St. LOUIS, Mo. -- Missouri State's Lily Johnson and Emily Butters picked up weekly Missouri Valley Conference volleyball awards Monday as the league's Player and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for their roles in leading the Bears to wins at Drake and UNI after all three clubs entered the weekend atop the MVC standings with 6-0 league records.

The award is the third for Johnson this season and 12th of her career, adding to her league record, while Butters was honored as the MVC's top defender for the second time this season. Johnson added National Players of the Week honors from the AVCA and VolleyMob on Tuesday.

Johnson totaled 50 kills and 50 digs in the two wins, averaging 5.56 kills, 5.56 digs, 0.67 blocks and 6.0 points per set while hitting .270. Friday at Drake, the senior outside hitter finished with 28 kills and a career-high 32 digs, becoming the second player in school history and first since 1989 to record at least 25 kills and 30 digs in a match. She also had four blocks against the Bulldogs. 

Saturday, the Wildwood, Mo., native piled up 22 kills, including 12 on 20 swings with no errors in the clinching fourth set, and hit .312 to lead the Bears to a 3-1 win at No. 20 UNI in a match-up between two 7-0 MVC clubs. She added 18 digs, an ace and two blocks against the Panthers.

Butters averaged 7.44 digs per set and was flawless on 97 service receptions. Friday at Drake, the junior libero from Richmond, Texas, lifted a career-high 44 digs, the second-best total in MSU history, fifth-highest mark in Valley history, and third-most in the NCAA this season. Butters dug a match-high 23 balls Saturday in MSU's four-set victory at 20th-ranked UNI, and had 10 assists on the weekend.

The Bears (16-5, 8-0 MVC), who sit just outside the AVCA Top 25 poll in the No. 28 spot this week, host Bradley at 7 p.m. Friday and Illinois State at 7 p.m. Saturday at Hammons Student Center.