ST. LOUIS -- Jessica Houts and Tucker Sindlinger of Creighton University have been selected the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Week, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced today.  Houts and Sindlinger were honored for their performances during the period of October 6-12.  Now in its tenth year of existence, The Valley’s Scholar-Athlete program is sponsored by Prairie Farms, Roberts and Hiland Dairies.  On a weekly basis, the Conference honors its student-athletes for their athletic performance for a one-week period and academic success in the classroom.

      “Our continued corporate partnership with Prairie Farms provides an important vehicle by which to honor our top student-athletes,” said Commissioner Elgin, who is in his 21st year with The Valley.  “Our student-athletes are the league’s best representatives, and we’re happy to recognize Jessica (Houts) and Tucker (Sindlinger) for their athletic and academic achievements.”

      A middle blocker for the Creighton volleyball team, Houts, a junior from Bloomington, Minn., earned MVC offensive player-of-the-week honors after averaging 3.62 kills, 0.25 service aces and 0.88 blocks per set while hitting .407, as the Bluejays posted road victories at Illinois State (3-2) on Oct. 10 and at Indiana State (3-0) on Oct. 11.

      Houts, who has a 3.417 cumulative grade-point average in exercise science, opened the week with 17 kills, seven digs and seven blocks while hitting .412 at Illinois State, as CU won for just the fifth time in 17 all-time meetings in Normal.  At Indiana State, she led all players with 12 kills.

      A forward for the second-ranked Creighton men’s soccer team, Sindlinger, a sophomore from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, powered the Jays to a 1-0 win over Memphis on Oct. 8 and a 3-2 triumph versus Evansville on Oct. 11.

      Sindlinger, who has a 3.74 cumulative grade-point average in business, earned his second start of the campaign in CU’s MVC opener against Evansville and responded by assisting on two of the Jays’ three goals in a 3-2 decision over the Purple Aces.  He assisted on both of Andrei Gotsmanov’s goals, including the game-winner with 51 seconds remaining in regulation.

      To qualify for Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week laurels, student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.00, completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing.  In addition to the academic qualifications, student-athletes will be evaluated on their athletic performance for a one-week period.

. . . The Valley . . .