CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- After the first week of America East volleyball league play in which all three road teams prevailed, a sophomore and two freshmen capture the weekly awards. Stony Brook University sophomore middle blocker Evann Slaughter (Clinton, Md./Oxon Hill) performed under pressure to earn the Player of the Week distinction, while University at Albany's Samantha Brostrom (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) and University of Hartford's Jackie Tamburri (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) earn Rookie of the Week and Setter of the Week honors, respectively.
Slaughter scored her second Player of the Week award this season after leading the Seawolves to a 2-0 week, including a conference opener win on the road at UMBC. The sophomore averaged 3.70 kills per set and 4.05 points per set while hitting .417 for the week. She added six blocks and three digs defensively.
Slaughter played a huge role in Stony Brook's come-from-behind win against the then-conference-leading Retrievers, notching five kills in the deciding fifth set, in addition to five in the fourth set to force the fifth game. For the match, she finished with 15 kills, four blocks and a .387 hitting clip. Slaughter tallied a career-best 22 kills earlier in the week, a five-set win over Fordham at home. She hit .439 for the match and also contributed two blocks and two digs.
Brostrom completed two double-doubles in two Albany wins last week, averaging 3.29 kills and 3.71 digs per set and hitting at a .333 rate. The freshman outside hitter recorded 13 kills, 16 digs and two block assists in the home opener against Yale, a 3-0 victory for the Great Danes. On the road at Binghamton for the conference opener, Brostrom finished with 10 kills, 10 digs and a .500 hitting percentage while not committing an error in 20 attack attempts.
In her first collegiate season, Brostrom ranks seventh in America East with 2.95 kills per set and ninth with 3.11 points per set.
Tamburri had a spectacular individual effort in Hartford's conference opener against New Hampshire to take home her second weekly award this season. The rookie tied her career high of 63 assists -- an America East season high -- in the Hawks' only match of the week against the Wildcats and completed the double-double with 18 digs. Tamburri also added five kills and four blocks while directing Hartford to a .239 team hitting percentage.
Tamburri is averaging double-digit assists this season with 10.15 assists per set, good for second in America East, and ranks ninth in the conference with 2.85 digs per set.
Team Notebooks:
Albany (7-7 overall, 1-0 America East) has now won seven of the last eight matches, after going 2-0 on the week... The Great Danes defeated Yale, 3-0, at home on Wednesday before kicking off America East Conference play with a 3-1 defeat at Binghamton on Sunday... Junior outside hitter Dunja Prgomet (Rivinj, Croatia) led the Great Danes with 4.14 kills and 2.29 digs per set. She also recorded five total blocks and three service aces... Freshman Samantha Brostrom (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) chipped in with 3.29 kills and 3.71 digs per set. The outside hitter recorded back-to-back double-doubles with 13 kills and 16 digs versus Yale, followed by 10 kills and 10 digs at Binghamton... Senior setter Brooke Stanley (Hendersonville, N.C./West Henderson) averaged 11.57 assists and 2.71 digs per set, while also serving up five aces in the two matches. She tallied a double-double of 40 assists and 12 digs, along with seven kills, versus Yale... Senior libero Laurie Gonzalez (Carolina, Puerto Rico/St. Francis School) led all players with 5.86 digs per set, and also recorded three service aces... The Great Danes continue conference play over the weekend, visiting Stony Brook on Friday and UMBC on Sunday.
Binghamton (8-10, 0-1 AE) split its two matches last week as it wrapped up its non-conference schedule with a four-set win over Cornell... Junior hitter Iva Paraleva (Kyustendil, Bulgaria/Seminole St. College (Okla.)) tied a career-high with 22 kills to lead the Bearcats over the Big Red.... Freshman setter Amanda Dettmann (Milwaukee, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) handed out 50 assists, quarterbacking the Binghamton offense to a .280 hitting percentage... In its America East opener Binghamton hosted SUNY rival Albany at West Gym. The Bearcats started the match hot taking the first set 25-19, but failed to capitalize on the momentum dropping the next three frames... Partaleva led Binghamton with a match-high 15 kills, while Dettmann tallied 35 assists... Sophomore libero Xiomara Ortiz (South Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) played well from the back line picking up 28 digs... Albany now holds a 17-6 Division I record over Binghamton, including wins in their last two meetings... Up next for Binghamton is a match up with UMBC in Baltimore on Fri., Sept 30 at 7 p.m. On its way back north Binghamton will stop on Long Island to play Stony Brook on Sun. Oct. 2 at 1 p.m.
