November 10, 2009 -- All-American Arica Shepard earned her sixth MIAA Hitter of the Week award this season. It is believed to be the most Athlete of the Week wins since 1994 when Central Missouri's Rachel Gatewood won the MIAA Specialist of the Week six times.

Shepard averaged 4.71 kills per set while hitting .375. The senior from Rossville, Kan., averaged 5.00 digs per set along with 0.57 blocks per set as she averaged 5.00 points per set. Against No. 22 Pittsburg State, Shepard had 15 kills and tied a career high with a team-high 24 digs. She had four kills in the first set, including the first two of the set. Against Missouri Southern, Shepard had 18 kills to go along with 11 digs for her ninth straight double-double. She hit .517 for the match while adding two block assists. She had seven kills during the first set and had four kills in the second set. Shepard added seven more kills in the final set, including the final one to close out ESU’s 3-0 sweep. She has nine straight double-doubles. Shepard moved into the ESU career top five in digs. She moved into fourth place in the MIAA in career kills, passing Missouri Southern’s Stephanie Gockley. Shepard is the first player to climb that high in the all-time MIAA standings since 1997. She is already the ESU career record holder in kills, double-figure kill matches and 20+ kill matches.