Ball State University Athletics
WVB's Alyssa Rio Collects MAC Weekly Honor
September 27, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After helping lead the Ball State women's volleyball team to a 1-1 record to open Mid-American Conference play last weekend, senior libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) has been honored as the MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week.
"Alyssa is very deserving of this award," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "She has been solid as a rock all season long and played consistently tough match in and match out. She is a great defender and floor leader. It is exciting to see her honored with such a prestigious award."
This is Rio's second career MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week award, as she was also honored on Nov. 9, 2009.
Rio turned in a pair of solid back-court performances last weekend, racking up 55 digs for a 6.88 digs-per-set average . With the effort, she raised her league-leading digs-per-set average to 5.74 for the year. Rio also collected four aces and a .977 (42 for 43) reception percentage in BSU's two matches last week.
In the thrilling come-from-behind win over Northern Illinois, Rio brought up a match-best 28 digs, 10 more than her closest competitor. She also served up three aces in the victory, including one in the fifth set, while logging a .952 (20 for 21) reception percentage.
Rio followed her NIU performance with a match-best 27 digs (9.00 digs-per-set) at Western Michigan, tallying seven more digs than her closest rival. She also added an ace and four assists, while posting a perfect 1.000 (22 for 22) reception percentage.
The Cardinals, who have the second-best season-opening record in program history at 11-3, return to Worthen Arena this Friday and Saturday for league matches versus Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan, respectively. Both contests start at 7 p.m.
