This week's Blue Federal Credit Union Boys Athlete of the Week award is headed to the volleyball court.
Fossil Ridge volleyball's Shane Gerdes took top honors in the Fort Collins area for the week of April 13-18 after some great all-around performances in a pair of wins.
Gerdes combined for 17 kills, 20 digs, seven assists and three aces in a 2-0 week for Fossil.
First, the senior hitter tallied six kills with a .714 hitting percentage while adding 10 digs, four assists and an ace in a 3-0 sweep of Pomona.
Gerdes then followed that up with another 11 kills, 10 digs, three assists and two aces in another 3-0 sweep, this time against Centaurus.
The SaberCat player and Timnath senior (Timnath doesn't have a boys team) has been a standout player for Fossil Ridge and PSD dating in a distinguished four-year career that is wrapping up this spring.
For his career, Gerdes has tallied nearly 350 kills, over 800 digs, 129 assists and 91 aces as a versatile player for the Stars and SaberCats.
Gerdes will continue his volleyball career, joining over 100 Fort Collins-area signing to play college sports by signing with Grove City College in Pennsylvania.
He joins teammate Joshua Lamsma as the second local volleyball player to earn Blue FCU Boys Athlete of the Week honors this spring.
Fossil volleyball fans made their votes count, and they were needed in a tight two-man race, with Gerdes winning by just 0.1%. He won with 34.2% of the total vote.
That ultimately propelled the senior hitter ahead of these four other outstanding boys Athlete of the Week nominees:
Markus Gilmore, Windsor track and field (runner-up with 34.1% of the vote)
Rocky Mountain football's Bode Nesbitt was the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week for Aug. 18-23 after returning the opening kickoff of the season for a TD vs. Northglenn.
Poudre's Owen Addington was the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week for Aug. 25-30 after a 2-0 week in which he dropped just 6 games in 4 sets.
PSD's Marli Brenner was the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week for Sept. 1-6 after recording 13 tackles, 2 sacks and a TD catch vs. Eagle Ridge Academy.
Wellington softball player Kensley Story was the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week for Sept. 8-13 after hitting 2 home runs with 4 RBIs, scored 8 runs and stole 5 bases in a 3-0 week.
PSD flag football's Jordyn Peterson (middle, pink mouth guard) was the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week for Sept. 15-20 after catching 3 passes for 102 yards and 2 TDs in a win over Legacy.
Fossil Ridge's Emery Johnson was the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week for Sept. 22-27 after compiling 58 kills, 5 aces, 6 blocks, 44 digs and 143 serves received during the Nike Southwest Nationals tournament.
PSD quarterback Brooke Pravlik was the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week for Sept. 29-Oct. 4 after combining for over 300 total yards and 4 touchdowns against Aurora Central and Mountain Range.
Fossil Ridge's Briella Myers was the Blue FCU Athlete of the Week for Oct. 6-11 after going 10-for-11 with 2 HRs, 3 2Bs and 4 RBI in three games.