Ligabue Named NAIA Women's Volleyball Setter of Week

Missouri Baptist freshman Martina Ligabue earned the honor after a week of sweeping assist totals in conference wins.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Volleyball

Expressive editorial sports illustration of a volleyball setter in a team-colored jersey lifting a ball overhead at the net, with visible brushwork and motion. — Missouri Baptist freshman setter Martina Ligabue was named the NAIA Women's Volleyball Setter of the Week after leading the Spartans to conference wins over Missouri Valley and Central Methodist. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The NAIA named Missouri Baptist freshman setter Martina Ligabue PrestoSports NAIA Women's Volleyball Setter of the Week. Missouri Baptist clinched a regular-season title with conference wins over Missouri Valley and Central Methodist (Mo.).

Why it matters

The honor recognizes a freshman setter whose week of play helped Missouri Baptist secure a conference regular-season championship. The award highlights the role of the setter in directing a team's offense across consecutive conference matches.

Ligabue totaled 95 assists in seven sets, averaging 13.57 per set, including 37 assists against Missouri Valley and 58 against Central Methodist (Mo.). She also recorded 22 digs during the week, including seven in the Missouri Valley match and 15 against Central Methodist.

The players

Martina Ligabue

Ligabue is a freshman setter for Missouri Baptist who is originally from Vicenza, Italy.

NAIA

The NAIA is the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, which governs college athletics for smaller institutions and sponsors the PrestoSports Setter of the Week award.

The details

Missouri Baptist won a straight-set sweep of Missouri Valley and a four-set road match at Central Methodist (Mo.) during the week. In the Central Methodist match, Ligabue also recorded a service ace, a block assist, two kills and two block assists.

The NAIA announced Ligabue's award on November 3, 2026.

Season Trajectory

The PrestoSports Setter of the Week program recognizes individual performance within the NAIA's weekly volleyball schedule. Ligabue's honor comes as Missouri Baptist's conference wins position it for a regular-season title.

Ligabue's assist totals provide a concrete measure for fantasy or stat tracking of NAIA setters this season. Missouri Baptist's conference clinch means its remaining matches now carry less pressure for seeding.

The takeaway

Strong setting production often shows up in assist totals and digs before a team's conference results do. Tracking those weekly figures offers an early read on how a team's offense is performing.