Valparaiso University junior middle hitter Sydney Bronner (Frankenmuth, Mich./Frankenmuth) has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week after totaling 14 blocks in a pair of matches for the Crusaders last weekend.

Bronner opened the weekend by leading all players with six rejections in the sweep of Drake, helping to limit the Bulldogs to .096 hitting for the match. She followed with a match-high eight blocks as Valpo pushed #25 UNI to five sets, tying the second-highest single-match block total of her career.

For the week, Bronner averaged 1.75 blocks/set and was part of 14 of the Crusaders' 22 total team blocks. Bronner currently leads the conference, averaging 1.10 blocks/set for the season.