BELLEVUE, Wa. - Colorado College's Sophie Merrifled earned yet another honor to close out her collegiate career after being named Division III Libero/Defensive Specialist of the Year by Hero Sports.
The senior defensive specialist from Fairfax, Calif., was selected as the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference's Backrow Player-of-the-Year after leading her team with 671 digs (third in the SCAC). Merrifield was also an AVCA All-America honorable mention as well as a first-team All-SCAC and All-Region selection after breaking Colorado College's record for career digs with a total of 2,498, the second-most in SCAC history.
A four-time all-tournament selection and a three-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week pick, Merrifield ran the team's defense and was a major reason the Tigers held opponents to a league-low .100 hitting percentage (seventh nationally). Additionally, her passing was a major factor as Colorado College was second in the conference with a .236 hitting percentage. She also had 32 services aces – good for third on the team and 13th in the SCAC.
