Week 1 - September 7, 2021

NE10 Player of the Week

Juliana Pacini, Southern New Hampshire
Junior | Outside Hitter | Sao Paulo, Brazil

Pacini racked up 65 kills (4.64 k/s), seven aces (0.50 sa/s) and 40 digs (2.86 d/s) during a 3-1 week for the Penmen. Pacini opened the season with 18 kills, 15 digs and two aces in a 3-1 loss to Post on Saturday, before posting a career-best 23 kills (.350) and adding 12 digs in a 3-1 win over Bloomsburg Sunday. She is pacing the NE10 in both kills and kills per set after opening weekend.

NE10 Libero of the Week

Jamie Yonker, Adelphi
Senior | Libero | Old Bethpage, N.Y.

In a 3-1 week for Adelphi volleyball, Yonker served as the primary libero, averaging 6.20 digs per set - with her best average coming in a 3-0 sweep of Clarion University. Through four sets she totaled 93 digs but also added 17 assists to put up 1.13 assists per set, including nine in a 3-2 win against Ursuline. In a sweep of Shippensburg, Yonker was responsible four four of her six service aces over the weekend.

NE10 Setter of the Week

Naomi Eckert, American International
Sophomore | Setter | Toa Baja, Puerto Rico

Eckert had a great opening weekend for the Yellow Jackets. She have 152 total assists (10.13 per set) with 48 digs (3.2 per set) while recording a double-double in three of the four matches. With her 60 assists against Wilmington, she was just two away from tying her career high of 62.

NE10 Rookie of the Week

Macy Brown, New Haven
Freshman | Outside Hitter/Defensive Specialist | Cadillac, Mich.

Rookie outside hitter/defensive specialist Macy Brown opened up her collegiate career with one of the most impressive single match performances in 10 years when she drilled 26 kills to lead the Chargers to a season-opening win over Ursuline at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament. Her 26 kills were the most by an individual player since September 2011. Brown would go on to add another double-digit performance with 13 kills against Saginaw State and fell one short against Shippensburg, all together finishing the week tied for second on the team with 50 kills. In addition, the rookie added three matches with double-figure digs, two of them combining for a double-double, and added nine total blocks on the defensive end. In addition she dropped in seven service aces. Her 57 total digs were second-most on the team and her nine blocks were third-most.

NE10 Weekly Honor Roll

Dora Butkovic, American Int'l (Fr, OH - Zagreb, Croatia)
Butkovic had a solid week for the Yellow Jackets as she had 42.5 points while recording 3.80 kills per set with a .286 attack percentage. Additionally she dug 2.80 balls per set and added four aces. She recorded double-doubles in matched in which she appeared in at least three sets.

Amanda Parker, Bentley (Sr., S - St. Charles, Ill.)
In four matches at the Oklahoma Christian Eagle Invitational, Parker averaged 10.79 assists, 0.71 aces, 2.79 digs and 0.29 blocks for the Falcons. During the opening weekend, she led the NE10 in assists per set and was second in average blocks. Her week included three double-doubles and highs of 44 assists (St. Mary's), six aces (St. Mary's), 14 digs (St. Mary's) and three blocks (Okla. Christian).

Ellie Wheeler, Bentley (So., OH/RS - Olathe, Kan.)
Wheeler, in her first four matches as a collegian, totaled 54 kills, an average of 3.86 per set, and contributed 2.93 digs per set while hitting .213 during the Oklahoma Christian Eagle Invitational. She had 16 kills twice, against OCU and St. Mary's, and double-doubles in the Falcons' other two matches. She led the NE10 in total kills and is third in average kills.

Hannah Hillis, Franklin Pierce (Fr., OH - San Clemente, Calif.)
Totaled a team-leading 52 kills through four matches at the Ram Fest - her 16 kills vs. Goldey-Beacom, 10 kills at West Chester, and 13 kills vs. Jefferson were all game-highs. Recorded three service aces vs. Millersville, and six in total across the four matches. She led the team in digs vs. Jefferson with 13 total. Registered a team-high 59.5 points throughout the weekend.

