BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – University of Georgia redshirt-junior Tori Harper has been named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday afternoon.
 
“Tori is a relentless worker and absolutely bleeds red and black,” head coach Tom Black said. “She is so deserving of this award. The consistency of her passion and work ethic is inspiring, and I can’t wait to see how much more she accomplishes.”
 
Haper averaged 2.10 blocks per set in the Classic City Clash last week in Athens. She tied a career-high eight blocks in back-to-back matches against Texas Tech and Duke. Harper’s eight blocks against Texas Tech tied for 10th all-time in a fourth-set match, and her eight against Duke tied for sixth in a three-set match. At the service, she served up a career-best three aces against Texas Tech.
 
Through five matches this season, Harper’s 1.69 blocks per set ranks ninth in the country and third in the SEC. With Kendal Kemp’s league-leading and nationally top-five 1.77 blocks per set, the Bulldogs currently rank second in the country with 3.69 blocks per set. MK Patten’s 1.56 average ranks fifth in the SEC.
 
Harper, who hails from Reno, Nevada, was named a nominee for the Allstate NACDA Good Works (Fall) team before the season. She was Georgia’s representative on the 2024 SEC Volleyball Community Service Team and has been on the SEC Academic Honor Roll each of the last three years. This is Harper’s first weekly SEC award.
 
Georgia is back in action Tuesday at Clemson as part of the inaugural Showdown at the Net, featuring 16 SEC teams and 16 ACC teams. The Bulldogs and Tigers will face off at 6 p.m. on ACC Network Extra live from Clemson.