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Sydney Petersen becomes three-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week
11/14/2022 2:10:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Petersen’s play at libero highlighted title-winning home weekend
ST. LOUIS – After her dynamic defense helped the UNI Panther volleyball team claim its 20th Missouri Valley Conference regular season title in program history, Panther libero Sydney Petersen was chosen as the MVC Defensive Player of the Week. She leads all 2022 conference performers with three such awards.
Petersen, a fifth-year senior who spent the previous four seasons with the Texas Longhorns, also picked up MVC Defensive of the Week honors for UNI back on Sept. 19 and Oct. 3. Her three weekly defensive award selections represent the best total by any Panther in one year since Kendyl Sorge won the award four times in 2016.
The Dike, Iowa native tallied 54 digs on a 6.00 digs per set average and got to the 1,500-dig milestone last weekend. Petersen notched a then-season-high-tying 24 digs within a Friday triumph over Southern Illinois, and she reset her career high Saturday with 30 digs in just four sets including 13 digs in the third frame alone during the win versus Missouri State. The last time that any Panther had at least that many total digs in a single contest was Abbi Staack's 35-dig outing Nov. 22, 2019 against Loyola which came in UNI's most recent championship-clinching victory prior to this past week.
In an Iowa sweep, the other two awards announced Monday by the Missouri Valley Conference went to the Drake Bulldogs. Outside hitter Mariana Rodrigues and setter Addison Beagle were named the MVC Player of the Week and the MVC Freshman of the Week, respectively.
Petersen and the first-place Panthers will meet the second-place Drake Bulldogs in the Knapp Center at 6 p.m. Wednesday to close the regular season. Live broadcasts via News/Talk 1540 KXEL and ESPN+ will cover the action in the final UNI tilt before the upcoming 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship.
Petersen, a fifth-year senior who spent the previous four seasons with the Texas Longhorns, also picked up MVC Defensive of the Week honors for UNI back on Sept. 19 and Oct. 3. Her three weekly defensive award selections represent the best total by any Panther in one year since Kendyl Sorge won the award four times in 2016.
The Dike, Iowa native tallied 54 digs on a 6.00 digs per set average and got to the 1,500-dig milestone last weekend. Petersen notched a then-season-high-tying 24 digs within a Friday triumph over Southern Illinois, and she reset her career high Saturday with 30 digs in just four sets including 13 digs in the third frame alone during the win versus Missouri State. The last time that any Panther had at least that many total digs in a single contest was Abbi Staack's 35-dig outing Nov. 22, 2019 against Loyola which came in UNI's most recent championship-clinching victory prior to this past week.
In an Iowa sweep, the other two awards announced Monday by the Missouri Valley Conference went to the Drake Bulldogs. Outside hitter Mariana Rodrigues and setter Addison Beagle were named the MVC Player of the Week and the MVC Freshman of the Week, respectively.
Petersen and the first-place Panthers will meet the second-place Drake Bulldogs in the Knapp Center at 6 p.m. Wednesday to close the regular season. Live broadcasts via News/Talk 1540 KXEL and ESPN+ will cover the action in the final UNI tilt before the upcoming 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship.
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