Ainsworth, Yusuf named Brock University Athletes of the Week

Laurin Ainsworth (Blenheim, ON) of the women’s volleyball team and Nanle Yusuf (Scarborough, ON) of the men’s volleyball team been named the Brock University Athletes of the Week for the period ending Sunday, Feb 16. 

Ainsworth, a fourth-year outside hitter, tied for a team high in points with 16.5 in the Badgers’ close 3-2 loss to the Nipissing Lakers on Friday, Feb. 14. The Kinesiology major also tied for a team-high 13 kills and did so with a .242 hitting percentage. Ainsworth added two service aces and 1.5 blocks in the contest. The next night, she helped lead the Badgers to a 3-0 victory, finishing with 11 points off kills, and an even better .296 hitting percentage. In the first set, Ainsworth earned a key kill with the Badgers down 27-26, and she served out the rest of frame to help her team come back to win 29-27. She currently leads the team in digs (149) and digs per set (2.04) and sits third on the team in multiple offensive categories. 

Yusuf was a key reason for the Badgers completing a thrilling five-set reverse sweep victory on Friday, Feb. 14 against the Nipissing Lakers. The fifth-year outside hitter finished tied for the team lead with 17 kills in the contest off a sensational .467 hitting percentage, and he added one block.  After going down two sets to none, the Badgers made their comeback, with Yusuf getting the final kill in the third set to win it 25-20. Pushing it to the fifth and final set, Yusuf notched a key point with a kill for the Badgers to go up 14-11 and with the Lakers crawling back within one, he recorded his 17th kill off the visitors block to complete the 15-13 fifth-set victory. The next day, he finished with a team-high 7.5 points off six kills, one service ace and 0.5 blocks in the 3-0 loss to the Lakers. Yusuf is second on the team with a .218 hitting percentage and is third in numerous offensive categories.