Barbosa, Thurston Claim Sun Belt Honors

NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference recognized the outstanding performances of Little Rock's Carol Barbosa and Janae Thurston as the two Trojans received the league's Offensive and Freshman Players of the Week honors, respectively, Monday afternoon.
 
The awards come after Little Rock swept a pair of matches over Georgia State and Georgia Southern on the weekend to mark three consecutive conference wins and to move the Trojans into a tie for fourth in the conference's Western Division alongside Arkansas State. The Red Wolves, who have lost three straight, host Little Rock Tuesday night in Jonesboro, Arkansas.


 
Barbosa claimed her first career Offensive Player of the Week honors as the senior was an offensive juggernaut, averaging 5.38 kills per set and hitting an impressive .343 on 102 total attempts. She notched 43 kills overall including a career-high 24 kills against Georgia State on Friday. Barbosa notched a double-double in that match as she also registered a career-high 18 digs as part of a 23-dig weekend.


 
Thurston claimed her first career Freshman of the Week honors after hitting a team-leading .414, registering 31 kills and averaging 3.88 kills per set on the weekend. She served up five aces on the weekend including three in Little Rock's 3-0 sweep over Georgia Southern on Saturday.
 
This marks the third and fourth honor, respectively, that Little Rock has claimed this year. Diana Giordani won the league's Defensive Player of the Week honor twice before earlier this season, on Sept. 16 and Oct. 28.
 
For the latest information on Little Rock Volleyball, make sure to check out LRTrojans.com. You can also find the team on social media at @LittleRockVB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
 
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