Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

RICHMOND, Va. – University of Delaware senior libero Stephanie Barry has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season after helping the Blue Hens post a 3-1 victory over Towson on Friday.

Guided by Barry’s efforts, Delaware clinched a berth in the CAA Tournament with the win against the Tigers. The squad is currently tied for the top spot in the conference with two matches remaining in the regular season.

Against Towson, Barry posted 35 digs, which tied the highest total by a Blue Hen since the NCAA switched to 25-point sets. It also equaled the most by a player in the CAA since the 2007 season.

Overall, Barry’s performance against Towson helped lead a defensive effort that finished the match with 104 digs. That total was not only the team's highest in a match this season, but it also was the highest by Delaware in a four-set contest since tallying 117 against Hofstra on September 25, 2003.

This season, Barry has now recorded three 30-dig performances, which is tied for the most by an individual in the conference. She also ranks second in the league with a 4.98 digs-per-set average in 2009.

The honor is the third of the season for Barry after she also was named the league’s top defensive player on September 21 and September 28. She is the only player in the CAA to earn the award three times.

In her career, Barry has now garnered four weekly honors from the CAA. A two-time All-American, she holds the conference’s career record for digs with 2,284.

Along with Barry, the CAA honored Hofstra’s Rachel August as the Offensive Player of the Week, while George Mason’s Koala Matsuoka took home the league’s top rookie honors.

Barry will lead Delaware into a pair of crucial conference bouts this weekend beginning with a 5 p.m. clash against Northeastern on Friday.