#AEVB Season Begins as Quartet Earns 1st Weekly Awards
BOSTON – The 2017 season began for all seven #AEVB programs over the weekend. UMBC, UMass Lowell, New Hampshire and Stony Brook all picked up a win in early-season tournament action.
Here are the conference's week one award winners:
Player of the Week
Akubata Okenwa, Albany – So., MB/OH, Canyon Country, Calif.
- Averaged a conference-best 3.5 kills per set in three matches last week.
- Led the league with a .316 hitting percentage (min. 55 attempts).
- Also had 11 digs and six blocks.
- This is Okenwa’s first career #AEVB Player of the Week honor.
Setter of the Week
Claudia Lopez, UMBC – Jr., Setter, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
- Averaged a conference-best 12.4 assists per set last week.
- Totaled 56 assists, the 8th-most in UMBC history, in a 3-1 win over Temple.
- Helped the Retrievers rank second in the league last week hitting .164.
- This is Lopez’s first #AEVB Player of the Week of the season and third of her career (9/20/16, 8/30/16).
Defensive Specialist of the Week
Kristin Watson, UMBC – Jr., Defensive Specialist, Bowie, Md.
- Averaged a league-best 5.17 digs and over 20 per match in three contests last week.
- Had 28 digs in a 3-1 win over Temple.
- Was the only defensive specialist named to Maryland All-Tournament team.
- This is the reigning #AEVB Defensive Specialist of the Year’s first honor of the season and sixth of her career.
Rookie of the Week
Emma Patlovich, New Hampshire – Fr., Setter, Lake Bluff, Ill.
- Despite part-time action, ranked sixth in the conference averaging 7.6 assists per set.
- Averaged 9.4 assists per set in two matches as full-time setter Saturday.
- Also contributed 1.8 digs per set.
- This is her first career #AEVB Rookie of the Week honor.
Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 29 - Player of the Week: Akubata Okenwa, Albany; Setter of the Week: Claudia Lopez, UMBC; Defensive Specialist of the Week: Kristin Watson, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Emma Patlovich, New Hampshire
Twenty-one more America East volleyball matches take place this week, including the first of the season on AmericaEast.TV as Albany hosts a tournament. AE.TV is the place to watch free live content on any device, including the network's Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV OTT channels.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
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