AMHERST, N.Y. - Freshman Lexi Prokopius (Independence, Ohio) of the  Daemen College women's volleyball team has been selected the East Coast Conference Rookie of the Week for games played November 11-17. The official announcement was made in the ECC's weekly sport report which was released today from conference headquarters on Long Island.

Prokopius, a 5-foot-8 outside hitter/defensive specialist, helped the Wildcats close out the 2019 regular season with wins over Le Moyne College and Roberts Wesleyan College. She played in three of the four sets in a 3-1 win over Le Moyne and totaled four kills and 12 digs—one shy of her season-high for digs in a match. It also marked the second-straight match that she recorded 10 or more digs. She saw action in all three sets in a 3-0 win over Roberts Wesleyan and totaled two kills, a season-high four service aces and four digs.

Prokopius has played in 15 of Daemen's 27 matches this season and has totaled 31 kills (1.00 per set), 10 service aces and 49 digs (1.59 per set). She ranks seventh on the team in digs per set.

She earned four varsity letters at Independence High School while playing for coach Tony Messina. She led the Blue Devils to four Chagrin Valley Conference titles (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018), two district championships (2017, 2018), two regional championships (2017, 2018), two state championship final four appearances (2017, 2018) and a state runner-up finish in 2018. She earned first-team All-Chagrin Valley and honorable mention all-district honors as a senior.

Prokopius' Rookie of the Week selection marks the second straight week that a Daemen player has earned the honor. She joins teammate Loren Alberts (Huntley, Ill.) on a list of nine Daemen players who have earned the award since Daemen joined the ECC in 2013. 

Daemen (16-11, 5-5 ECC) has qualified for the four-team ECC Championship Tournament, which will be hosted by top-seeded Molloy College this weekend (Nov. 22-23). Daemen is the defending ECC Tournament champion and is making its third appearance in the tournament over the past four years. The Wildcats are seeded third and will face second-seeded University of Bridgeport in the semifinals. Molloy will take on fourth-seeded Mercy College in the other semifinal match. The two semifinal winners will meet for the tournament championship and an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Tournament.

Daemen College features the only NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.