After averaging 6.0 digs per game to help guide the sixth-ranked University of Florida volleyball team to a 2-0 weekend, sophomore libero/defensive specialist Elyse Cusack (Melrose, Fla.) was announced as the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday by the league office.

Cusack piled up 42 digs in seven games over the weekend as UF swept Mississippi on Friday and earned a hard-fought road win over No. 22 LSU, 3-1, on Sunday. The latter contest featured a matchup of the SEC’s top two leaders in digs, which Cusack won by out-digging the Tigers’ Elena Martinez, 27-21. The effort was Cusack’s fourth 20-dig match of the season, and the 11th of her career, while her 27 digs marked a season high.

Florida’s primary passer, Cusack was also the catalyst for a defensive charge that limited its two weekend opponents to a combined .061 hitting percentage.

Monday’s selection is the fourth SEC Defensive Player of the Week honor for Cusack, who earned the accolade three times as a freshman. It is also the second-straight conference DPOW nod for the Gators, as senior middle blocker Kisya Killingsworth (Deltona, Fla.) held the title last week.

Florida (11-0, 4-0 SEC) is off to the third-best start in school history, and will look to extend its winning streak on Friday night when it visits Mississippi State for an 8 p.m. EST showdown. Radio coverage of the match can be heard on Rock 104, as well as www.GatorZone.com.

Florida’s 2007 SEC Weekly Honors

Janine Williams – Freshman of the Week (Sept. 4)

Kisya Killingsworth – Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 17)

Elyse Cusack – Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 24)

- UF -