ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis junior outside hitter Danielle Rygelski has been named the Sports Imports/AVCA National Player of the Week. She is the first Billiken to earn the accolade since Sammi McCloud on Sept. 8, 2008, and the fourth Billiken in program history to be honored.
“This is a well-deserved honor for Danielle and the rest of the team,” head coach Kent Miller said. “Our team has managed to play at a high level through adversity due to some injuries. Danielle has really stepped up to help the team to its recent success.”
Rygelski led the Billikens to a 3-0 week, including a win over in-state rival Missouri and a 2-0 start to Atlantic 10 play. In the three matches, she had 58 kills (5.27 per set), nine service aces and a .389 attack percentage. Rygelski scored 20-plus points in all three matches and totaled 71.5 for the week. Additionally, she recorded her 1,000th career kill on Sept. 23 against Missouri. Rygelski is the 13th Billiken to record 1,000 or more kills.
Entering this week, Rygelski is third in the NCAA in service aces (31), sixth in total points (303.5) and 15th in total kills (254). She has led SLU to 874 team kills (sixth in the NCAA) and 99 service aces (21st in the NCAA).
The Billikens take on Rhode Island Friday at 7 p.m. and Fordham Sunday at 1 p.m. Saint Louis is riding an 11-match win streak. Both SLU and URI are undefeated in conference play this season.
