SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — After setting a career high last week, Pepperdine women's volleyball junior libero Laine Briggs was named the West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week Monday.
"Laine has been an anchor for our back row as she has been passing, playing defense and serving at a very high level," Pepperdine head coach Scott Wong said. "I couldn't be happier for her earning this award."
This is the first weekly award of Briggs' career. She is the fourth different Wave to earn a West Coast Conference weekly award (the others are Irelynd Lorenzen, Ella Piskorz and Tristen Raymond).
Last Thursday in Pepperdine's five-set win against Oregon State, Briggs set a career-high with 24 digs — including one diving dig over Pepperdine's bench that eventually helped the Waves win the point — to go along with two service aces and two assists. Two days later at Pacific, Briggs had 11 digs and three service aces.
One of the best servers in Division I, Briggs averages 0.52 service aces per set and has 38 aces on the year — both of which lead the West Coast Conference. Briggs' 0.52 assists per set ranks No. 19 in the nation and her 38 total aces rank No. 22. She has had multiple aces in 14 matches this season, including the last four, to help Pepperdine lead the league with 149 aces.
Briggs and the Waves will host LMU in a nationally televised game on ESPNU next Thursday at 7 p.m. All schedule updates can be found on the women's volleyball team's schedule page on pepperdinewaves.com.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pepperdine women's volleyball has reached 26 NCAA Tournaments since 1981 as one of the most successful collegiate programs on the West Coast. The 12-time WCC Champions Waves have consistently produced top talent with 21 All-American selections with honorees in six straight decades. With multiple Olympians going through the program, Kim Hill brought home the program's first gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games.
