With the development of the six rotation player as well as the implementation of the 6-2 offense and defensive setters, more players are getting in on the defensive action.
One sign of this trend is the fact that nearly 200 current Division I student-athletes (190) have reached the 1,000 dig milestone, compared to just 124 with 1,000 kills.
Another new trend is the occurance of three or more players posting 20 digs in a match. With help from countless sports information professionals across the country, VolleyMob has put together a list of both current and historic occurances, which we will continue to update if new occurances either present or historic are found.
Based on the data compiled, in the rally scoring era (2002-present), there are 36 known occurances. That total includes a staggering 13 in 2017. Two matches have even seen both teams achieve the feat: Nov. 3 – Murray State vs. Southeast Missouri; and Oct. 13 – Missouri State at Drake.
The 2017 occurances are listed below.
| Matchup | 20+ Dig Efforts |
| Towson vs. James Madison | Towson: Anna Holehouse (45), Carola Biver (22) Annie Ertz (20) |
| Louisville at Duke | Louisville: Wilma Rivera (27), Molly Sauer (21), Amanda Green (20) |
| Murray State vs. Southeast Missouri | Murray: Becca Fernandez (26), Rachel Holthaus (23), Rachel Giustino (20) |
| Murray State vs. Southeast Missouri | SEMO: Ally Dion (30), Marie Less (29), Krissy Gearring (21) |
| Northern Arizona vs. Weber State | NAU: Jordan Anderson (22), Sydney Lema (22), Kaylie Jorgensen (20) |
| Valparaiso at Missouri State | MS: Emily Butters (24), Lily Johnson (22), Daniele Messa (20) |
| IUPUI at Northern Kentucky | NKU: Shelby Olsen (25), Laura Crawford (24), McKenzie Eskridge (24) |
| Missouri State at Drake | MS: Emily Butters (44), Lily Johnson (32), Daniele Messa (29) |
| Missouri State at Drake | Drake: Kylee Macke (27), Courtney Morehead (24), Kyla Inderski (24) |
| Eastern Michigan vs. Ohio | EMU: Mallory Rajewski (32), Alyssa LaFace (27), Jordan Smith (22) |
| Northern Kentucky at Florida A&M | NKU: Ashton Terrill (26), Shelby Olsen (20), Haley Libs (20) |
| McNeese State at Valpairaso | McNeese: Rylee Cookerly (26), Katherine Carlson (26), Allison Ketcham (20) |
| Central Connecticut State vs. Niagara | CCSU: Samantha McCreath (28), Lindsey Massicotte (21), Kaitlyn Kushman (20) |
Eastern Michigan has achieved the feat six times, while Valparaiso has done so five times and North Dakota State four.Five times in a season were the most occurances found in the previous 15 years, with that coming in 2007, including twice each by Eastern Michigan and North Dakota State.
North Dakota State has the lone occurance of four players with 20 or more kills, doing so in a Nov. 16, 2007, match against Fort Wayne.
The historic listing of occurances is below.
| a | Matchup | 20+ Dig Efforts |
| 11/18/2016 | Valparaiso vs. Northern Kentucky | NKU: Lauren Hurley (37), McKenzie Eskridge (25), Haley Libs (24) |
| 11/4/2016 | North Dakota State at Fort Wayne | NDSU: Mikaela Purnell (31), Brianna Rasmusson 925), Emily Milligan (20) |
| 10/29/2016 | Northern Arizona vs. Portland State | NAU: Brooke Donnelly (26), Jensen Barton (20), Lauren Jacobsen (20) |
| 11/19/2015 | Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan | EMU: Corynne Smith (25), Dori Harrison (22), Mallory Rajewski (21) |
| 9/25/2015 | Valparaiso at Northern Kentucky | Valpo: Kelsey Berrington (25), Allison Ketcham (25), Morganne Longoria (21) |
| 10/17/2015 | Valparaiso at Youngtown State | Valpo: Lexie Bouza (23), Allison Ketcham (23), Emily Campbell (22) |
| 11/21/2014 | Kent State at Eastern Michigan | EMU: Corynne Smith (31), Jill Briner (24), Natalie Folk (22) |
| 9/26/2014 | Arkansas State at Troy | ASU: Markie Schaedig (26), Hannah Robey (24), Mallory Warrington (21) |
| 10/13/2012 | Valparaiso at Milwaukee | Valpo: Lindsey Hauch (26), Taylor Root (23), Sarah Dooms (21) |
| 10/23/2012 | IUPUI at Valparaiso | Valpo: Taylor Root (29), Sarah Dooms (23), Lindsey Hauch (22) |
| 11/4/2012 | Tennessee at Florida | Florida: Maddy Monserez (23), Ziva Recek (20), Taylor Unroe (20) |
| 11/15/2012 | Stanford at USC | Stanford: Rachel Williams (32), Jordan Burgess (25), Brittany Howard (22) |
| 10/8/2010 | Western Michigan at Eastern Michigan | EMU: Haley Stein (55), Ashley Mason (20), Cassie Sowers (20) |
| 11/14/2009 | Valparaiso at Green Bay | Valpo: Taylor Root (28), Jenny Pokorny (21), Angie Porche (20) |
| 10/28/2009 | Baylor vs. Iowa State | ISU: Ashley Mass (42), Kaylee Manns (25), Victoria Henson (22) |
| 11/11/2006 | Liberty at Radford | Liberty: Lara Bartolomeo (28), Alysson Sanders (22), Kallie Corbin (20) |
| 11/16/2007 | North Dakota State at Fort Wayne | NDSU: Kelly Lopez (30), Kari Faynan (23), Kristen Hille (21), Christy Stuewe (20) |
| 11/2/2007 | North Dakota State at Western Illinois | NDSU: Kari Fagnan (32), Christy Stuewe (22), Kristen Hille (20) |
| 10/4/2007 | Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan | EMU: Kim Jarzynka (27), Kate Sulewski (22), Abby Reenders (21) |
| 9/29/2007 | Eastern Michigan at Northern Illinois | EMU: Abby Reenders (23), Becky Reenders (22), Kim Jarzynka (21) |
| 9/28/2007 | Liberty at High Point | Liberty: Lara Bartolomeo (22), Karyl Bacon (22), Kallie Corbin (20) |
| 10/7/2006 | North Dakota State at Fort Wayne | NDSU: Kari Fagnan (28), Chloe Quirk (22), Sheila Parrish (21) |
| 12/11/2004 | UCLA at Washington | UW: Candace Lee (40), Sanja Tomasevic (27), Courtney Thompson (21) |
Leave a Reply