KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Mount Mercy’s (Iowa) Richard Struska has been named the NAIA Men’s Volleyball Defender of the Week after anchoring the Mustangs’ back row in a perfect 3–0 week. A sophomore libero from South Moravia, Czech Republic, Struska delivered steady, high-volume defense across three matches.

Over the stretch, Struska totaled 50 digs in three matches, averaging 4.55 digs per set. His biggest night came in a four-set win over No. 14 Morningside (Iowa) on Feb. 27, where he recorded 21 digs. He followed that performance the next day with 16 digs in another four-set victory, this time against Dordt (Iowa). In the opening match of the week, a straight-set win over Clarke (Iowa) on Feb. 24, Struska added 13 digs.

Struska also had a big impact in serve receive, where he logged 56 serve receptions and was charged with just one reception error, good for a .982 reception percentage.