Junior Taylor Root (Jenison, Mich./Jenison) picked up her sixth career Player of the Week honor from the Horizon League office on Monday, receiving Defensive Player of the Week accolades for her efforts on the back line at the WVU Mountaineer Invitational last weekend.  Root’s six career weekly honors are tied for second-most in Horizon League history.

Root led the Crusaders in the back, helping hold their opponents to .106 hitting on the weekend as Valpo opened the season 3-1.  The junior paced all players in digs in each of the season’s first three matches, picking up 15 digs against #21 Ohio State and 12 digs in a sweep of Robert Morris.  Root’s weekend was highlighted by a 33-dig effort in a five-set comeback victory over host West Virginia, her fourth career 30-plus dig effort.  The 33 digs also was just two off of her career high in the category as well.

In all, Root totaled 69 digs on the weekend (4.93/set), giving her 1,409 career digs and moving her past Marion Hansen for sixth on Valpo’s all-time chart in the category.  The junior sits just 67 digs away from Angie Nordquist in the fifth spot, a mark which she will hope to surpass this weekend as Valpo hosts the Marriott Volley Brawl this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2 and 3.  The five-team field begins tournament play Friday morning at 9 a.m., while the Crusaders take the court in front of their home fans for the first time at 11:30 a.m. against Murray State.