BOSTON – Bryant had an unstoppable week as they went 4-0, including a 3-2 win over previously unbeaten Boston College on Saturday. Binghamton, UMBC, and New Hampshire picked up wins throughout the week in another strong week for the league.
Need to Know
- Bryant started the week with a win over Fairfield before winning the Boston College Invitational over the weekend. The Bulldogs took down Harvard and Stonehill, 3-1, on Friday before a thrilling five set match against Boston College on Saturday. Arianna Ugolini led the team with 17 kills while Madison Koeller led the way with 45 assists in the win. The Bulldogs picked up their second win in program history over Boston College and Bryant's first ever win at Chestnut Hill.
- New Hampshire had a balanced attack against Merrimack Tuesday night. The Wildcats took the sweep before facing three tough opponents over the weekend, including a 3-set loss to No. 14 Texas A&M.
- Binghamton went 1-2 over the weekend. Coach Allie Yaeger reached a career milestone as the Bearcats defeated Southern Illinois Edwardsville 3-1 on Friday. Yaeger picked up for 200th career win while Binghamton begins conference play with a 5-8 record overall.
- UMBC secured up a 3-2 comback victory over Howard on Saturday. Izzy Ostvig had her second triple-double of the season as she led the Retrievers to a thrilling five set win over the Bison. UMBC opens up conference play on Friday night against NJIT.
- Conference play starts this weekend as UMBC takes on NJIT and Binghamton travels to UAlbany on Friday. Action continues Sunday as Bryant hosts UAlbany and New Hampshire faces NJIT at 3:30 p.m.
- The #AEVB preseason poll and All-Conference teams were announced on August 7 - link.
Weekly Award Winners – Sept. 16
Player of the Week
Arianna Ugolini, Bryant – Senior, Outside Hitter, Bologna, Italy
- Set a career-high 27 kills against Fairfield and finished the weekend averaging 4.59 kills per set and 1.94 digs per set.
- The outside hitter recorded 78 kills, 33 digs, four blocks, and nine service aces as the team went 4-0 over the week.
- This is Ugolini’s third career #AEVB Player of the Week award.
Setter of the Week
Madison Koeller, Bryant – Jr., Setter, Winchester, VA.
- Averaged 10.94 assists and 2.35 digs per set with 40 total digs and four blocks over the weekend.
- Koeller had a record breaking performance against Boston College, tallying 58 assists in the match.
- This is Koeller’s first #AEVB Setter of the Week honor of her career.
Rookie of the Week
Ruth Ochelli, Bryant – Fr., Outside Hitter, Sugar Land, Texas
- Put up 47 kills, nine digs, and 11 assists while helping the Bulldogs win all four of their matches.
- Finished the weekend averaging 2.76 kills and 3.21 points per set while hitting .265.
- This is Ochelli’s first #AEVB Rookie of the Week honor.
Defensive Player of the Week
Brooke Malek, UAlbany – Redshirt Jr., Defensive Specialist, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Had 64 digs and the highest average of digs per set (5.82) over the weekend for any #AEVB player.
- Tallied 28 digs in a 3-1 loss to Ole Miss while also averaging 1.09 assists per set over the weekend.
- This is Malek’s third #AEVB Defensive Specialist of the Week honor of the year.
2025 #AEVB Weekly Award Winners
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
Links
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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