University of Evansville volleyball player Julie Sylvester has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday.

 

“We are very proud of Julie with her accomplishment of the school record,” said Evansville head coach Mike Swan. “She has had just an amazing run the last half of the season and really stepped up. We hope that her success will carry over to next season, and she will continue to excel in the libero position.”

 

Sylvester ended her stellar junior year with a career-best night in a 3-2 win over Southern Illinois on Friday. Her career-high 38 digs set a new school match record for most digs. Sylvester beat out the 37 digs that 2006 and 2007 MVC Libero of the Year Julie Walroth set in 2006 and Samantha Butler's in 2001. The junior's dig number also helped boost the Aces to set a team record for most digs in a match with 121, which broke the 118 versus Butler in 2006. Sylvester also tabbed a service ace in the win.

 

For the season, Sylvester led the team and was third in the conference with 5.04 digs per set and 5.81 during conference play. The Carmel, Indiana, native ends her junior campaign with 600 digs, which is third in the UE single-season list, and with 1,328 career digs, which stands fifth in the UE all-time career list.