NEW ORLEANS – Two days after helping snap a 14-match losing streak, senior libero Erika Castro (San Antonio, Texas) has been named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week, as announced Monday by the league office.

The weekly honor is the first for Castro and the program’s first conference recognition since 2003, when current student assistant coach Elina Salomaki and Hollie Girouard were named the Sun Belt’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.

Castro continues to cement her name further in the Ragin’ Cajun record books, after averaging 6.29 digs per game during Louisiana’s 1-1 weekend. Saturday, the senior tallied a season-high 32 digs during the Cajuns’ 3-1 win over Florida Atlantic. During the match, Castro surpassed Annette Carney for third place on the school’s all-time digs list. She now has 1,351 career defensive digs and sits just 137 away from moving into second place on the school’s all-time list.

Her 32 digs are the third-highest single-match total in her career. The 32-dig tally is the third-highest total in the league season and is the second-highest four-game total. Last season, she posted a career-high 43 digs against Northwestern State and later registered 33 digs at Texas-Arlington.

Castro, the team leader with 259 digs, is currently third in the Sun Belt with a 5.08 dig-per-game average, while ranking fourth in the league in overall digs.

Weekly Sun Belt Conference Volleyball News and Notes