Aug. 31, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Gamecock senior outside hitter Ivana Kujundzic earned the first weekly award from the Southeastern Conference today, claiming the league’s Offensive Player of the Week award after her MVP performance at the Big Orange Bash.

Helping South Carolina to a tourney sweep over in-state rivals Clemson, College of Charleston and Winthrop, the Subotica, Serbia, product posted double-doubles in every match and led the team in points in each outing. Her 23 kills took the Gamecocks past the Cougars from Charleston, while she also led the way with 15 kills en route to a team-best .341 hitting percentage against Winthrop. Against Clemson, Kujundzic posted 18 kills and a match-best 25 digs while also leading the way with three aces.

The weekend helped Kujundzic advance on some of the Gamecocks’ career listings, moving into 12th in kills and attacks with her efforts. She ranks fourth in the SEC this season with a 4.00 kills-per-set mark, while her 3.71 digs-per-frame average is tied for third with teammate Hannah Lawing, just behind classmate Sarah Cline. Kujundzic picks up her second weekly award from the SEC, following her offensive player nod on Sept. 15, 2008. She’s just the third Gamecock in history to win the accolade more than once in her career, joining Shonda Cole and Heather Larkin.

The Garnet and Black host the Gamecock Invitational this Friday and Saturday at the Volleyball Competition Facility, starting the event with a 10 a.m. Friday contest against Eastern Kentucky.