CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Loyola University Maryland volleyball players Ann Ernst and Ashley Dwyer were named the Patriot League Player and Rookie of the Week on Monday after the Greyhounds posted a pair of conference victories.
 
The pair of awards marks the second time this season that Loyola players have swept the honors after Dwyer and Abby Hamilton did so on September 16.
 
Ernst's award is her first this season and the third of her career. She is the third Loyola player to earn Player of the Week honors this season, joining Hamilton and Katie Forsythe; the Greyhounds are the only team in the Patriot League to have three different players garner the recognition.
 
Ernst led the Greyhounds to a pair of Patriot League wins this weekend, helping Loyola go 3-1 in the conference for its best start in the league since joining in 2013, posting two monster performances, averaging 5.12 kills and 3.75 digs in the victories.
 
She opened the weekend by leading Loyola to a five-set win over Bucknell with her third-career 20-20 game, logging 22 kills and 24 digs against the Bison. She then continued her hot hitting on Saturday with 19 kills in only 33 swings to go with three errors in a three-set win over Lafayette. The outside hitter posted a .485 hitting percentage against the Leopards and also had two services aces.
 
Dwyer was again outstanding this week, totaling 90 assists for an average of 11.25 per set in the two matches. Against the Bison on Friday, the Greyhounds ran a 5-2 with another setter for the first four sets, but Dwyer still had 45 assists (9.0 per set) in the five-set match.
 
She then directed the Greyhounds' offense to a season-best .355 hitting percentage on Saturday, totaling 45 assists in just three sets (15.0 per set) against Lafayette. The award is her second Rookie of the Week nod this season.
 
The Greyhounds, who are 10-8 overall and 3-1 in the Patriot League, return to the court on Friday night for their lone contest of the week. They host the U.S. Naval Academy at 7 p.m. in Reitz Arena.