CHICAGO (October 31, 2022) – After helping lead the Ramblers to three victories last week, Loyola University Chicago junior Kelsey Watson (Ballwin, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) has been named the Atlantic 10 Conference Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced by the league office on Monday.
 
Watson was dominant on the defensive side of the net in Loyola's trio of wins last week, putting up 1.6 blocks per set as the Ramblers extended their program-record win streak to a staggering 14 matches.
 
In Tuesday's 3-1 triumph over Saint Louis, Watson dazzled, registering a career-best nine rejections in addition to four kills.  After adding five blocks and four kills in Friday's 3-0 blitz of VCU, the Ballwin, Mo. native put up 12 kills in another 3-0 sweep of the Rams on Saturday afternoon.
 
Watson currently ranks fifth in the A-10 in blocks, averaging 1.15 blocks per set.  The 6-foot-1 middle blocker also sits third in the conference in overall hitting percentage (.333).
 
Loyola (20-7, 14-0 A-10) closes out the road portion of its 2022 schedule this weekend with a pair of matches at Dayton, November 4-5.