2014: Big Ten Distinguished Scholar ... Put up two blocks and two kills in victory over Iowa (11/22) ... Posted two blocks and a kill against No. 9 Illinois (11/5) ... Tallied two blocks and seven kills against Iowa (10/18) ... Had six kills and three blocks against No. 13 Nebraska (10/15) ... Put away 11 kills and added three blocks against Ohio State (10/5) ... Posted three blocks against defending national champion Penn State (10/8) ... Notched season-high five digs against Minnesota (10/5) ... Added nine kills against the Gophers ... Had four digs against Maryland (9/29) ... Notched 12 kills and hit at a clip of .458 against Rutgers (9/26) ... Had a career-high 21 kills and added a solo block and a dig against Ohio (9/18) ... Had a season high four blocks in victory over Cal State Fullerton (9/5) ... Also added 17 kills against Cal State Fullerton ... Named MVP of the NIU Invitational (8/30) ... Registered double-digit kills in all three matches, including 18 in a five-set win over Colorado (8/29).
2013: Posted two kills and a dig against No. 13 Wisconsin (11/30) .... Picked up seven kills off the bench to spark the offense against No. 18 Illinois (11/27) ... Also added a dig and block against the Illini ... Tallied a season-high 17 kills against Indiana (11/17) ... Returned to the rotation vs. No. 18 Purdue after missing two matches with an illness ... Added 11 kills against the Boilermakers ... Scored 16 kills at No. 7 Minnesota (10/27) ... Hit .343 on 35 attempts against the Gophers ... Picked up three kills and a key solo block in the fifth set against Illinois (10/23) ... Notched 15 kills in win over No. 20 Purdue (10/12) ... Added a career-high six digs against the Boilermakers ... One of five players to record at least eight kills (9) at Indiana (10/11) ... Recorded seven kills against Nebraska (9/27) ... Notched a season-high 13 kills off the bench against South Florida (9/20) ... Added two blocks against the Bulls ... Registered five kills on 12 attempts against Arizona (9/12) ... Put down a match-high 18 kills in exhibition contest against Dabrowa Gornicza (9/9) ... Registered 1.00 blocks per set during the Bronco Classic (8/30-31) ... Contribute three kills, three digs and two blocks against Oklahoma (Aug. 31) ... Finished with nine kills, an attacking percentage of .353 and three blocks on opening night at Western Michigan ... Wears No. 79 in honor of brother, Folabi, who passed away in February and was set to play college football at Montana State.
2012: Had eight kills against Illinois (11/21) ... Attacked a season-high 49 times vs. Michigan (11/16) ...Chipped in with eight kills and four digs at Ohio State (11/7) ...Paced the offense with eight kills against Purdue (11/3) ... Recorded a season-high hitting percentage of .346 at Minnesota (10/26) ... Hammered down six kills in the opening set against Iowa (10/21) ... Added three blocks in that match ... Finished with 10 kills at Illinois (10/17) ... Scored 13 kills at No. 25 Michigan State (10/13) ... Led the team with 11 kills vs. Ohio State (10/6) ...Tied a career high with five digs vs. Penn State (10/5) ...Registered eight kills at Purdue (9/28) ... Finished second on the team with 11 kills against Minnesota (9/23) ... Added 10 kills in the Big Ten opener vs. Wisconsin (9/21) ... Knocked down double-digit kills for the fourth time this season with 10 against Western Michigan (9/16) ... Added nine kills in three-set win against Saint Louis (9/14) ... Finished second on the team with 13 kills at Yale (9/8) ... Collected 13 kills in the finale of the La Quinta Invitational at New Mexico State (9/1) ... Blocked a season-high three attempts vs. Drake (8/31) ... Put down nine kills in the championship of the Marquette Challenge against the host school (8/26) ... Led the team with 14 kills in the season opener against Bowling Green (8/25) ... Added four digs in that match.
2011: Appeared in all 31 matches and started seven contests as a true freshman ... Became the 12th freshman in Northwestern history to tally 300+ kills ... Finished campaign with 301 kills, second most on team ... Made 22 kills in nine sets at the Utah Classic ... Notched nine kills on a .500 hitting percentage in the championship match of the Chicagoland Challenge at UIC (9/3) ... Hit .417 with seven kills in a sweep of Arkansas-Little Rock (9/10) ... Powered down 10 terminations in a four-set win over Duquesne (9/16) ... Finished second on team with nine kills at Wisconsin (9/23) ... Tied a team high with 13 kills on Sept. 28 against Purdue ... Killed six balls on 16 swings versus Indiana (10/1)... Set then-single-season-highs with 15 kills and 48 attempts at Penn State (10/5) ... Tied for team lead with 10 kills at Ohio State (10/8) ... Posted a career high for the second time in three matches with 16 kills against Michigan State (10/14) ... Also earned a then-personal-best four digs in that contest ... Matched her season-high with three total blocks in the third set alone against Michigan (Oct. 15) ... Buried 18 kills against Wisconsin (10/29) ... Led team with 10 kills in three-set win over Indiana (11/4) ... Had a career-high seven blocks and five digs at Michigan (11/18) ... Notched a career-high 20 kills against Nebraska (11/26) ... Named the season's final Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week (11/28).
High School: Four year letterwinner at Dawson High School ... Finished her career with 995 kills, 683 digs, 105 service aces and 82 blocks ... Two-year team captain ... Two-time first team All-District 24-4A selection (2008, 2010) and Offensive Player of the Year as a senior ... District Newcomer of the Year (2007) ... Helped lead the Eagles to both the district and area championship in 2010 ... Named to PrepVolleyball.com 100 Senior Aces list ... 2008 AAU national championship All-American ... Two-time Houston Chronicle Female Athlete of the Week ... Coached by Megan LaBernz and Lori McLaughlin ... Competed for Absolute Volleyball Academy of Texas club team for three years ... Team finished in the top-10 in the open division at Junior Nationals ... 2010 Northeast Qualifer gold medalist ... Captured the silver medal at the 2010 Lone Star Classic after winning the bronze in 2009 ... National honor society member ... Student body vice president ... Junior class secretary ... 2007-08 Principal's Award recipient ... Among the top seven percent of her class.
Personal: Born Yewande Lamlat Akanbi ... Daughter of Bola and Lola Akanbi ... Chose Northwestern over Baylor, Rice, Boston College and TCU ... Majoring in psychology.
Akanbi's Career Statistics
Akanbi's Career Highs
| Kills | 21, vs. Ohio (Sept. 18, 2014) |
| Total Attempts | 68, at Michigan (Nov. 18, 2011) |
| Hitting Pct. (min. 10 att) | .500, twice, last vs. Presbyterian (Aug. 30, 2014) |
| Service Aces | N/A |
| Assists | 1, five times, last vs. Maryland (Sept. 27, 2014) |
| Total Blocks | 7, at Michigan (Nov. 18, 2011) |
| Digs | 6, at Purdue (Oct. 12, 2013) |
Akanbi's 2014 Highs
| Kills | 21, vs. Ohio (Sept. 18)* |
| Total Attempts | 43, vs. Ohio (Sept. 18) |
| Hitting Pct. (min. 10 att) | .500, vs. Presbyterian (Aug. 30)* |
| Service Aces | N/A |
| Assists | 1, twice, last vs. Maryland (Sept. 27) |
| Total Blocks | 4, vs. Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 5) |
| Digs | 5, vs. Minnesota (Oct. 5) |