FOREST, Va. (EMU Athletics) – The Old Dominion Athletic Conference has released their weekly men’s volleyball awards, and sophomore Rey De La Cruz has been named the ODAC Defensive Player of the Week.

De La Cruz, a libero/defensive specialist from Newport News, earned his first ODAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, after a three match span that saw him accrue 41 digs across 13 sets, for an average of 3.15 D/S. He is second in the ODAC in total digs with 124 and also second in the conference in D/S with 3.02. He has double-digit digs in five straight matches, including a season-high 18 against Illinois Tech on Saturday. He also had just two receiving errors in the Royals three matches as well. He also added 15 assists, including a season-high eight against Wittenberg.

His 18 digs against Illinois Tech were the fourth most digs in a single match in the ODAC this season.

The Royals went 1-2 last week, dropping a 3-1 decision to Wittenberg and falling 3-2 in a heartbreaker to Illinois Tech. They downed Wisconsin Lutheran 3-1 in Saturday’s opener. They’re back in action this week with five matches on the slate. They’ll travel down to Virginia Beach on Tuesday to take on Virginia Wesleyan at 6 pm. They’ll return to host the EMU Royals MVB Tournament this weekend, welcoming in Randolph Macon, Rutgers-Newark, Southern Virginia and Trine. There will be three matches on Friday, followed by five matches on Saturday.

— EMU Athletics —