RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Southland Conference (SLC) announced the weekly volleyball awards Monday and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) redshirt sophomore middle blocker Julianna Bryant was named the SLC Defensive Player of the Week. 
 
Bryant, a Harlingen High product, earned UTRGV's third consecutive and fourth overall Defensive Player of the Week award. This is the first conference weekly award of her career. Junior Isabella Costantini was named the SLC Setter of the Week Honorable Mention. This is Costantini's third consecutive recognition and fifth this season, with three Setter of the Week wins and two honorable mention nods. UTRGV has totaled eight weekly award wins and five honorable mentions. 
 
Bryant averaged 2.00 blocks per set to help the Vaqueros to a pair of road sweeps in the final week of the regular season en route to clinching the SLC Championship. She had a career-high seven blocks along with five kills on just eight swings at Northwestern State. She added five key blocks and 10 kills on .444 hitting in the title-clinching win at East Texas A&M. Bryant's presence on the net held last week's opponents to .033 and .104 hitting, respectively, while limiting both squads to less than 30 kills. 
 
Along with recording 12 blocks in just six sets, Bryant hit .462 as she put down 15 kills. Bryant leads the team with 87 blocks this season and ranks fourth in the SLC with 58 conference blocks. She has tallied five or more blocks in six matches this season. 
 
Costantini averaged 12.00 assists per set and 3.33 digs per set as she facilitated UTRGV to a .372 hitting percentage on the week, helping to extend the winning streak to 14 matches. She recorded her eighth double-double in a sweep at Northwestern State with 27 assists, 15 digs, two blocks and one ace. She had 45 assists, five digs, three aces and four kills at East Texas A&M. 
 
Costantini ran the offense flawlessly in the first set of UTRGV's match at East Texas A&M. UTRGV had 22 kills with zero attack errors and hit .629 in the frame. Behind Costantini's balanced performance and execution, the Vaqueros hit .326 and .407 during last week's matches, improving their season hitting percentage to .275. UTRGV leads the Southland and is 21^st in the nation in team hitting percentage. 
 
The #2 Vaqueros (20-7, 15-1 SLC) will face #7 Houston Christian University Friday at 1 p.m. in the quarterfinals round of the SLC Tournament in Commerce, Texas. 
 
UTRGV Volleyball's 2025 SLC Weekly Awards 
Celianiz Cabranes, SLC Defensive Player of the Week, Sept. 1 
Martina Franco, SLC Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention, Sept. 1
Celianiz Cabranes, SLC Defensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention, Sept. 15
Isabella Costantini, SLC Setter of the Week, Sept. 22
Aaliyah Snead, SLC Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention, Sept. 22
Nadine Zech, SLC Offensive Player of the Week, Oct. 13
Isabella Costantini, SLC Setter of the Week Honorable Mention, Oct. 13
Celianiz Cabranes, SLC Defensive Player of the Week, Nov. 3
Isabella Costantini, SLC Setter of the Week, Nov. 3
Celianiz Cabranes, SLC Defensive Player of the Week, Nov. 10
Isabella Costantini, SLC Setter of the Week, Nov. 10
Julianna Bryant, SLC Defensive Player of the Week, Nov. 17
Isabella Costantini, SLC Setter of the Week Honorable Mention, Nov. 17

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