Albany, UMBC, UNH Start #AEVB Play 1-0; 4 Net Weekly Honors
BOSTON – Conference play began for six of America East’s seven volleyball programs on Friday. Albany, UMBC and New Hampshire, the top three teams in the final 2016 standings, got off to 1-0 starts in 2017 by earning wins.
Friday, Sept. 22 #AEVB Results
at Albany 3, Binghamton 1
UMBC 3, at Hartford 0
New Hampshire 3, at UMass Lowell 2
Conference play continues this weekend with six more matches. The majority of #AEVB conference matches will appear AmericaEast.TV, the place to watch free live content on any device, including the network's Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV OTT channels. A pair of UNH league contests will air on ESPN3, home to over 30 America East school-produced events this fall. Full #AEVB Schedule/Results
Here are the conference's week five award winners:
Player of the Week
Cydney Bowman, Stony Brook – Sr., Middle Blocker, Lake Mary, Fla.
- Hit an impressive.800 with 16 kills to lead Stony Brook to its fifth-straight win, a 3-2 victory over Big East-foe St. John’s last week.
- Also added five blocks.
- This is Bowman’s first career #AEVB Player of the Week honor.
Setter of the Week
Krytsia Negron, UMBC – Jr., Setter, San Juan, P.R.
- Averaged a conference-best 12.8 assists per set to lead UMBC to a 2-0 week.
- Paced UMBC to a league-best .284 hitting percentage on the week.
- Had 41 assists in just three sets in Friday’s 3-0 win over Hartford.
- This is Negron’s second #AEVB Setter of the Week honor of the season and second of her career (9/12).
Defensive Specialist of the Week
Kristin Watson, UMBC – Jr., Defensive Specialist, Bowie, Md.
- Contributed a league-best 6.7 digs per set to lead UMBC to wins over Howard and Hartford last week.
- Helped UMBC hold foes to a league-best .121 hitting percentage.
- This is the reigning #AEVB Defensive Specialist of the Year’s second honor of the season (8/29) and seventh of her career.
Rookie of the Week
Carmen Freeman, UMBC – Fr., Outside Hitter, Memphis, Tenn.
- Ranked third among league leaders last week with 3.7 kills per set in a 2-0 week.
- Had a double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs in her first conference match, a 2-0 win over Hartford Friday.
- This is Freeman’s third-straight #AEVB Rookie of the Week award (9/12, 9/19).
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
Sept. 6 - Player of the Week: McKyla Brooks, Stony Brook; Setter of the Week: Sarah Ngo, Binghamton; Defensive Specialist of the Week: Lindsey Visvardis, UMass Lowell; Rookie of the Week: Samantha Gioiosa, Binghamton
Sept. 12 - Player of the Week: Lauren Mortier, UMBC; Setter of the Week: Krytsia Negron, UMBC; Defensive Specialist of the Week: Logan Welti, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Carmen Freeman, UMBC
Sept. 19 - Player of the Week: Gabri Olhava, New Hampshire; Setter of the Week: LeAnne Sakowicz, Stony Brook; Defensive Specialist of the Week: Kiani Kerstetter, Stony Brook; Rookie of the Week: Carmen Freeman, UMBC
Sept. 26 - Player of the Week: Cydney Bowman, Stony Brook; Setter of the Week: Krytsia Negron, UMBC; Defensive Specialist of the Week: Kristin Watson, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Carmen Freeman, UMBC
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.
- #3Pillars – Building the Complete Student-Athlete -