Morgan Schmutzler, Franklin Pierce (So., OH - Lockport, Ill.)
Recorded 77 digs across four matches at the Ram Fest, including 25 digs in the win over Goldey-Beacom. Registered three points over the weekend (two vs. Goldey-Beacom; one vs. Jefferson). Added 11 assists total through all four matches, six attacks in the final two matches of the weekend (vs. Jefferson; vs. Millersville), and three service aces, including two in the win over Goldey-Beacom.

Emily Barry, New Haven (Jr, OH - Freeport, N.Y.)
One of two players to earn All-Tournament honors following the two-day Tony Banner Memorial Tournament hosted by Clarion University, Barry closed out all four tournament matches with a double-double. Her double-digit kills in each match totaled 53 for the weekend which led all of the New Haven hitters. She posted a pair of 15-kill matches which set new career-bests for the Freeport, N.Y. native. In addition, she totaled 53 digs which was the third most on the team while she combined for six total blocks, including four that came in the season opening win against Ursuline.

Sophia Leon-Tabor, New Haven (Fr, S - Fort Myers, Fla.)
The Chargers rookie setter opened up her career with 172 assists across four matches, for an average of 10.12 per set at the Tony Banner Memorial Tournament hosted by Clarion. Leon-Tabor opened up her career with 53 assists in a five-set win over Ursuline, while adding three kills, nine digs and three aces in the victory. She would go on to post a pair of 40+ assist outings on day two of the tournament, including an average of 11 per against Saginaw Valley State. She also finished that match with 12 digs for her first double double, while closing out that two-match day with a pair of blocks each against Saginaw Valley and Shippensburg.

Michelle Henwood, Saint Anselm (Jr, S - Guaynabo, Puerto Rico)
The junior co-captain recorded 114 assists in the four Hawks matches over the weekend. She posted 32 assists in a 3-0 win over Bloomsburg. She earned at least 26 assists in the four matches and is averaging 9.50 assists per set. Henwood added 30 digs and 14 kills throughout the weekend. The junior has also added one solo block and four assisted blocks to aid the Hawks defense. She is hitting at a .565 hitting percentage, including a 5-5 match against Post. 

Abigail Epstein, Southern Conn. St. (Gr., MH/RS - Crystal River, Fla.)
Epstein was a critical piece for the Owls in their opening weekend of play and helped them to a 4-0 record, all in non-conference play. She played in every set over the four games and had a .390 hitting percentage with 36 kills, 20 digs, seven blocks (2 solo, 5 assists), and seven service aces from the line. Epstein's best game of the weekend came against Queens where she tallied her first career double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs, adding three service aces and a block.

Deanne Wilson, Southern N.H. (Fr., DS - No. Collins, N.Y.)
Wilson notched 94 digs (6.71) digs during a 3-1 week for the Penmen. She opened the season with 27 digs in her first collegiate match - a 3-1 loss to Post on Saturday - and then established a new career high with 34 in Sunday's 3-1 triumph over Bloomsburg. She leads the NE10 in both digs and digs per set after the first weekend.

2021 NE10 Volleyball Standings

	Conference				Overall
-	GP	W-L	PCT	GP	W-L	PCT
American Int'l	13	11-2	0.846	36	29-7	0.806
New Haven	13	10-3	0.769	32	22-10	0.688
Stonehill	13	10-3	0.769	32	22-10	0.688
Saint Anselm	13	9-4	0.692	27	19-8	0.704
So. Connecticut	13	9-4	0.692	34	23-11	0.676
Bentley	13	9-4	0.692	28	15-13	0.536
So. New Hampshire	13	8-5	0.615	23	12-11	0.522
Adelphi	13	6-7	0.462	28	17-11	0.607
Franklin Pierce	13	6-7	0.462	24	12-12	0.500
Assumption	13	6-7	0.462	20	8-12	0.400
Saint Rose	13	3-10	0.231	27	9-18	0.333
Le Moyne	12	2-10	0.167	21	4-17	0.190
Pace	13	1-12	0.077	22	2-20	0.091
Saint Michael's	12	0-12	0.000	16	1-15	0.063