GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum football defensive back Dee Alford and volleyball setter Shannon Murphy have been named the Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month for September.
Alford, a sophomore from Griffin, Georgia, leads the South Atlantic Conference in both interceptions (3), fumble recoveries (3) and total takeaways (7). He has totaled 25 tackles, including 19 solo stops, including one for loss. He is also tied for the team-lead with six passes defended (3 INT, 3 pass break-ups) as the Pioneers opened the season 2-3.
In the season-opener at North Greenville, Alford recorded five tackles and returned a fumble for a 35-yard touchdown. In Tusculum's 39-12 home win over Shorter, he added four tackles, one for loss, forced a fumble and recovered another against the Hawks. He tallied a season-high 10 tackles and his first career interception at Limestone. The following week, he made two tackles, recovered a fumble and tallied his second interception of the season in TC's 31-10 road win at UNC Pembroke. Last week against Lenoir-Rhyne, Alford capped off the month with his third interception in as many games, while also being credited with four tackles and two pass break-ups.
Murphy, a senior from Tinley Park, Illinois, averaged 9.77 assists and 3.12 digs per set for the month in leading the Pioneers to a 9-5 overall record, including 7-3 in the South Atlantic Conference which has the Pioneers in third place in the league standings. TC wrapped up the month winning its last four matches and have been victorious in six of their last seven outings.
Murphy has accounted for 40-plus assists in eight of her 14 matches this year, including three with 50 or more. In Saturday's 3-2 win over Coker, she dished out a career-high 60 assists, which are the ninth-most in school history (5-set matches). She has been credited with 12 double-doubles, including seven in a row to wrap up September.
Murphy's 586 assists are the most in the conference while her 9.77 assists per set average is fifth in the league. Her 1,740 career assists are sixth in school history, while her 6.77 assists per set average is seventh amongst Tusculum setters.
The Tusculum Student-Athlete of the Month Award is sponsored by Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar of Greeneville. The Applebee's Student-Athlete of the Month Award honors one male and one female student-athlete each month from an in-season sport during the 2017-2018 academic year, recognizing their hard work, effort and performance.
2017-2018 Applebee's Student-Athletes of the Month
|
Month |
Male Athlete of the Month |
Female Athlete of the Month |
|
September 2017 |
Dee Alford (Football) |
Shannon Murphy (Volleyball) |
