Week 1 - September 4, 2023

NE10 Player of the Week

Ana Pimenta, Southern New Hampshire
Redshirt Senior | Outside Hitter | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Pimenta registered 48 kills (4.00 k/s), 22 digs (1.83 d/s) and seven blocks (0.58 b/s) during a 4-0 week for SNHU. Pimenta recording 11 kills, nine digs and a pair of blocks in Saturday's 3-0 win against Georgian Court and then finished off the doubleheader with a double-double of 13 kills, 10 digs and three blocks in a three-set win against Edinboro. In a pair of three-set victories Sunday, Pimenta racked up 12 kills against both Southern Connecticut and Saint Michael's.

NE10 Libero of the Week

Morgan Schmutzler, Franklin Pierce
Senior | Libero | Lockport, Ill.

Schmutzler recorded 5.57 digs per set in a 2-0 week for Franklin Pierce, which included 21 digs in a 3-1 win at Molloy. She totaled 39 digs for the week.

NE10 Setter of the Week

Alexandra Báez Rentas, Saint Michael's
Junior | Setter | San Juan, Puerto Rico

Báez Rentas averaged 9.6 assists, 4.2 digs, 0.53 kills, 0.33 blocks and 0.27 aces per set while hitting .412 during a 1-3 weekend. In a 3-1 loss on Saturday to 2022 NCAA squad Saint Anselm, she turned in 38 assists, 18 digs, three blocks and two kills before adding 31 helpers, 11 digs, three kills and a block in a 3-0 loss to Edinboro. She keyed a 3-2 victory over Georgian Court on Sunday with 53 assists, 22 digs, two aces, one kill and one block, dropping an ace at match point. During a 3-0 loss to reigning NCAA regional champion Southern New Hampshire, Báez Rentas turned in 22 assists, 12 digs, two kills and a block. 

NE10 Rookie of the Week

Hollyn Frano, Saint Anselm
Freshman | Outside Hitter | Cave Creek, Ariz.

In a 2-1 opening weekend, Frano led the Hawks with 39 total kills on 117 attempts (.145) and added 36 digs and 15 service aces. In her best performance of the weekend, Frano tallied 14 kills on 37 attempts (.243), 15 digs, and served seven winners in the Hawks thrilling five-set victory over Edinboro. She collected 56 points (4.3 per set) on the week, including two double-double efforts. 

NE10 Weekly Honor Roll

Jamie Yonker, Adelphi (Gr., Libero - Old Bethpage, N.Y.)
Yonker was named to Ferris State All-Tournament Team, as she averaged 5.86 digs per set in a 1-3 week for Adelphi against nationally-ranked teams and Midwest region powerhouses.

Alice Di Francesco, American Int'l (Jr., Setter - Capelle Sul Tavo, Italy)
AIC's setter had an outstanding weekend in Hawaii, putting together 92 assists and 43 digs across four matches, including a 27-13 showing against Hawaii Hilo and a 30-12 follow-up against Hawaii Pacific in the team's win. She even was involved in the offense, scoring seven kills on 14 attack attempts and adding five aces.

Alexis Distasio, Assumption (Jr., OH - Orlando, Fla.)
Distasio logged 24 kills in a pair of 3-1 wins for the Greyhounds. She also added 18 digs and two blocks. This was Assumption's first tri-match sweep since 2016. 

Macy Brown, New Haven (Jr., OH - Cadilac, Mich.)
Brown opened up her junior year with the same intensity she has played since stepping on the court in West Have, racking up 45 kills across four matches for the Chargers, including a pair of 14-kill matches, the first against Ashland and then again in the weekend finale against West Liberty as the Chargers finished the weekend 3-1 at the Ashland Invitational. Overall, Brown hit .229 for the weekend, while adding nine service aces, three total blocks and 40 digs, including completing a double double against West Liberty adding 16 digs to her credit. For her efforts, she was one of two Chargers named to the All-Tournament Team. 

Michelle Henwood, New Haven (Sr., S - Guaynabo, Puerto Rico)
Henwood, the Chargers' transfer setter, led New Haven to a 3-1 weekend at the Ashland Invitational, earning All-Tournament honors along with outside hitter Macy Brown. Overall for the weekend, Henwood racked up 103 assists while adding six kills (.545 hitting), five aces, 31 digs and three total blocks. Her high for the weekend came in the final match of the tournament, a four-set win over West Liberty where she finished with 39 assists while adding 12 digs for the double double. The setter led her offense to hit .275 over the two-day tournament. 

Caroline Belmontez, Saint Anselm (Sr., DS - San Diego, Calif.)
Belmontez led the Hawks defensive efforts in a 2-1 opening weekend, averaging 3.62 digs per set. On the weekend, Belmontez registered 47 digs on 72 total attempts, with just one error. Her 22 digs were a match-high as the Hawks defeated Edinboro 3-2.

Kyla Farnan, St. Michael's (Fr., DS/L - Phoenix, Ariz.)
Farnan contributed 5.33 digs, 1.4 assists and 0.27 aces per set while being aced only three times during a 1-3 weekend. In a 3-0 loss to 2022 NCAA qualifier Saint Anselm on Saturday, Farnan posted 23 digs, eight assists and an ace before turning in 25 digs and seven assists in a 3-0 loss to Edinboro. On Sunday, she tallied 18 digs, four assists and two aces during a 3-2 win over Georgian Court and 14 digs, two assists and an ace in a 3-0 loss to 2022 NCAA East Regional champion Southern New Hampshire.

Ella Patterson, St. Michael's (So., OH - Folsom, Calif.)
Patterson posted 4.0 kills, 2.33 digs, 0.87 blocks and 0.33 aces per set during a 1-3 weekend to enter the second week of the season tied for first in the NE10 in kills average. She turned in 19 kills, 10 digs, three aces, two blocks and an assist during a 3-1 loss on Saturday to 2022 NCAA qualifier Saint Anselm before collecting 11 kills, 13 digs, one ace and one block in a 3-0 loss to Edinboro. On Sunday, Patterson was instrumental in a 3-2 victory against Georgian Court, with 23 kills, six digs, five blocks and two assists. She notched seven kills, six digs, an assist and an ace in a 3-0 loss to reigning regional champion Southern New Hampshire.

Ella Koelb, Southern N.H. (So., S - Auburn. N.H.)
Koelb tallied 69 assists (8.63 a/s), 17 digs (2.13 d/s), seven kills (0.88 k/s) and four blocks (0.50 b/s), playing in three of SNHU's four wins this weekend. Koelb's most impressive stat line came in a three-set win against Georgian Court with 30 helpers, eight digs and three blocks.

2023 NE10 VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS

	Conference				Overall
-	GP	W-L	PCT	GP	W-L	PCT
Adelphi	11	10-1	0.909	33	26-7	0.788
New Haven	11	10-1	0.909	33	23-10	0.697
Bentley	11	9-2	0.818	32	25-7	0.781
American Int'l	11	9-2	0.818	27	16-11	0.593
So. New Hampshire	11	6-5	0.545	26	13-13	0.500
Saint Anselm	11	5-6	0.455	25	14-11	0.560
Pace	11	4-7	0.364	24	13-11	0.542
Saint Michael's	11	4-7	0.364	19	6-13	0.316
Franklin Pierce	11	3-8	0.273	19	8-11	0.421
Saint Rose	11	3-8	0.273	26	7-19	0.269
So. Connecticut	11	2-9	0.182	31	14-17	0.452
Assumption	11	1-10	0.091	21	6-15	0.286