Women's Lacrosse Sweeps BIG EAST Awards
April 15, 2014 | Women's Lacrosse
April 15, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville women's lacrosse team swept the BIG EAST weekly awards on Tuesday. Nikki Boltja earned offensive player of the week accolades, and Stephanie McNamara was named defensive player of the week.
The Cardinals, ranked 18th in both major polls this week, registered their sixth-consecutive victory with a 16-9 decision at Villanova on Sunday, keeping them atop the league standings. Louisville, now 10-3 overall, 4-0 in BIG EAST play, reached the double-digit win plateau in the fewest games in school history.
Boltja totaled 13 points - 10 goals and three assists - in the two games. She scored four goals and had one assist against Temple, while also collecting two ground balls. The senior then scored six goals and had two assists for eight points against Villanova, tying for the third-most points in a game in school history.
With her 10 goals, Boltja moved into a tie for second all-time on the school's career chart with 174 goals. For the season, her 52 goals rank eight best in a single season in school history. Boltja continues to hold the No. 1 ranking in the BIG EAST in goals per game (4.00) and points per game (5.23) overall and in league-only stats. Nationally, she ranks second in goals and goals per game, fourth in points per game and fifth in points (68).
McNamara helped anchor Louisville's defense last week. She was matched up against Temple's and Villanova's top attackers and held them without a point. Temple's Jaymie Tabor entered the game with 25 goals and was held to just three shots and had one turnover in facing McNamara. Villanova's Chelsey Henderson, who boasted 15 goals and 14 assists, was limited to one shot with McNamara defending her. McNamara collected one ground ball and one draw control through the two contests.
Louisville returns home for its final three regular-season games this week. Louisville faces Connecticut on Thursday at the UofL Lacrosse Stadium at 4 p.m. ET and then the Cardinals play host to Rutgers on Senior Day on Saturday at 1 p.m.
For the latest information on Louisville women's lacrosse, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/LouisvilleLax or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLLacrosse.
