BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Jacksonville State junior Lauren Harkins has been named the Ohio Valley Conference's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in guiding the Gamecocks to a pair of key OVC wins over the weekend.

Harkins, a 5-foot-7 libero from Louisville, Ky., averaged 5.1 digs per set over a weekend that saw the Gamecocks (8-7, 3-1 OVC) earn hard-fought wins over Tennessee State and Austin Peay. JSU had to rally from behind and needed five sets in both matches, extending the Gamecocks' win streak in five-set matches to 14, while extending their win streak at Pete Mathews Coliseum to 15 matches.

Harkins opened the weekend with a 21 digs in Friday's win over Tennessee State before picking up 30 digs in handing APSU just its third loss of the season. She had a .964 reception percentage against the Lady Govs to help the Gamecocks overcome a 2-1 deficit before pulling off the win.

With her big weekend, she ran her career digs total to 1,409, making her just the third player in school history to record 1,400 digs in a career. The OVC weekly honor was the second for Harkins this season.

Harkins and the Gamecocks return to the court on Friday, when they take on Murray State in Murray, Ky., before facing UT Martin in Martin, Tenn., on Saturday.