Valpo senior libero Emma Hickey (Granger, Ind./Penn) just keeps racking up the weekly hardware from the Missouri Valley Conference office, as Hickey was recognized on Monday as the MVC Defensive Player of the Week for the fifth time this season and the ninth time in her career after helping the Beacons secure a top-four finish in the MVC this year.
 
Despite playing only three sets in the pair of sweep wins for the Beacons last weekend, Hickey still reached 20 digs in both matches to extend her current streak of 20-plus dig matches to five in a row. Her 20 digs against Indiana State were a match high, while the 20 digs at Evansville tied for match-high honors.
 
Hickey's defensive work, which also included 17 serve receptions without an error, contributed to the Beacons holding their opponent to just 11.67 kills/set on .141 hitting in the pair of sweeps. The senior averaged 6.67 digs/set over the two matches, leading all MVC players for the week, and also added 2.00 assists/set. Hickey bumped her career total to 2,586 digs, leaving her just 12 digs away from cracking the top-20 in NCAA history in the category.
 
Hickey has now claimed MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors five times this season, four of which have come in the six weeks of conference play. With nine career Defensive Player of the Week awards, Hickey is tied with former UNI standout Ellie Blankenship for third-most in conference history.