GREENSBORO, N.C. – Senior Laura Kopald (Aiken, S.C./Augusta Preparatory) earned the Guilford College Student-Athlete of the Week Award Tuesday.
Kopald helped the Quakers to a 3-0 week with a team-high 31 kills on .342 hitting, plus four service aces, six digs and two blocks. In the 3-0 win over Greensboro College Oct. 4 she led Guilford with eight kills on .316 hitting. Kopald paced the Quakers with a career-high 14 kills on .414 hitting and two service aces in Guilford’s 3-1 win over Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC)-foe Randolph College Oct. 5. To finish the week, she registered nine kills on .273 hitting with a service ace in Guilford’s four-set league win over Eastern Mennonite Oct. 8.
Kopald leads Guilford in three categories: kills (155), aces (27) and total points (189.5). Her kills and aces rank 13th among ODAC leaders and she is 11th in total points. Kopald has the Quakers’ fourth-best block-assist total (15) and sits sixth on the team with 54 digs.
Coach Emily Gann’s Quakers (7-12, 3-3 ODAC) have won five of their last six matches. Guilford visits league-rival Lynchburg College Wednesday (10/12) before hosting Bridgewater College and Meredith College on Saturday (10/15).
The Student-Athlete of the Week Award is presented by Guilford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which is comprised of representatives from each of the school’s 20 varsity teams. The group meets regularly to discuss the state of Guilford Athletics and seeks to build community among Guilford’s student-athletes and non-student-athletes. Recent Guilford SAAC activities include a cancer awareness promotions, canned-food drives, volunteer assistance with the North Carolina Special Olympics and tutoring at New Garden Friends School.