LA JOLLA, Calif.—Outside hitter Maria Fernanda Afonso earned Big West Offensive Player of the Week after leading UC San Diego with 4.50 points per set to open the Big West schedule. For her efforts, Afonso was also named UCU Athlete of the Week.
 
It is the first Big West weekly honor for Afonso and second Offensive nod for the Tritons after Molly McCluskey earned the same recognition on Sept. 1. It is the 21st conference weekly award for the Tritons since joining the Big West in 2021.
 
The true freshman averaged 4.50 points, 4.29 kills and 1.86 digs to help UC San Diego finish 1-1 in the opening weekend of Big West play. Afonso collected a team-best 30 kills, hitting .310 over seven sets and adding three block assists for a total of 31.5 points. 
 
A native of Curitiba, Brazil, Afonso was incredibly efficient with 14 kills on 25 swings and just four errors to hit .400 on Friday night against Cal State Fullerton. On Saturday, she tallied 16 kills and added eight digs and three blocks in a four-set victory at UC Irvine.
 
Afonso currently ranks 11th in the Big West in total kills (143), 14th in kills per set (2.80) and 16th in points per set (3.04).
 
PAST WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Maria Fernanda Afonso, Offensive (Sept. 29, 2025)
Molly McCluskey, Offensive (Sept. 1, 2025)
Audrey Hollis, Setter (Nov. 11, 2024)
Paulina Baillie, Defensive (Nov. 11, 2024)
Paulina Baillie, Defensive (Nov. 4, 2024)
Molly McCluskey, Freshman (Nov. 4, 2024)
Audrey Hollis, Setter (Oct. 21, 2024)
Paulina Baillie, Freshman (Oct. 21, 2024)
Molly McCluskey, Freshman (Sept. 9, 2024)
Paulina Baillie, Defensive (Sept. 2, 2024)
Molly McCluskey, Freshman (Sept. 2, 2024)
Jasmine Saran, Defensive (Nov. 6, 2023)
Lauren Brooker, Freshman (Oct. 23, 2023)
Jasmine Saran, Defensive (Oct. 23, 2023) 
Ava McInnes, Offensive (Sept. 18, 2023)
Lauren Brooker, Freshman (Sept. 18, 2023)
Emily McDaniel, Defensive (Aug. 28, 2023)
Lauren Brooker, Freshman (Aug. 28, 2023)
Ava McInnes, Offensive (Oct. 17, 2022)
Emily McDaniel, Freshman (Oct. 18, 2021)
Naya Dong, Defensive (Sept. 13, 2021)
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.