Irvine, CA—The Big West announced Monday that UC Riverside libero Nicole Rodriguez is the conference Volleyball Freshman of the Week. The Montebello, California native led the team with 46 digs over three matches over the weekend as the Highlanders improved to 8-4 on the season—the second best 12-match start in the program's 17-year Division I history.

View list of all-time UC Riverside Big West Volleyball Athlete of the Week honorees.

Rodriguez tied her career high with 23 digs in a 3-2 thriller over San Diego State.  It marked the first time since Sept. 3, 2005 that UCR had defeated the Aztecs. The defensive stalwart produced 13 digs against Denver and 10 more versus Gonzaga in a pair of 3-0 defeats.

Rodriguez also had three aces against San Diego State and two versus Denver.