MIAMI —  FIU volleyball's Mandi Morioka was named Conference USA (CUSA) Defensive Player of the Week, as announced on Monday afternoon by the league office. 

Morioka anchored FIU's defense as the Panthers defeated Kennesaw State on Friday evening 3-1 for their first CUSA victory of the season. The junior libero from Torrance, Calif. racked up 22 digs in the match, adding five assists and two service aces with zero reception errors. 

She followed that with another solid performance in Saturday's matchup, collecting 24 digs, posting a season-high and matching a career-high. Morioka currently sits fourth in the conference with 362 digs, an average of 4.21 per set. 

The Panthers will take on Liberty in their next two contests on Oct. 29-30 inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center. 

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