Sara Hassell has had quite the start to her collegiate career. Her outstanding September was recently recognized by the Association of Division III Independents with the Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Month award.

Proven to be a jack-of-all-trades for Illinois Tech, the freshman tallied 265 kills, 194 digs, 41 blocks, 24 service aces, and a .077 hitting percentage during the month of September. Hassell had a streak of ten straight matches with double-digit kills, spanning from September 15 through September 30. She also recorded four double-doubles during the month, including one in her first collegiate match at Oglethorpe on September 2 (28 digs, 15 kills). The one-time Player of the Week had a season-high 23 kills along with 20 digs at Maranatha Baptist on September 23 as well.