On Tuesday afternoon the Great Midwest Athletic Conference players of the week were named, two of which came from Ashland University.

For the No. 16 ranked Eagles women’s soccer team, senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Simon has started the season red hot with two shutouts winning her the conference’s defensive player of the week award.

In the first game this week, Simon made six saves to hold off the No.8 Grand Valley State Lakers. Those six stops proved to be critical as the Eagles were only able to put one in the back of the net themselves, in the way to the 1-0 victory.

In the second game against Rollins, in her first game this season on Ferguson Field, Simon once again had a shutout with six saves. Simon will look to continue her momentum on Friday, Sept. 9 when the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals come to Ashland, with kickoff set for 6 p.m.

Moving over to Kates Gymnasium, the volleyball team had the south division offensive player of the week, junior middle blocker Bailey Ruth. Ruth was an integral part of leading the team to an undefeated start to the season, winning four straight games.

In those four contests, Ruth had a .577 hitting percentage, 46 kills and 13 block assists. These numbers helped the Eagles defeat New Haven, West Liberty, Parkside and D’Youville in the Ashland University Tournament. The volleyball team’s next matchup comes on the road for the first time this season against McKendree in the UIndy Invitational. First serve is set for 9 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 9.