Inside Look: 1,000-Dig Club Nears 200 Current Members

Defense by committee, the six rotation player and the continued importance of the libero have more players joining the elite 1,000- dig club. So much so that this year the number of current players in the group is pushing 200, with that plateau likely to be eclipsed this weekend.

Six players have even surpassed the unbelievable 2,000 dig milestone. In NCAA Division I history, only 25 players have reached 2,401 digs. Challen Geraghty of Kent State is poised to join that group this week, needing just six more digs.

Players with 2,000 Career Digs

The NCAA, which keeps all statistical data, even had to increase the number of listings for the category on its Division I active leaders page to accomodate all of those who have joined the group. Typically, the NCAA lists a maximum of 150 athletes per category, but has upped it to 200 for digs due to the growth in the group.

George Mason’s Catie Espinoza is one of the latest members of the group, surpassing the milestone against George Washington on Friday. Espinoza is just the sixth player in George Mason history to join the group, but in line with the growing trend, is the first to do so as a junior. She is the fastest player to do so in Patriot history, acheiving the feat in just 292 sets played.

Breakdown by Class

Seniors – 128

Juniors – 56

Sophomores – 6

Sophomores with 1000 Digs

Breakdown by Position

Libero/DS –

Outside Hitters – 47

Setters – 18

The 190 student-athletes in the club represent 163 schools. Twenty-one schools boast multiple members with Houston Baptist and Sacramento State each registering three.

For the HBU Huskies: Jessica Wooten (1,312), Hailey Erickson (1,174), Bailey Banks (1,034)

For the Sac State Hornets: Kennedy Kurtz (1,161), Brigitte Murdock (1,062), Shannon Boyle (1,014)

Schools with Multiple 1,000-Dig Club Members

• Houston Baptist (3)
• Sacramento State (3)
• Auburn (2)
• Belmont (2)
• Campbell (2)
• Duquesne (2)
• Eastern Kentucky (2)
• Elon (2)
• ETSU (2)
• Fairfield (2)
• Jacksonville State (2)
• Kent State (2)
• Louisiana-Lafayette (2)
• Missouri State (2)
• North Dakota State (2)
• Notre Dame (2)
• Radford (2)
• Robert Morris (2)
• Temple (2)
• UCF (2)
• Wright State (2)

There are 10 more players primed to join the elite group this weekend, with eight needing 10 or less saves to join the group.

Approaching 1,000 Digs