LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Louisiana Volleyball’s junior libero Mio Yamamoto was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week after turning in a pair of season-best performances during the Texas State series, the conference office announced on Tuesday (October 10, 2022).
Yamamoto turned in her top two totals in digs of the season while at Strahan Arena in San Marcos, Texas, lifting Louisiana to the series edge in the category (142-123) over Texas State.
By rounding up 52 digs at a rate of 5.8 per set, Yamamoto led all players in the series by a wide margin. She was the only player in the series to reach 20 digs, turning in the match-high total each night.
Yamamoto set a season-high with 23 digs on Friday, then bested the total the next afternoon with 29 digs – nearly six digs per set – as Louisiana captured a key five-set victory over the Bobcats.
For the season, the Chigasaki, Japan native leads Louisiana in digs both overall and in conference play. Her digs per set average in Sun Belt play has risen to 4.4 digs per set.
It’s the first career weekly award from the Sun Belt for Yamamoto who’s in her first season with the Cajuns after transferring in from New Mexico Military Institute following a pair of JUCO All-American seasons there.
Yamamoto is the first Cajun to receive a weekly award from the SBC in the 2023 season. It’s the first SBC Defensive Player of the Week award for Louisiana Volleyball since Kara Barnes and Cami Hicks were honored in the 2022 season.
Louisiana returns home to E.K. Long Gym and closes out the first half of Sun Belt Conference play this weekend when they face South Alabama from Friday-Saturday, October 13-14 in a two-match series.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (12-8, 3-3 Sun Belt) and Jaguars (15-3, 6-0 Sun Belt) are scheduled to open the series at 6:00 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 13), then conclude play on Saturday (Oct. 14) in a 1:00 p.m. match.
The Cajuns are celebrating Youth Groups Night on Friday, kicking off the festivities with a pre-match tailgate hosted by Hot 107.9 and concluding the night with a Halloween costume contest at intermission. Saturday’s match serves as Louisiana’s Dig Pink Match with a survivor recognition and pink hair tie giveaway.
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