GORHAM, Maine – Freshman Taylor Joyal (Nashua, N.H./Nashua North) of University of Southern Maine Huskies' women's volleyball team has earned a pair of weekly awards from the Little East Conference as the Defensive Player of the Week and the Rookie of the Week. These are the first weekly honors of her career.
 
Joyal started the week with 36 digs with a 3-1 win over Thomas College on Wednesday night. Her total is the third highest in program history for a four-set match. She then added another 20 digs in a 3-1 setback against VTSU Castleton on Saturday. Joyal also had eight kills in each match. She surpassed 200 digs on the season against Castleton and ranks third on the team with 203.
 
She is the second Husky to earn a weekly award from the LEC this season. Freshman Haylie Bidegain (Logan, N.M.) earned the Rookie of the Week award in September following the first week of the season.
 
The Huskies will end the season with home games on Wednesday and Saturday. The team will face Simmons University on Wednesday at 7:00 pm and will conclude the season on Saturday against Eastern Connecticut State at noon.