Stony Brook's Morgan Sweany (Mission Viejo, Calif,/Capistrano Valley) has been named America East Player of the Week for the third-straight week, while UMBC's Sarah Ball (Winnipeg, Canada/Sisler) and Binghamton's Brianna Strong (Elkhart, Ind./ Concord) share Rookie of the Week accolade. Blair Buchanan (Muncie, Ind./Delta) has been named Setter of the Week, also for the third time this season. The awards were announced on Monday (September 26).
Despite her team's struggles on the week (1-3), Sweany continued to put up impressive numbers enroute to her third-straight America East Player of the Week award. Sweany averaged 5.21 kills, 3.21 digs and 5.64 points per game over the week as the Seawolves defeated Fairfield and competed in the Brown Invitational. Against Fairfield, Sweany knotched a double-double with 19 kills and 13 digs as the Seawolves swept the Stags 3-0. At the Brown Invitational, she was named to the all-tournament team after totaling 54 kills and 32 digs in the three-match span, including a 33 kill and 19 dig performance against host Brown.
Ball returned to the Retriever lineup after missing four matches with illness to record 3.50 kpg and 2.88 dpg in two wins last week for UMBC. Ball opened the week with 11 kills and nine digs at Coppin State, scoring 12.5 points in the Retrievers’ 3-2 win. In the Retrievers second match of the week, she tallied 17 kills with 14 digs against Morgan State for her eighth double-double of the year. Ball added two solo blocks, scoring 19.0 points in the match.
Strong led the Bearcats this past week with 3.83 dpg. She also averaged 3.17 kpg, hitting .333 both second highest on the team. In the win over Iona on Friday Strong had her second career double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs, the 11 kills is one short of her season-high and the 14 digs tied her season-high. Against Yale she contributed with 8 kills and 9 digs.
Buchanan averaged 1.22 kpg, 11.00 apg, 0.44 spg, 2.22 dpg, 0.56 bpg, and 2.00 ppg en route to earning all-tournament honors at the Fairfield Invitational. Buchanan registered her fourth double-double of the season with 33 assists and 10 digs to go along with five kills in the victory over Long Island. She now has 24 for her career. Buchanan tallied 34 assists, seven digs and four kills against second-place Fairfield. For the season, Buchanan is averaging 11.83 apg, 1.31 kpg, and 2.33 dpg. Buchanan moved to third on UAlbany’s career charts with 2,882 assists.