The Northern Sun Conference has handed out their weekly awards and junior middle blocker Bethany Lovhaug has been named the NSIC Defensive Player of the Week in volleyball. Lovhaug helped lead the Peacocks to a pair of road wins over Minot State University and the University of Mary. The player of the week award is Upper Iowa's third of the year overall and the first for the Peacock volleyball team. Keith Schwickerath and Brent Lammers have won awards in football earlier this season, with Lammers picking up an award last week.

Lovhaug recorded 18 blocks over the weekend in the team's 3-0 win over the MSU Beavers and the 3-1 win at the UMary Marauders. The junior averaged an NSIC-best 2.57 blocks per set over the seven sets, including a high of 12 blocks at UMary on Sunday morning. The defense for Lovhaug was the story, but offensively the Brooklyn Park, Minn. native added 15 kills in two matches as well.

Lovhaug leads the Northern Sun and ranks 23rd in the nation in blocks per set with a 1.21 average. Her 69 total blocks rank second-best in the league and 17th in the country. Only Jace Brahmer of Wayne State has more blocks in the NSIC this season (71) than Lovhaug.

The 12 kills at UMary was by far a season-best for Lovhaug, as her next highest output came on two occassions, at Minot State and vs. Winona State, with a total of six blocks in each of those games.

The Peacocks (13-3, 4-3 NSIC) will take their two-match win streak on the road against this coming weekend to battle Bemidji State on Friday and Minnesota Crookston on Saturday.