11/2/2026 2:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – After a dominant weekend at the net in her hometown, Liberty sophomore middle blocker Laney Daniell has been named Conference USA (CUSA) Defensive Player of the Week.
A native of Kennesaw, Ga., Daniell is the second Lady Flame in as many weeks to earn CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors, as Melis Ural received the award last Monday.
Daniell was previously named CUSA Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31. She is the second player this season (also Middle Tennessee's Michaela Dlouhá) to be named both CUSA Offensive Player of the Week and CUSA Defensive Player of the Week.
The Liberty middle blocker is the 11th player all-time and second in program history (also Madison Blane, 2023) to receive both CUSA Offensive Player of the Week and CUSA Defensive Player of the Week in the same season.
Daniell helped Liberty post a 1-1 record at Kennesaw State during which the Lady Flames held the Owls to a .190 hitting percentage.
For the weekend, Daniell factored in on 75 percent of Liberty's total blocks, posting 12 block assists for a 1.71 blocks per set average. She also contributed on offense, averaging 2.57 kills per set at a .467 pace.
On Friday, Daniell assisted on five out of Liberty's six blocks as a team, while also scoring seven kills at a .333 pace. During Saturday's 3-1 win over KSU, Daniell tied her career high with seven blocks, as Liberty held the Owls to a .164 hitting percentage for the match. She also scored 11 kills at a .556 clip. She was at her best in the third set, posting four blocks and five kills.
The Lady Flames (15-9, 7-5 CUSA) are currently tied for third in CUSA standings with Middle Tennessee and Sam Houston. Liberty travels to Bowling Green, Ky., to take on CUSA-leading Western Kentucky, Friday and Saturday.
A native of Kennesaw, Ga., Daniell is the second Lady Flame in as many weeks to earn CUSA Defensive Player of the Week honors, as Melis Ural received the award last Monday.
Daniell was previously named CUSA Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 31. She is the second player this season (also Middle Tennessee's Michaela Dlouhá) to be named both CUSA Offensive Player of the Week and CUSA Defensive Player of the Week.
The Liberty middle blocker is the 11th player all-time and second in program history (also Madison Blane, 2023) to receive both CUSA Offensive Player of the Week and CUSA Defensive Player of the Week in the same season.
Daniell helped Liberty post a 1-1 record at Kennesaw State during which the Lady Flames held the Owls to a .190 hitting percentage.
For the weekend, Daniell factored in on 75 percent of Liberty's total blocks, posting 12 block assists for a 1.71 blocks per set average. She also contributed on offense, averaging 2.57 kills per set at a .467 pace.
On Friday, Daniell assisted on five out of Liberty's six blocks as a team, while also scoring seven kills at a .333 pace. During Saturday's 3-1 win over KSU, Daniell tied her career high with seven blocks, as Liberty held the Owls to a .164 hitting percentage for the match. She also scored 11 kills at a .556 clip. She was at her best in the third set, posting four blocks and five kills.
The Lady Flames (15-9, 7-5 CUSA) are currently tied for third in CUSA standings with Middle Tennessee and Sam Houston. Liberty travels to Bowling Green, Ky., to take on CUSA-leading Western Kentucky, Friday and Saturday.
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