NATCHITOCHES, La. – Olivia Nzioki and Emmarie McFarland of the Northwestern State volleyball team earned Southland Conference Player of the Week awards, the league office announced Monday.

Nzioki, a freshman, received Offensive Player of the Week after recording 50 kills in three matches. The Shawnee, Kansas native had a team season high 22 in Saturday's four-set win over Grambling and had 14 against both Jackson State and ULM.

McFarland, out of Alvin, Texas, earned Defensive Player of the Week. The Demons's utility player helped NSU win all four matches last week with 87 digs in four contests. She had 20 digs in the team's win over Jackson State, 25 against Mississippi Valley State, 24 against ULM and 18 against Grambling. The sophomore has 11 straight games with at least 10 digs and now has 28 for her career.

"The awards are great," said second-year Demon head coach Ben Kaszeta. "It's awesome to see Emmarie and Olivia win but the way everyone is embracing the culture of what it takes to win games is even better. It's great to see both Emmarie and Olivia be honored but it's the team that's done it. They aren't winning these awards without the help of their teammates."

McFarland, Nzioki and the Demons (5-6) will try to keep the momentum going Tuesday night when they host Louisiana Tech (6-4) at 6:30 p.m. in Prather Coliseum in search of their fifth straight win.