Coming into Northern Illinois University as the volleyball program's first high school All-American might have put some pressure on freshman outside hitter Lauren Wicinski to perform at a high level quickly.
Whether she felt the pressure or not, the Geneva native showed why she was a 2009 Under Armour All-American by winning the Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week honor in her first weekend of collegiate competition.
"I thought Lauren had an outstanding performance in her first collegiate weekend," said ninth-year NIU head coach Ray Gooden. "Not only did she have positive results as an attacker, but she had a near career weekend from the serving line. It's great for her to get recognized by the conference for her outstanding play. And it's great for our program to receive this recognition after such a positive weekend."
The Geneva High School product led the Huskies with 86.5 points (5.77/set), 63 kills (4.20/set), and a whopping 18 aces (1.20/set) as she helped the team go 4-0 to win the NIU Invitational, earning an all-tournament selection. She also hit .274, with four assists, eight blocks, 34 digs (2.27/set), had only two errors in 55 reception attempts, and notched two double-doubles.
In a sweep of Chicago State, she hit .500 with nine kills, six aces, and three blocks for 17.5 points. In a four-set win over Oakland, she had 17 kills, 14 digs, two aces, and one block for 19.5 points. In a sweep of South Dakota, she totaled 15 kills with a .345 attack percentage, five aces, and two blocks for 21.5 points. In a five-set win over 2009 NCAA Tournament qualifier College of Charleston, she tallied 22 kills, 15 digs, five aces, and two blocks for 28 points.
