CHARLOTTE, N.C.- One day after netting FCSAA Defensive Player of the Week honors, Florida SouthWestern freshman Deborah Ribeiro has one upped that as Wednesday the Bucs middle hitter was named the NJCAA National Defensive Player of the Week, the first time in program history for an FSW player to be bestowed that honor.
Ribeiro finished with 18 blocks in three matches for the Bucs last week. She started the week tying a school record with 10 rejections against #2 Miami Dade before notching five Thursday against Indian River and another three in a win over State College of Florida on Saturday.
On the season Ribeiro is averaging 1.51 blocks per set, putting her second in the state and fifth Nationally. She has registered a block in all 11 matches for the Bucs this season and has three or more in 10 of 11 contests.
Ribeiro and the 2nd ranked Bucs won their sixth straight game Tuesday night to improve to 9-2 on the year and up their Suncoast Conference record to 4-0. Ribeiro and FSW have run the gauntlet thus far in 2021 with 8 of their 11 matches and 6 of their 8 wins coming against teams ranked inside the NJCAA Top 20.
Ribeiro and the Bucs are back in action on Thursday when they hit the road in Suncoast Conference action to take on Eastern Florida State in Melbourne with first serve set for 6:00 PM.