TALLAHASSEE, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern State freshman Julia Lawrenz couldn't have gotten off to a much better start to her collegiate career this weekend as she helped power FSW to a pair of wins over top 20 ranked opponents and had a team best 19 blocks in the Bucs three contests. For her efforts she has been named the FCSAA Defensive Player of the Week for week one of the 2021 season.
In Lawrenz's first game as a Buc she registered four blocks in a four set come from behind win for FSW over #20 Monroe Friday. Later that day she turned up the dial even more, picking up six stuff's in a 3-0 sweep over #10 Missouri State-West Plains. She closed the weekend with her best performance of the Bucs' Battle of the Beach Tournament, putting up nine blocks including two solos, in a five setter against #15 Salt Lake. At the conclusion of the tournament she was named to the All-Tournament Team.
On the week she totaled 19 blocks in FSW's three matches, averaging 1.58 per set on the weekend which currently rank third in the state and in the top 10 nationally.
She is the first FSW freshman to win the state's Defensive Player of the Week award since current Gonzaga Bulldog Viktoriya Ivanova did it for the Purple and Aqua in the first week of October, 2019.
A tough early season schedule for the Bucs continues this weekend when they travel to Prescott, Arizona to take part in the Dalton Overstreet Invitational hosted by Yavapai College. The Bucs open the tournament with a 10 PM (EST) date with the host and 16th ranked Roughriders on Thursday before taking on #4 Utah State Eastern and Eastern Arizona on Friday, and #2 Snow College on Saturday morning.