Women's Volleyball

#AEVB Week 12: Bryant Earns a Share of the #AEVB Regular Season Title

BOSTON – In the final matches of the regular season, Bryant claimed a share of the #AEVB Regular Season Championship for the first time in program history with a win over NJIT, while UAlbany secured the No. 3 Seed in the upcoming Championship with a win over UMBC.

Need to Know
  • Bryant hit their highest percentage rate of the season as they swept NJIT on Friday. The Bulldogs celebrated their seniors while also celebrating their first America East Regular Season Championship with the win.
  • UAlbany secured the third seed with a sweep over UMBC on Friday. The Great Danes finished conference play with a 6-4 record and will face off against Bryant in the opening round of the #AEVB Championship Friday night.
  • Binghamton swept the defending champions, New Hampshire, on Friday and earned the fourth seed in the #AEVB Championship. For the fourth straight year, the Bearcats will make an appearance in the tournament, the second longest streak in the field.
  • The 2025 America East Volleyball Championship begins Friday night with #1 UMBC taking on #4 Binghamton at 4 PM and #2 Bryant facing #3 UAlbany at 8 PM. The semifinal winners will play for the league’s automatic bid on Saturday at 4 PM.
  • Stay up-to-date on the tournament by visiting Championship Central for streaming and live stats links as well as box scores, highlights and recaps following each round in addition to team information, tournament history and more.

Links
Weekly Award Winners – Nov. 17
Player of the Week
Merima Smajlovic, Binghamton – Sr., Outside Hitter, Istanbul, Turkey
  • Smajlovic narrowly missed out on her 15th double-double of the season Friday night, as she posted 19 kills and 9 digs in Binghamton's 3-0 win over New Hampshire.
  • Added four total blocks and two service aces in the win for the Bearcats.
  • This is Smajlovic’s second #AEVB Player of the Week honor of the season.
 
Setter of the Week
Regan Kadel, Binghamton – So., Setter, Parker, Colorado
  • Led all players with 39 assists in Binghamton’s 3-0 victory at New Hampshire.
  • It marked the fifth time in the last six matches that Kadel has recorded at least 39 assists since becoming the team's primary setter, including in each of her last four.
  • This is Kadel’s second #AEVB Setter of the Week honor of the season.

Defensive Player of the Week
Emily Cronkhite, Binghamton – Sr., Libero, Metamora, Illinois
  • Cronkhite led the Bearcats with 12 digs in their 3-0 victory at New Hampshire Friday night.
  • The senior also added three assists and one service ace. Cronkhite continues to lead the America East in digs per set against conference opponents at 4.85.
  • This is Cronkhite’s second #AEVB Defensive Specialist of the Week honor of the season.

Rookie of the Week
Lucy Chertock, New Hampshire – Fr., Outside Hitter, Danville, Calif.
  • Chertock was an anchor for the Wildcats in their matchup against Binghamton, logging a team-high 12 kills, attack percentage (.455), 12.5 points, and 13 digs.
  • Her seventh double-double of the year and third in last three games.
  • This is Chertock’s sixth #AEVB Rookie of the Week honor of the season.

2025 #AEVB Weekly Award Winners
Nov. 17 –
Player of the Week: Merima Smajlovic, Binghamton; Setter of the Week: Regan Kadel, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Lucy Chertock, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Emily Cronkhite, Binghamton
Nov. 11 – Player of the Week: Arianna Ugolini, Bryant; Setter of the Week: Maria Olga Siapani, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Ruth Ochelli, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC
Nov. 4 – Player of the Week: Viktoria Dimitrova, Binghamton; Setter of the Week: Regan Kadel, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Maya Coblentz-Brown, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC
Oct. 28 – Player of the Week: Jalynn Brown, UMBC; Setter of the Week: Maria Olga Siapani, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Lucy Chertock, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC
Oct. 21 – Player of the Week: Shynelle Woroniuk, UAlbany; Setter of the Week: Maria Olga Siapani, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Lucy Chertock, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Emily Cronkhite, Binghamton
Oct. 14 – Player of the Week: Jalynn Brown, UMBC; Setter of the Week: Madison Koeller, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Lucy Chertock, New Hampshire; Co-Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC & Kasia Barletta, UAlbany 
Oct. 7 – Player of the Week: Claudia Llamas, UMBC; Setter of the Week: Maria Olga Siapani, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Maya Coblentz-Brown, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC
Sept. 30 – Player of the Week: Meredith Hohnbaum, New Hampshire; Setter of the Week: Izzy Ostvig, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Lucy Chertock, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC
Sept. 23 – Player of the Week: Arianna Ugolini, Bryant; Setter of the Week: Madison Koeller, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Ruth Ochelli, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Brooke Malek, UAlbany
Sept. 16 – Player of the Week: Merima Smajlovic, Binghamton; Setter of the Week: Maria Olga Siapani, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Maya Coblentz-Brown, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Brooke Malek, UAlbany
Sept. 9 – Player of the Week: Shynelle Woroniuk, UAlbany; Setter of the Week: Finley McAndrew, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Maya Coblentz-Brown, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Brooke Malek, UAlbany
Sept. 3 – Player & Rookie of the Week: Lucy Chertock, New Hampshire; Setter of the Week: Maria Olga Siapani, UAlbany; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC
 
Info
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEVB contest this season with the majority of games airing on ESPN+ and the ESPN app while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
 
Follow the @AmericaEast channels on Twitter and Instagram to stay up-to-date on America East volleyball news all season long and use #AEVB to join the conversation.
 
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Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.

 
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