BURNSVILLE, Minn. – With an efficient two-way week that helped University of Sioux Falls Volleyball upset a top 10-ranked team, junior right-side hitter Bria Barfnecht was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference offensive player of the week on Monday afternoon. Barfnecht's honor is the fourth in USF program history since they joined the NSIC in 2012, and it is the second time this season that a USF Volleyball player has earned a player of the week distinction (Janelle Lam, Week 1, Defensive Player of the Week).
 
A native of Delano, Minn., Barfnecht has been extremely efficient all year, but the junior right-side hitter put up career numbers as the Cougars went five sets with a pair of top 25 teams last week. Barfnecht's two-match totals of .484 attack percentage and 34 kills (3.40/set) ranked fourth and 11th, respectively, among all NSIC players over the first week of the conference schedule. She also added 36 digs and her average of 3.60 per set ranked 16th.
 
Now USF's leader in attack percentage, Barfnecht got a boost after her performance against No. 17 Wayne State. She posted a career-best 21 kills while committing just two attack errors in 36 total attempts, leading to a .528 attack percentage. Although the Cougars lost in five sets, Barfnecht added a service ace and three block assists to score 23.5 points for USF. She picked up 15 digs to round out an impressive two-way performance.
 
A key cog in USF's comeback win over rival and then-No. 9 Augustana, Barfnecht was again extremely efficient and even took a big step up in the back row. She connected on 13 kills while again just committing two errors in 26 swings, finishing at .423 for the match. In the back row, she picked up a career-best and match-high 21 digs, helping USF's defense limit Augustana to a .188 attack percentage. Adding three more block assists, Barfnecht finished with 14.5 points against the Vikings and 38.0 during the weekend.
 
In her junior season, Barfnecht leads the Cougars with a .376 attack percentage, nearing 100 kills on the season through seven matches. Her conference-only attack percentage of .484 is fourth in the NSIC while her season total mark of .376 is fifth in the league and top-50 in NCAA Division II. With 3.39 kills per set, she is just outside the top 10 of the NSIC rankings and she is second on the Cougars. Barfnecht has four matches this year with double-digit digs, averaging 2.89 digs per set.
 
Barfnecht leads the Cougars into their third consecutive match against a Top-25 ranked opponent when they host No. 1 Southwest Minnesota State on Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Stewart Center.