UCF’s Avah Armour (offensive), Iowa State’s Rachel Van Gorp (defensive) and Ava Martin (setter) and Arizona State’s Elle Mottola (rookie) were recognized as the Big 12 Volleyball weekly award winners for the opening week of the 2026 season.
Armour helped UCF open the season with a 3-0 record and surpassed 1,000 career kills on opening weekend. The senior outside hitter averaged a league-best 5.4 kills and 6.4 points per set while totaling 54 kills and 64 points across three victories. She opened the weekend with 25 kills, 11 digs, six blocks and 30 points in a four-set win over Robert Morris before recording 21 kills in a sweep of NC State.
Van Gorp anchored Iowa State’s defense as the Cyclones posted wins over Loyola (Ill.) and Northern Iowa. The junior libero recorded double-digit digs in all three of the Cyclones matches to total 51 digs, averaging 5.10 per set. Her 27 digs in Iowa State’s victory over UNI were the most among Big 12 players this weekend, while she also posted a perfect reception percentage on 60 receptions over the weekend.
Martin guided the Cyclone offense with a Conference-leading 11.50 assists per set average. The junior setter finished the weekend with 115 assists, highlighted by a career-high 54 assists and tied a career high with 10 digs in ISU’s four-set win over UNI for a double-double. Her 54 assists marked the highest total in a four-set match by a Big 12 player this season.
Mottola led the Sun Devils to a victory over No. 2 Texas in her first collegiate match, posting 31 assists, seven digs and four blocks while earning AVCA MVP of the Game honors. She followed with her first career double-double in a win over No. 14 Minnesota, tallying 42 assists and 10 digs. The freshman setter totaled 96 assists while helping the Sun Devils secure two ranked victories over Texas and Minnesota through four games this season.
Joining Armour, Van Gorp, Martin and Mottola on the Big 12 Starting Seven, which honors strong performances across the league, are Arizona State’s Una Vajagic, UCF’s Sasha Cohen and Kansas’ Taylor Stanley. Vajagic recorded double-digit kills in all three matches against ranked opponents, including a career-high 20 kills, while hitting .500 in a win over No. 14 Minnesota. Cohen paced the league defensively at the net, leading the Big 12 and ranking fourth nationally with 2.30 blocks per set while posting a .462 hitting percentage across three UCF victories. Stanley made her collegiate debut and totaled 36 kills and 42.5 points through eight sets, including a 21-kill, eight-dig, five-block effort at No. 5 Stanford to become the first Kansas player since 2019 to record a 20-kill, five-dig and five-block match.
Big 12 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week – Avah Armour, UCF
Defensive Player of the Week – Rachel Van Gorp, Iowa State
Setter of the Week – Ava Martin, Iowa State
Rookie of the Week – Elle Mottola, Arizona State
Big 12 Starting Seven:
Elle Mottola, Arizona State (rookie)
Una Vajagic, Arizona State
Avah Armour, UCF (offensive player)
Sasha Cohen, UCF
Ava Martin, Iowa State (setter)
Rachel Van Gorp, Iowa State (defensive player)
Taylor Stanley, Kansas