COLLEGE PARK, Md. – After posting 32 digs over two matches including 24 in Maryland's win at No. 15 Michigan, freshman libero Allegra Rivas was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season.
 
Rivas led the Maryland defense as they held the 15^th ranked Wolverines to a .066 hitting percentage, averaging eight digs per set. The 24 digs surpass her previous three set high of 23 against Minnesota on September 22 and are the most by a freshman in a three-set Big Ten match since Illinois' Brandi Donnelly had 25 on October 1, 2014 as well as the most ever by a Maryland player in a three-set Big Ten match.
 
This marks the third time this season Rivas has been named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, the most in the conference. Rivas is also the first freshman to win the award three times in one season since Northwestern's Katie Dutchmann in 2011.
 
The freshman now has 454 digs on the season at 4.59 per set, the fifth most in the Big Ten as well as 261 digs in conference play at 4.66 per set, also the fifth most in the conference.
 
Coming off two wins this past week at No. 15 Michigan and Ohio State, Rivas and the Terps now stand at 17-11 and 8-8 in Big Ten play, the Terps most wins they've had in their five years in the Big Ten.
 
This coming weekend, Maryland will wrap up their home slate with two games against top-10 opponents in No. 3 Minnesota on Friday night and No. 8 Wisconsin on Saturday night.