SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — For the third time this year, Pepperdine women's volleyball middle blocker Ella Piskorz earned West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors, as announced by the league on Monday.
This is Piskorz's third weekly honor of the season and the fourth of her career. All told, four different Waves have earned seven West Coast Conference weekly awards this season. Piskorz is the only player in the league to be named defensive player of the week multiple times this year.
"Ella is continuing in her upward trend in both attacking and blocking," Pepperdine Head Coach Scott Wong said. "The numbers she has been putting up in our most recent three-set matches have been nothing short of elite!"
Last week in Pepperdine's Senior Day sweep of Santa Clara, Piskorz led the Waves with nine total blocks — including a career high six solo blocks — in a three-set win over Santa Clara. Piskorz's defense helped the Waves hold the Broncos to a season-low hitting percentage of -0.77. Additionally, her nine total blocks tied the fourth-most in a three-set match in Pepperdine history.
As it stands, Piskorz is one of the best middle blockers in the country. She leads the West Coast Conference and ranks No. 20 in the nation by averaging 1.44 blocks per set. She also leads the West Coast Conference with 131 total blocks and 106 block assists, the former of which ranks No. 25 in Division I. The sophomore has helped the Waves average a league-leading 2.76 blocks per set.
Piskorz and the Waves will face league-leading San Diego in a crucial road match 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.
