we can win out [the rest of the regular season].”
To do so, the Huskies would need to go up to New Hampshire on Nov. 14 and sweep the season series with the Wildcats, something that they haven’t done since Moore has been at school.
Prior to last week’s game, Moore’s best game came this year against the University of Connecticut. She put up 12 kills and hit for a .327 percentage.
As a freshman she had a season high of 15 assists against in a sweep of Drexel.
A native of Phoenix, Ariz., Moore was named Mountain Pointe High School’s MVP in her senior year, she also earned All-Region honors.
Moore’s emergence this year becomes even more impressive when taken into account with the fact that she missed significant time last year when she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, which inhibits the body from absorbing nutrients from wheat.
More than a month passed before the disease was correctly diagnosed during which time Moore lost close to 40 pounds. With Moore now fully healthy, the Huskies look to improve on last year’s second place finish to UNH in the regular season.
– Peter Conroy, is a member of The News staff
