Date Posted: 10/15/2007

MACON, Ga. – A week after posting consecutive double-doubles en route to her first career Player of the Week honor, Florida Gulf Coast’s Ana Kokanovic notched the school’s first-ever triple-double and set a new conference record with 11 service aces in a 3-1 victory over defending regular season champion ETSU, becoming the first back-to-back weekly honoree in the Atlantic Sun since 2005.

The junior outside hitter powered the Eagles to a perfect week, moving back into first place in the conference standings with a pair of wins over USC Upstate and ETSU. The marketing major tallied 37 kills for the week, averaging 5.3 per game and hit a stratospheric .464 against her two opponents. She capped the weekend with 21 kills, 15 digs and 11 service aces against ETSU Saturday evening. Florida Gulf Coast owns victories over the defending regular season champion and the reigning tournament champion (Belmont) in the past two weeks. The Lasarevac, Serbia native wins the honor in back-to-back weeks, becoming the first to do so since Florida Atlantic’s Kelly Paiva won consecutive honors in October, 2005.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Melissa Merchant, Jacksonville (Sr. – MB – Oakley, Calif. – Business) – Finished the week with 26 kills and 11 blocks, including 14 kills against Belmont Friday night.

Sarah Snider, Lipscomb (Jr. - OH – Oswego, Ill. – Social Work) – Tallied an impressive 71 kills in three matches, helping the Bisons knock Jacksonville from its first-place perch on Saturday.

Julie Darty, Mercer (Sr. – RS – Orlando, Fla. – Communications) – Notched 35 kills in 10 games for the week, helped Mercer extend conference winning streak to four with 25 kills over the weekend.

Related Links:
 • This Week in A-Sun Volleyball