Elyse Cusack Named SEC Defensive Player of the Week
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 | Volleyball
For the 11th time in her collegiate career, senior Florida libero Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) was on Monday named the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in a pair of road sweeps against Alabama and Mississippi State this past weekend, the league office in Birmingham, Ala., announced.
Cusack earns the honor for a league-leading 11th time in her career and for the second time this season. A Florida player has been named the SEC's Defensive Player of the Week 21 times since the award was introduced during the 2003 season and the Gators have earned more Defensive Player of the Week honors than any other team.
Cusack averaged a squad-best 6.33 digs per set this past weekend, as the Gators extended their streak of consecutive sweeps to six matches. She also averaged 1.50 assists per set in the secondary setter role.
On Friday against Alabama, Cusack turned in a season-high 24 digs to complement six assists in the 3-0 victory. She followed that up with a squad-best 14 digs against Mississippi State on Sunday as one of four Florida players in double-figure digs. Also against the Bulldogs, Cusack had a perfect 1.000 reception percentage on 22 reception attempts.
On the season, Cusack ranks third in the SEC in digs per set with 4.38. The school's all-time career digs leader, Cusack has 1,958 scoops in her collegiate career and needs 79 more to tie former Kentucky standout Jenni Casper for second-place on the SEC's all-time career digs list.
Cusack and the Gators return to action this Friday when they play host to Georgia on Friday. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center is slated for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on ROCK 104 FM with Tom Collett and Missy Whittemore.
For all of the latest information on Florida Volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/volleyball. Follow the Gators on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorZoneVB and Coach Mary Wise on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GatorMary.
The University of Florida is home to the 2009 NCAA Volleyball Regional. For ticket information, log on to www.GatorZone.com/tickets.
SEC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK – WEEK 10
SEC Offensive Player of the Week: Brittnee Cooper, LSU
SEC Defensive Player of the Week: Elyse Cusack, Florida
SEC Freshman of the Week: Jasmine Norton, Arkansas
END OF REPORT
