NEW ORLEANS – For the fourth time this season, FIU’s Jovana Bjelica was named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player of the Week. Arkansas State’s Megan Baska was named the Defensive Player of the Week, both announced by the conference office on Monday.

Bjelica’s fourth player of the week accolade this season is the most of any Sun Belt player on the year. The junior continues to have a stellar season as she led FIU to a 3-0 week, extending the Panthers’ win streak to five matches. Bjelica recorded 52 kills across 10 sets of play for the week, including a pair of 20-kill outings, reaching a week-high 21 kills versus Troy while also contributing three service aces and 12 digs, good for her team-leading eighth double-double of the season. The outside hitter hit at a clip of .328 while registering a kills-per-set mark of 5.20 for the weekend and was also active on the defensive side of the net, posting six blocks (0.60 bps) and 26 digs (2.60 dps). A native of Belgrade, Serbia, Bjelica has now reached the double-digit kill plateau in 20 of 23 matches this season and she owns eight 20-kill performances and one 30-kill outing for the year.

Baska helped Arkansas State go 2-0 over the weekend with victories over Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe to earn her third defensive player of the week nod of the season. A-State finished its home schedule with a perfect 8-0 record, going undefeated for the first time since 2004. Against ULL, the sophomore libero totaled 20 digs to lead the defense. She also added two assists on the day and finished the match with a 5.00 digs per set average. Against ULM she had 17 digs and a 4.25 digs per set average. For the week the Overland Park, Kan., native had 37 digs, a 4.62 digs per set average and eight assists.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

• WKU (23-3, 12-1) reached the 25-win plateau for the 10th straight season and 12th in the last 14 seasons, all under head coach Travis Hudson. All eight wins in the current win streak have come via a sweep as WKU finishes the regular season 12-1 at home.
• Middle Tennessee has now won 14 consecutive matches, tying a school record that was set in the 2007 season and matched last year. Over the span of the winning streak, the Blue Raiders have won 42 sets while losing just two.
• Troy’s win over Florida Atlantic moved the Trojans to 15-10 on the season, marking the first 15-win season for the Trojans since 2007 when they were 16-17. With five-regular season matches remaining, the Trojans are also guaranteed at least a .500 record at the end of the regular year. Troy last finished the regular season at .500 or better in 2002 when they finished 19-10.
• Louisiana-Lafayette’s Taylor Meade leads the Sun Belt in service aces this season with 43 and only needs ten more to enter the Sun Belt rally-scoring era top 5 for service aces in a season. Arkansas State’s Allison Kearney is just 12 away from reaching the top 5 and stands with 41 on the year.
• In the loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, UALR’s Edina Begic led the team with 31 kills and recorded her 11th double-double of the season with a team-high of 22 digs. Begic’s 31 kills was the second-time this season she recorded over 30 kills in a match
• Middle Tennessee’s Alyssa Wistrick surpassed the 1,000 kill mark for her career on Saturday with nine kills against Denver. The senior tallied 640 kills at the College of Southern Idaho, and now has 367 playing in the Blue and White.
• Arkansas State wrapped up its first undefeated season at home since 2004 this weekend with victories over Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe. A-State went 8-0 at home this season and lost just four sets at home.
• ULM’s Zuzana Markova picked up her 12th triple-double against UALR with 16 kills, 23 assists and 12 digs and her 18th overall double-double against Arkansas State with 12 kills and 11 assists.
• With 24 kills against Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Ashley Adams became just the second Blue Raider to post three 20+ kill matches in a season since the start of the 25-point rally scoring era. Izabela Kozon previously accomplished the feat in both the 2008 and 2010 campaigns.
• Louisiana-Lafayette’s Mandi Gavin surpassed 2,000 career assists, becomming just the fifth player in school history to do so and now has 2,027 for her career.