OKLAHOMA CITY -- John Brown University volleyball freshman libero Paige Addington earned Sooner Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday morning (Oct. 6).
Addington led the Golden Eagles with 44 digs (6.29 digs per set) as the Blue and Gold defeated Oklahoma City in four sets Friday night (Oct. 3) and dispatched Southwestern Christian (Okla.) in sweeping fashion, allowing JBU to finish its five-match homestand with back-to-back wins.
The Siloam Springs, Arkansas, native won her first-career weekly honor by setting a career high with 25 digs in the four-set win over Oklahoma City. She was one scoop shy of the 20-dig mark in the short straight-sets win against Southwestern Christian. Addington also finished the week with five service aces and helped limit the opposition to a .101 attack efficiency (71-45-257) over the seven sets, and finished with a .862 serve-receive percentage (25-of-29).
"I'm extremely proud of Paige for being named the SAC Defensive Player of the Week," said head coach Ken Carver. "Paige has done an outstanding job transitioning to the collegiate level as a freshman. She leads our team in passing, defense, and points scored from the service line. Not only is she making a major impact for our team, but she's also establishing herself as one of the top defensive players in the conference.
"Paige has had an exceptional start to her collegiate career, and I'm excited to see how she continues to grow and improve throughout the rest of this season and beyond."
Beyond leading the Golden Eagles in digs (280) and service aces (44), she currently ranks tied for second in the SAC and No. 6 nationally in service aces per set (0.60) and No. 6 in league play with 3.84 digs per set. She has 10 or more digs in 14 of the 19 matches this season, and has eclipsed 20 scoops in a match five times in 2025.
This is the first weekly honor for the Golden Eagles in 2025.
JBU continues conference play with a pair of long-distance contests as it faces Oklahoma Panhandle State on Friday night (Oct. 10) at 6 p.m. before the Blue and Gold take on Wayland Baptist the following day at noon. Both matches will be simulcast on the SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network.
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