CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Hartford won three of its four matches last week to remain the hottest volleyball squad in America East. The Hawks have won five of their last six matches after getting off to a 1-4 start. Two standouts who led the way for Hartford last week earned the conference's weekly honors. Here are the complete winners:
Player of the Week
Sareeta Nethersole, Hartford, Sr., Outside Hitter, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
- Second in the league with 3.9 kills per set last week and ranked second with 5.0 digs per set in leading Hartford to three wins in four matches.
- Collected four double-doubles on the week, including an 18-kill, 25-dig effort in a four-set win over Bryant Saturday.
- Became just the second Hawk to surpass the 1,000-kill milestone.
- Earned All-Tournament honors at Iona's Tournament, her second-straight in-season tourney honor.
Setter of the Week
Jackie Tamburri, Hartford, Sr., Setter, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
- Averaged a conference-best 10.4 assists per set last week, 1.5 more than the next closest player, in leading Hartford to a 3-1 mark.
- Had double-doubles in all four matches, including 40 assists and 20 digs in a four-set win over Bryant Saturday.
- Became Hartford's all-time digs leader in a five-set win over Holy Cross and collected 19 in the match to go with 52 assists.
- Earned All-Tournament honors at Iona's Tournament, her second-straight in-season tourney honor.
Rookie of the Week
Masha Yelsukova, UMass Lowell, Fr., Outside Hitter, Santa Clara, Calif.
- Ranked second among America East leaders last week averaging 3.4 kills per set.
- Notched a season-best 19 kills and hit 43 percent in a four-set loss to Liberty Saturday.
Notes
- Hartford posted wins over Holy Cross, La Salle and Bryant last week to improve to 6-5 on the season.
- The Hawks are 5-1 in their last six matches after a 1-4 start to the 2014 season.
- Two Hartford standouts eclipsed milestones last week as Sareeta Nethersole joined her sister Kami as the only Hawks to eclipse the 1,000-kill mark in their careers and Jackie Tamburri became the program's all-time digs leader a week after become its all-time assists standard bearer.
- Stony Brook beat Fordham last week, improving to 19-5 all-time against the Atlantic 10's Fordham.
- Albany, Binghamton and New Hampshire also picked up wins last week.
Weekly Awards
Sept. 2 - Player of the Week: Sherrele Walker, UMBC; Setter of the Week: Taylor Dunklau, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Abbie Mirabella, UMBC
Sept. 8 - Player of the Week: Brenna Buckwalter, New Hampshire; Setter of the Week: Jackie Tamburri, Hartford; Rookie of the Week: Katy Henchy, Hartford
Sept. 15 - Player of the Week: Sareeta Nethersole, Hartford; Setter of the Week: Jackie Tamburri, Hartford; Rookie of the Week: Masha Yelsukova, UMass Lowell