BELLEVILLE, Ill. – For the fifth time in her career and first time in 2019, Webster University junior libero Kristen Farrah (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) was named the initial St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for the 2019 season by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Farrah, who was honored four times during her record setting sophomore campaign, earns this year's first SLIAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week after recording 77 digs and averaging 6.42 digs per set in the Gorloks three matches this past weekend at the season opening WashU Bear Invitational.
 
At the WashU Bear Invitational, Farrah recorded at 22 digs in all three matches, including a season high 30 digs in a five-set thriller on Saturday against Hendrix College. Along with the 27 digs against Hendrix, Farrah also had 25 digs in WU's first match of the season against North Park and then recorded 22 digs in a three-set win over Fontbonne. In addition to the 47 digs and 6.42 digs per set average, Farrah, who was the NCAA Division III statistical champion for digs per set last season, also had 10 assists and two aces as the Gorloks went 1-2 at the WashU Bear Invitational.
 
With her 30 dig effort against Hendrix, Farrah, who is the reigning SLIAC Defensive and Player of the Year, has now recorded 30 or more digs in a match 12 times since the beginning of the 2018 season. She also has now recorded 1,358 career digs and is just 571 digs shy of the school's career dig mark of 1,929, which was set by Katie O'Toole from 2013-16.
 
Meanwhile, the league named MacMurray sophomore outside hitter Kamryn Flesner as the SLIAC's Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week. Flesner, who was last's year's SLIAC Newcomer of the Year, earns this season's first offensive honor after averaging 3.50 kills and hitting .240 in the Highlanders four matches to open the season. Flesner recorded double-digit kills in all four matches, including a high of 14 kills in a win over Rockford and also hit .419 in that match. In addition to the 3.50 kills per set and hitting percentage of .240, Flesner also added six digs and five blocks on the week.
 
Farrah and the Gorloks (1-2 overall) look to return to the win column on Wednesday, Sept. 4 as they travel to St. Louis College of Pharmacy for a 7 p.m. non-conference match.