Following a week in which she reached 2,000 career digs while also filling a role thought to be unprecedented in Division I volleyball, senior Morganne Longoria (Burlington, Wis./Burlington) has been named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week.

With both of the Crusaders’ setters out due to injury, Longoria was asked to not only play libero for Valpo in a pair of league matches last week, but also serve as the team’s primary setter as well. Heading into league-leading Oakland on Wednesday, Longoria led the way in not just a win, but a sweep of the Golden Grizzlies, handing out 28 assists and recording 14 digs in the three-set victory. With Longoria working as the primary setter, the Crusaders hit at a .237 clip for the match, while her 28 assists more than tripled her previous career best of nine. The 28 assists is also believed to be the most by a libero since the position became part of NCAA volleyball.

While the result Saturday in a matchup against Milwaukee wouldn’t be as favorable, Longoria continued to fill the dual role remarkably, finishing the match with 27 digs and 18 assists. About two-thirds of the way through the fourth set, Longoria picked up her 24th dig of the match, giving her 2,000 digs for her Crusader career – one of just three players in Valpo history with at least 2,000 career digs.

For the week, Longoria averaged 5.86 digs/set and 6.57 assists/set in filling both the libero and setter positions for the Crusaders. The senior also excelled on serve receive when called upon, as she did not commit a reception error in 76 attempts over the two matches.