KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Eastern Oregon University senior Hailey Arritola has been named the NAIA Women's Volleyball Defender of the Week for her standout performances over the past week, as announced by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics on Tuesday. Arritola was selected from a pool of conference, Continental Athletic Conference (Independents), and unaffiliated group nominees.

Arritola anchored the Mountaineers' defense with 44 total digs over two matches last week, including 23 crucial digs in a Cascade Conference game of the week showdown against No. 7 Corban. She also flawlessly handled 42 serve receptions without a single error, while contributing five assists and four service aces to lead Eastern Oregon.

The senior libero is the first Mountaineer to receive a national player of the week award this season, and the first since teammate Mylie Mills earned National Defender of the Week honors last year.

"So proud of Hailey's performance this weekend in two tough road matches," said Head Coach Kaki McLean Morehead. "She is the steady person in the ups and downs of a match and we wouldn't be able to do what we do without her." 

The Mounties face a packed schedule this week, starting with a home matchup against College of Idaho tomorrow night, followed by weekend games against Warner Pacific University and Multnomah.