FARMINGTON, Utah – Following a dominant weekend at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic, Idaho State senior middle blocker Jaydin Watts has been named the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced Monday.
Watts helped lead the Bengals to a perfect 3-0 weekend, picking up victories over Tennessee Tech, Little Rock and host Air Force.
The senior was a force at the net throughout the tournament, totaling 19 blocks in 11 sets, an average of 1.73 blocks per set. Watts recorded six solo blocks and 13 block assists while also adding 14 digs to Idaho State's defensive effort.
Watts' impact was felt throughout all three victories. She opened the tournament with four blocks in Idaho State's 3-1 win over Tennessee Tech before recording seven against Little Rock. She saved her best blocking performance for the finale, finishing with eight total blocks, including two solo blocks and six block assists, as the Bengals swept Air Force, 3-0.
Her presence helped Idaho State control the net throughout the weekend. The Bengals totaled 30 team blocks across the three matches, compared to just 16 for their opponents, while holding Tennessee Tech, Little Rock and Air Force to a combined .132 hitting percentage.
While her defensive performance earned the weekly honor, Watts was just as impressive offensively.
The senior led Idaho State with 33 kills, averaging 3.00 kills per set, while committing just five attack errors on 62 swings for a blistering .452 hitting percentage. She reached double-digit kills in all three matches, recording 10 against Tennessee Tech, 12 against Little Rock and 11 against Air Force.
Against Little Rock, Watts put together one of her most complete performances of the weekend with 12 kills on .500 hitting, seven blocks and seven digs. She followed with 11 kills on .421 hitting, eight blocks and five digs in the sweep of Air Force.
Watts finished the tournament with 45.5 points, averaging a team-best 4.14 points per set, as the Bengals went unbeaten through three matches and dropped just two sets all weekend.
After entering the season as one of the conference's top returners, Watts' performance at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic showed exactly why. Her ability to impact the match at the net, on the attack and defensively helped the Bengals complete a perfect weekend and continue building momentum through non-conference play.
