Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Nov. 12, 2024 – A stellar weekend on the back row from Arkansas State volleyball’s Sarah Martinez has resulted in the senior libero earning Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors, the league office announced Tuesday.
Martinez was a stalwart on the back row for the Red Wolves in its wins over South Alabama, helping the Red Wolves clinch their first Sun Belt West crown since 2016.
Tuesday’s award is Martinez’s second weekly honor of the year, and the third for an A-State defensive player on the year – the second in the last three weeks after Daedrianna Cail received the recognition on Oct. 29. She is the first Red Wolf since Tatum Ticknor in 2021 to earn multiple Defensive Player of the Week laurels in a season.
The Flower Mound, Texas, native guided the league’s top defense to another stellar showing with 5.25 digs per set (42 total) and helped limit the high-powered Jaguars to just .154 offensively.
Martinez had 15 digs in the opener on Friday before matching her season-best with 27 digs in Saturday’s victory.
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, Martinez ranks second in the conference in total digs (460) and is fourth in digs per set (4.60). In league matches, she is second with 265 digs and third in digs per set (4.73). She has helped A-State hold foes to a league-best .140 attack percentage, which lowers to .125 in conference play.