Miami Gardens, Fla. – On the heels of a 5-0 start the 2024 season, the Sun Conference announced Bianca Grassi as the Defensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon.

The 5'9  libero recorded the most digs in the league over the first week of the season, and the second most in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 113 on a conference-best 6.28 per-set average that ranks seventh nationally. She averaged over six digs in the Bobcats' final three matches of the Keiser Tournament, averaging 9.67 in a 3-0 victory over Dakota State before tallying 33 in a 3-2 comeback-win against No. 22 Valley City State.

No stranger to Sun Conference recognition, the three-time Libero of the Year has accumulated over 15 weekly nods for the league.

Ranked 19 in the NAIA Preseason Poll, St. Thomas travels to Montgomery, Ala. to participate in the Falkner Tournament to take on Texas A&M-Texarkana and William Carey on Friday, Aug. 23 before taking on Williams Baptist and Freed-Hardeman on Saturday, Aug. 24.