NEC WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Samantha McCreath, Central Connecticut
Fr., OH, Ripon, CA/Ripon
McCreath, a freshman, earned dual NEC Player and Rookie of the Week honors after she led the Blue Devils with 3.36 kills per set as CCSU went 3-0 at the Crosstown Tournament over the weekend. McCreath also averaged 3.45 digs and 0.82 blocks as both her offense and defense were integral in Blue Devil wins over Lafayette, Lehigh and Norfolk State. The Ripon, CA product recorded double-doubles in CCSU’s first two matches of the tournament, including 16 kills and 20 digs in a five-set match with Lehigh. She then posted an efficient .421 hitting percentage in CCSU's sweep of Norfolk State. McCreath finished the tournament with 37 kills, 38 digs, nine blocks and one ace while also posting a .284 hitting percentage.
NEC WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Natalia Rivera, LIU Brooklyn
So., L, Cayey, Puerto Rico/Radians School
Rivera claimed her second straight NEC Defensive Player of the Week honor after she recorded an impressive 6.29 digs per set at the George Washington Invitational. Taking on challenging competition, the sophomore posted the NEC’s two highest dig totals of the season with 40 in a 3-2 win over George Washington on Saturday, and 34 in a five-set setback to Hofstra the previous evening. Rivera added 14 digs in a four-set loss to Indiana. The Cayey, Puerto Rico native currently leads the NEC with 5.61 digs per set.
NEC WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Samantha McCreath, Central Connecticut
Fr., OH, Ripon, CA/Ripon
McCreath, a freshman, earned dual NEC Player and Rookie of the Week honors after she led the Blue Devils with 3.36 kills per set as CCSU went 3-0 at the Crosstown Tournament over the weekend. McCreath also averaged 3.45 digs and 0.82 blocks as both her offense and defense were integral in Blue Devil wins over Lafayette, Lehigh and Norfolk State. The Ripon, CA product recorded double-doubles in CCSU’s first two matches of the tournament, including 16 kills and 20 digs in a five-set match with Lehigh. She then posted an efficient .421 hitting percentage in CCSU's sweep of Norfolk State. McCreath finished the tournament with 37 kills, 38 digs, nine blocks and one ace while also posting a .284 hitting percentage.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
CCSU junior defensive specialtist Lindsey Massicotte (Meriden, CT/Maloney) averaged 4.64 digs per set and posted over 20 digs against both Lafayette and Lehigh at the Crosstown Tournament over the weekend.
LIU Brooklyn’s sophomore outside hitter Julia Azevedo (Rio de Janeiro, Brz./Sistema Elite de Ensino) averaged 3.36 kills, 1.43 digs, and 1.07 blocks per set at the George Washington Invitational. She recorded her first double-double with 22 kills and 12 digs in a win over the Colonials on Saturday.
Sacred Heart’s outside hitting sophomore Liisel Nelis (Kuressaare, Estonia/Audentes) averaged 3.54 kills per set at the Harvard Invitational. She posted a double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs in the Pioneers victory over the Crimson on Saturday.
Fairleigh Dickinson’s middle hitting senior Taylor Wyckoff (San Diego, CA/Clairemont) led the Knights to a 2-2 week, and recorded an impressive five aces in a win over Manhattan on Saturday. She averaged 2.0 kills per set, totaled 35 digs and was named to the Holy Cross Invitational All-Tournament team. Her 18 aces on the season leads the entire NCAA.
Robert Morris senior middle backer Emma Granger (Dalton, OH/Dalton) averaged 2.75 kills and 1.25 blocks per set in five matches over the week span. She posted a .488 hitting percentage in the Duquesne Invitational and was selected to the All-Tournament team.
AROUND THE NEC
CCSU won all three matches at the Crosstown Tournament to bring its overall record to 4-2.
Fairleigh Dickinson set an NCAA single-match season-high with 18 aces in its win over Manhattan on Saturday.
The NEC now holds a 3-0 record against the Big South, and a 5-1 record against the Metro Atlantic.