LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Natalie Gibson of the Lock Haven women's volleyball team was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) East Athlete of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday.
 
Gibson orchestrated a highly efficient Lock Haven offense during a 2-0 week, leading the Bald Eagles to victories over Millersville and West Chester while totaling 78 assists, 17 digs, four service aces and five kills.
 
Gibson was outstanding in a 3-0 sweep of Millersville, finishing with 31 assists, seven digs, three kills and an ace while hitting .429 herself. Behind Gibson's distribution, Lock Haven hit .306 as a team, including .444 in the third set. Payton Stanton hit .667, Avery Smith finished at .429 and Madelyn Mitchell hit .286 with a match-high 12 kills.
 
She followed with 47 assists, 10 digs and three aces in a thrilling five-set road victory over West Chester, helping the Bald Eagles rally from a 2-0 deficit to win the final three sets. Gibson again contributed offensively with two kills on four attempts without an error (.500). Her setting helped Lock Haven hit .324 in the third set and an impressive .478 in the fourth during the comeback.
 
Gibson consistently put her hitters in position to succeed throughout the week. She directed an offense that featured three different middle hitters hitting above .400 in individual matches, including Stanton at .667 against Millersville and Maddy Fox at .667 against West Chester. Against West Chester, reserve right-side hitter Katelynn Olmstead also came off the bench to hit .700 with seven kills and no errors on 10 attempts.
 
For the week, Gibson averaged 9.75 assists per set, while adding 2.13 digs per set and 0.50 aces per set. She was also remarkably efficient as an attacker, recording five kills with zero errors on 11 attempts for a .455 hitting percentage, helping Lock Haven improve to 11-5 overall and 4-1 in PSAC play.