Women's Volleyball

#AEVB Week 8: UMBC Takes Sole Possession of First

BOSTON – UMBC continued its impressive title defense with a dominant sweep of second place New Hampshire, while Binghamton and Bryant also came up with clutch victories at the midpoint of conference play.

Need to Know
  • UMBC improved to 5-0 on Sunday with a sweep of UNH, winning 25-19, 25-20 and 25-22. The Retrievers held the Wildcats to just 0.64 hitting. UMBC also beat Howard 3-1 earlier in the week.
  • Bryant improved to 4-1 in league play with a 3-2 win over visiting UAlbany. The Bulldogs went up 2-1 but dropped the fourth set before claiming the final 15-12.
  • Binghamton put forth its best offensive effort of the season in a 3-0 sweep of NJIT. The team hit .295 with 53 kills while recording 70 digs.
  • This weekend UMBC hosts Bryant in a battle for first place while UAlbany hosts NJIT looking for a second #AEVB win. Binghamton welcomes New Hampshire after getting swept by the Wildcats earlier this year.

Links
Weekly Award Winners – Oct. 20
Player of the Week
Magi Milicevic, Binghamton – Jr., Outside Hitter, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
  • Hit .366 with 19 kills, four digs and two blocks in a 3-0 sweep of NJIT.
  • This is Milicevic’s first career #AEVB Player of the Week honor.
 
Defensive Player of the Week
Celeste Ocampo, Binghamton – So., Libero, Little Elm, Texas
  • In a 3-0 sweep of NJIT, posted 27 digs.
  • The 27 digs is tied for fifth most in a 3-set match in the NCAA this season.
  • This is Ocampo’s first #AEVB Defensive Player of the Week honor.
 
Setter of the Week
Regan Kadel, Binghamton – Jr., Setter, Parker, Colo.
  • Recorded 45 assists, nine digs and two kills
  • The 45 assists is tied for the 14th most in a 3-set match in the NCAA this season.
  • This is Kadel’s second #AEVB Setter of the Week honor.

Rookie of the Week
Natlie Harris, UMBC – Fr., Outside Hitter, Orlando, Fla.
  • Averaged 3.86 kills per set and led the team with 15 kills in the sweep of UNH.
  • Finished with 12 kills, eight digs and two blocks in a 3-1 win over Howard
  • This is Harris’ third #AEVB Rookie of the Week honor.

2026 #AEVB Weekly Award Winners
Sept. 1 – Player of the Week: Emma Converse, New Hampshire; Setter of the Week: Isabel Ostvig, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Hady Pickard, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Alissa Grant, UMBC
Sept. 8 – Player of the Week: Emma Converse, New Hampshire; Setter of the Week: Regan Kadel, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Carrina Barron, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Layla Olatunde, Bryant
Sept. 15 - Player of the Week: Viktoria Dimitrova, Binghamton; Setter of the Week: Isabel Ostvig, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Natalie Harris, UMBC
Sept. 22 – Player of the Week: Viktoria Dimitrova, Binghamton; Setter of the Week: Jessica Shattles, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Hady Pickard, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Alissa Grant, UMBC
Sept. 29 - Player of the Week: Hannah Dobbs, UMBC; Setter of the Week: Jessica Shattles, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Eve Roman, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Addy Bianchini, UAlbany
Oct. 6 - Player of the Week: Claudia Llamas, UMBC; Setter of the Week: Jessica Shattles, New Hampshire; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Alvarado Kalia, Bryant
Oct. 13 - Player of the Week: Rachel Grier, UNH; Setter of the Week: Isabel Ostvig, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Hannah Howard, UMBC; Rookie of the Week: Natalie Harris, UMBC
Oct. 19 - Player of the Week: Magi Milicevic, Binghamton ; Setter of the Week: Regan Kadel, Binghamton; Defensive Player of the Week: Celeste Ocampo, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Natalie Harris, UMBC

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.
 
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
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.