IRVINE, Calif. – An extremely versatile player for head coach Paula Weishoff, CUI women's volleyball player Riley Gill routinely makes an impact on the court on both offense and defense.

The Sage Creek High School product averaged 3.5 kills/set and 3.3 digs/set during CUI's recent sweeps of Fresno Pacific and Biola. For her outstanding contributions, she has been chosen as our latest Newport Rib Company Eagle of the Week.

Gill placed three aces and added 10 kills and three block assists in CUI's road win over the Sunbirds.  She then posted her team-leading eighth double-double of the season this past Saturday with 11 kills and 10 digs in CUI's first victory over Biola in five years.

"I feel very comfortable on the court during these last few matches," admitted Gill. "Our team is definitely working as a unit extremely well and we've been connecting a lot more on the court after each point, win or lose.  I feel that we have grown so much mentally as a team, and it is clear that we have been a lot more confident as a team in these last few matches."

The Carlsbad, Calif. native enters October leading the Eagles in a ton of categories, including total points and kills. In addition, Gill leads CUI in points per set (3.41), kills per set (3.02) and digs per set (2.96).

The Eagles completed the month of September with only one home contest and rose to the occasion when playing away from CU Arena. The Green and Gold won nine of their first 12 games away from Irvine and posted a 6-1 mark in neutral contests while competing in tournaments at UC San Diego and Point Loma.

"I feel that the team has grown a lot by playing early road games because it's created a challenge for us at the beginning with constantly traveling and having to balance that with schoolwork along with having to recover from trips very quickly before going onto the next trip," added Gill. "I feel this will make the rest of the season feel a lot easier, as we will have mostly home games towards the end."

From a league perspective, Gill has helped the Eagles navigate their way to a 3-2 record in the PacWest after their first five matches against conference opponents. She entered Wednesday's home match against Azusa Pacific ranked in the top five in the entire PacWest in total kills and total points.

"I know it's a matter of dialing in and focusing on the game plan," said Gill. "When we play as a unit, we play at our best."

After facing the first-place Azusa Pacific Cougars on Oct. 2, the Eagles head to Hawai'i for a three-game road trip beginning at Hawai'i Hilo on Thursday, Oct 10. Their next home contest will be on Friday, Oct. 18 against Holy Names.  For the full CUI women's volleyball schedule, click here.