B1G RELEASE

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Junior libero Morgan O'Brien was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after leading the No. 25 Illinois volleyball team in two matches over the weekend – including a Saturday sweep of Rutgers, the conference announced on Monday (November 18).

This marks the third weekly conference honor the Illini have received this season after senior Ashlyn Fleming and redshirt-freshman Diana Brown took home Defensive Player of the Week and Co-Freshman of the Week, respectively, on October 7. It is also O'Brien's second career weekly honor after earning her first career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week as a sophomore.

The Libertyville, Illinois native registered 41 digs on the weekend for an impressive 6.83 digs per set, while adding four assists and 1.000 reception percentage on 22 opportunities. The junior posted her second-straight 20-dig outing and seventh of the season on Friday night against No. 8 Penn State with a match-high 24 digs – coming within in one dig of a season-high. She then followed up that performance with another match-high 17 digs in the sweep of the Scarlet Knights as she helped hold RU to a .174 attack clip.

O'Brien and the Illini next head on the road for a two-match swing, starting with a Friday (November 22) night meeting with Maryland at 7 p.m. CT in College Park, Md., before traveling to Columbus, Ohio, to take on Ohio State on Sunday (November 24) at 12 p.m. CT.

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