EDISON--Senior Brittany Gajewski (Whitehouse Station/Hunterdon Central Regional) of the Rider University volleyball team was honored by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as the Libero of the Week, it was announced Tuesday afternoon.
Gajewski, a defensive specialist, was recognized for all matches played August 27-September 3.
In Rider's 3-2 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on August 29, Gajewski, one of three captains, compiled a career-high 40 digs as the Broncs won for the third time in five matches.
"Brittany has without question been a great leader, both on and off the court," said head coach Christopher Feliciano.  "I'm proud of the week that she had last week and the fact that she received conference recognition."
Rider led two sets to none against FDU but then had to rally in the fifth and final set after trailing 6-4.
"We jumped out to an early lead in the match which is something we didn't do last season," said Gajewski, a Secondary Education/History major with a minor in Psychology and Andrew J. Rider Scholar honoree (top one percent of her class and school).  "We then had to come from behind to win the match which again, isn't something we were able to be successful at last season.  It was nice for everyone to work together and win the match."
Gajewski averaged 8.00 digs per set for the week and entered the Tuesday evening match against Providence with 829 career digs.
For the season, Gajewski is averaging 5.14 digs per set.
This is Rider's first in-season conference award since Amy Jeary was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week on September 29, 2008.
"This is a great accomplishment on Brittany's part and great for our program as well," Feliciano added.  "The team has to be successful to earn conference accolades so this award is really a reflection of the success of the team."
After the contest against the Friars, Rider hits the road for seven straight matches, beginning with the Marriott Greyhound Invitational in Baltimore, Maryland against Loyola, Morgan State and Charleston Southern September 7-8.