Earlier this week, middle blocker Lucie Blažková was awarded WCC Offensive Player of the Week and named to the GCU Classic All-Tournament Team.
Over the past weekend, when she helped lead the Cougars to wins over Northern Arizona University and East Texas A&M University, she recorded 53 kills, 16 blocks including four solo blocks and seven digs. Offensively, she also averaged a .443 hitting percentage, while only having eight attacking errors. These attacking errors were also her first of the season. In the Utah Classic, the first tournament of the season, she did not have a single attacking error in 50 attempts.
Blažková has arguably been the MVP of the early season for the Cougars. She is tied for most sets played on the team with 23 and is tied for most matches started at 6. Additionally, she has the most points, kills and the highest hitting percentage on the team – 108, 85 and .507 respectively. She also has the least amount of attacking errors on the team out of anyone who has 75 or more attempts with eight, which is four fewer than the next closest.
Defensively, despite not having quite as many digs as some of her teammates, she has recorded the most solo blocks at six. Her next closest teammates are setter Italia Bernal, outside hitter Eliana Ti’a and middle blocker Camryn Lingenbrink who all have one. She has 20 blocking assists as well, which also leads the team.
She has been a well-rounded player especially offensively, which has helped the team so far.
“The offense has been impressive this year,” head coach Korey Schroeder said. “[Blažková’s] expanded her range of where she can score. The quality of set that she’s able to score on has expanded as well.”
Schroeder also said that defense has been her strong suit since last season. Last year, she had 134 total blocks, including 42 solo, and so far she is showing that she can have another dominant defensive showing.
Offensively, she has improved significantly already since last season.
Schroeder said that during the offseason he talked with Blažková about her hitting percentage last season, and that he told her he would have liked it to be a bit higher. Her hitting percentage in 2024 was .278, which is .229 lower than it is currently this year.
“She’s blown those numbers out of the water,” Schroeder said.
Last season, she was named to the All-WCC Second Team, the All-WCC Freshman Team, won a WCC Defensive Player of the Week and a WCC Freshman Player of the Week. This year, she has already added to her set of WCC accolades and is looking to continue her dominant start this weekend at the Harvard Invitational. She leads the Cougs to Massachusetts where they will take on both Harvard University and Seton Hall University.
