The Big West Player of the Week, UC Santa Barbara senior libero Kristin Nelson (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS), received national honors as the Division I Player of the Week after becoming the Gauchos’ all-time school record holder for career digs with 1,651 this past weekend. She is the first-ever libero to earn the national honor.
Nelson averaged 8.60 digs, 0.38 assists and 0.12 aces per game last week en route to becoming only the fifth Gaucho to earn a Division I Player of the Week nod.
Nelson picked up 35 digs — the eighth-best single-match mark in Gaucho history — against Long Beach State to help UC Santa Barbara clinch its third straight Big West Conference title. Nelson then added 34 digs in a victory over UC Irvine, to help the Gauchos extend their winning streak to 11 matches. Nelson has posted 30 or more digs in four of her last five matches.