The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thomas Named SEC Defensive Player Of The Week
10/18/2010 | Volleyball
Oct. 18, 2010
OXFORD, Miss.- For the second week in a row a Rebel middle blocker has been named the Southeastern Conference's Defensive Player of the Week, when the league announced junior Regina Thomas as a winner of the weekly award on Monday.
Thomas helped lead Ole Miss (14-5, 8-2 SEC) to a pair of wins over the weekend including a 3-0 shutout of No. 12 LSU and a win over Arkansas. The victories put Ole Miss atop the SEC Western Division standings and second in the overall league standings halfway through conference play.
The Texas native averaged 1.43 blocks per set on the weekend as she put down 10 blocks - a team-high five blocks in both sets - to help the Rebels run their win streak out to five consecutive matches.
The win over the 12th-ranked Tigers snapped a 34-match win streak against Western Division opponents by LSU. The Tigers hadn't lost a match in play against the West since falling to Ole Miss in Oxford to close out the 2006 season. LSU was ranked 11th-nationally at the time of that match.
Thomas has been a defensive stalwart for the Rebels this season, leading the SEC in blocks per set and ranking 28th nationally in the category. She is also 10th in the nation in hitting percentage, hitting at a .412 clip on the season and leading the league in that category as well.
The Rebels will return to action this weekend when Ole Miss hits the road to face Mississippi State and Alabama. The Rebels face-off against Mississippi State at 7 p.m. on Friday night and fans can follow all of the action on Gametracker at www.OleMissSports.com.