The Hawks (9-8, 0-1 AE) took to the hardwood just once last week, falling in five sets to New Hampshire in the conference opener at the Reich Family Pavilion... The Hawks battled from a 2-1 deficit to force a fifth set before falling by a 3-2 score... Junior outside hitter Kami Nethersole (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) led four players with 13-plus kills, chipping in 21 herself, her third match with 20 or more kills this season... Middle hitter Michelle Cordell led all Hawks hitters with a .500 hitting average with 14 kills and one error in 26 total attacks... Joining Nethersole and Cordell with double figure kills was Sareeta Nethersole (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) with 16 and Dionna Kirton with 13... Freshman setter Jackie Tamburri (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) led the Hawks to a .239 hitting average as a team with 63 total assists, tying her career high set on August 27 against Bryant... The Hawks will once again play just one match in the week ahead, traveling to Providence for the first road conference game of the year on Sunday at 2 p.m.
UMBC (10-6, 0-1 AE) lost a heartbreaker in the America East opener, falling to visiting Stony Brook, 3-2, on Friday at the RAC Arena... After dropping set one, 25-23, UMBC cruised in sets 2 and 3, doubling the Seawolves' scoring output, 50-25... But SBU turned the tables around in set four and overcame a 7-2 deficit in the deciding set to prevail, 16-14... Junior Ali Loynachan (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) hit .391 with 11 kills and four blocks, while freshman Hannah Schmidt (Catonsville, Md./Mt. de Sales) posted a double-double with 12 kills and 14 digs... Senior Allie Spaay (Kenosha, Wis./Kenosha Tremper) also notched a double-double with 33 assists and 10 digs, and senior Iman Kennedy (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) recorded a game-high five total blocks to go along with eight kills... UMBC has now dropped two consecutive conference home openers after winning four straight (2006-09)... This week, the Retrievers welcome Binghamton and Albany to the RAC Arena on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
UNH (2-15, 1-0 AE) went 1-1 on the week, picking up a 3-2 win at Hartford in the conference opener after falling to Bryant by a 3-1 decision... Senior Lauren Laquerre (Concord, N.H.) led the Wildcats with a season-high 22 kills against Hartford... Senior Amy Keding (Northbrook, Ill.) added 15 kills and sophomore Morgan Thatcher (Brockton, Mass.) recorded 14 kills with a .323 attack percentage... Senior Jessy Dick (Leftbridge, Alberta) led the way with a .438 attack percentage while junior Jansan Falcusan (Plymouth, Mich.) posted a team-high 58 assists... Defensively, sophomore Destiny Tolliver (Rochester, Mich.) registered a match-high seven blocks, while freshman Sam Henke (Millersville, Md.) recorded 19 digs... The Wildcats posted a season-best .260 hitting percentage in the victory... Laquerre and Keding posted double-bouble performances against Bryant. Keding paced the team with a match-high 16 kills and also added 12 digs, while Laquerre racked up 11 kills and 10 digs for her team-best sixth double-double... Junior Jansan Falcusan (Plymouth, Mich.) posted a match-high 48 assists... The Wildcats return to action on Friday, Sept. 30 when they visit conference foe Providence College at 7 p.m.
Providence College (5-11, 0-0 AE) fell in four sets at Manhattan (18-25, 15-25, 25-23, 19-25) on Wednesday in its only match of the week. Senior middle blocker Lauren Fletcher (Syracuse, N.Y.) registered 19 kills while hitting at a .333 clip... Classmate Shelagh Dolan (Westford, Mass.) added six kills, while the other two seniors, Carly Morrison (Larkspur, Calif.) and Lauren Hendel (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) each added five kills. Morrison was outstanding running the offense, picking up 32 assists... The back row was led by junior Cassie Muzzonigro (Gibsonia, Pa.), who entered the week leading the America East in digs per set. She recorded 17 digs... The Friar offense struggled early on, hitting just .176 in the first set and .000 in the second. It rebounded to take the third behind a .306 hitting percentage, but was unable to overcome seven errors in the final frame as Manhattan took the match, 3-1... Head Coach Margot Royer-Johnson's squad has a full week off before returning to action on Wed., September 28 at Rhode Island. First serve in Kingston, R.I., is set for 7 p.m. The annual showdown between Ocean State rivals will be televised by Cox Sports on a tape-delay basis, with broadcast times to be announced.
The Seawolves (7-7, 1-0 AE) won five-set matches over Fordham and UMBC this week... Stony Brook has now won four straight, all in five sets... Sophomore Evann Slaughter (Clinton, Md.) hit .439 against Fordham and had a career-best 22 kills. The middle blocker finished the match with 23.0 points... Stony Brook hit a season-high .267 against Fordham... Senior Alicia Nelson (Apple Valley, Minn.) had a season-high 25 kills against Fordham to go along with 13 digs. She then added 17 kills and 10 digs against UMBC. It was her third straight double-double and fifth this season... Slaughter then finished with 15 kills and a .387 hitting percentage against UMBC. She had five kills in each of the last two sets as the Seawolves rallied from a 2-1 deficit... Slaughter hit .417 for the week... Freshman Laura Hathaway (Warsaw, N.Y.) had 22 digs against UMBC including nine in the fourth set... The Seawolves return home this weekend to host Albany and Binghamton.