DeBlieck’s blocking weekend earns Atlantic 10 recognition

Loyola Chicago middle blocker Avary DeBlieck received the Atlantic 10’s Defensive Player of the Week award Monday after recording 17 blocks across a pair of five-set matches at Dayton. Her strongest individual line came in Saturday’s victory, when she finished with 10 blocks and 10 kills while hitting .588.

The weekend required the Ramblers to recover from a five-set loss Friday before completing another full-length match Saturday. DeBlieck’s double-double in the second meeting gave Loyola a source of production on both sides of the net. Her blocking limited Dayton’s scoring opportunities, while her 10 kills meant the middle attack was also contributing points directly.

The award is the fourth weekly conference honor of DeBlieck’s career, according to Loyola’s announcement. The university’s subsequent match preview listed her third in the league at 1.19 blocks per set and ninth in hitting percentage at .285. Those are the rankings reported entering Tuesday’s match, rather than an assertion that they will remain fixed through the season.

Loyola enters its October 27 meeting with Saint Louis at 11–10 overall and 8–3 in conference play. Saint Louis is 12–10 and 7–4 in the Atlantic 10, making the scheduled 4 p.m. match a direct meeting between teams separated by one conference win. The final outcome is not known at this edition’s morning reporting cutoff.

Leyna Nguyen also contributed consecutive double-doubles at Dayton, with 21 kills and 10 digs Friday and 13 kills and 11 digs Saturday. That production helps place DeBlieck’s award within the full team result: Loyola’s split depended on contributions at the net and behind it rather than one player alone.

Tuesday’s assignment is to carry that work into another conference match without treating the weekly honor as a result in advance. DeBlieck’s 17 blocks are completed production; the Saint Louis match is the next opportunity to test whether the same defensive influence continues.