ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Less than 24 hours after breaking the UCF Volleyball record for career digs, libero Jordan Pingel was honored by the American Athletic Conference as the Defensive Player of the Week, again. The senior picked up her second straight weekly honor and third of the year.
Entering the weekend against Temple and UConn, Pingel needed 46 digs to pass the record of 1,999 digs by Meredith Murphy (2009-2012). The Colorado Springs, Colo., native turned in a pair of 25-dig performance to become the first player in program history to cross the 2,000-save threshold.
On Friday, Pingel guided the Knights to a 3-1 victory over Temple with 25 digs, including 14 in the second set. She also added five assists and posted a perfect serve reception percentage on 21 attempts.
Needing 21 digs for the record in the weekend finale against UConn, the senior led the Black and Gold to a four-set win with 25 digs, a service ace and a pair of dimes.
“This is such a fitting end to a historic weekend for Jordan and our volleyball program,” head coach Todd Dagenais said. “We are grateful for her continued focus on goals and not as much as on individual accolades. Yet, she has earned every individual accolade she has received so far.”
Pingel is average 4.84 digs per set, which currently ranks second in the single-season record book. The Knights’ back row anchor has produced some of her best performances over the last four matches, averaging 8.42 digs per set.
The Knights will hit the road for two crucial matches in The American this weekend, including a clash with conference co-leader Cincinnati on Sunday.