FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 15, 2012
South Easton, Mass. – The University of New Haven's Keidy Candelaria was named the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Volleyball Player of the Year for the second consecutive season by the conference's head coaches it was announced today by the league office.
The Conference Player of the Year was just one of the major awards that were announced today. The NE-10 also announced its All-Conference teams, as well as its 2012 All-Rookie Team. For the complete list of winners and honorees, see below.
Candelaria's teammates, Kaulana Ane and Kristen Lee each earned major awards as Ane was named Setter of the Year, while Lee was named the Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year. Pace University's Elyse Rowland was named Libero of the Year for the second consecutive year, while Franklin Pierce University's Stephanie Dragan was named the NE-10 Coach of the Year by her peers.
Candelaria, a senior outside hitter for the Chargers, becomes the sixth player in the history of the Northeast-10 Conference to earn the award twice during her career. Former Chargers' great Sara Malmlov was the last to accomplish the feat when she claimed the award in 2009 and 2010.
Candelaria also keeps the NE-10 Player of the Year trophy in New Haven as a representative from the Chargers has won the award each year since they entered the league in 2008. Rhe-Ann Niles won the award in 2008, and the aforementioned Malmlov claimed the honor in 2009 and 2010.
The senior outside hitter from Puerto Rico had another outstanding season for the Chargers who recorded another undefeated record in conference play (15-0) and have the best winning percentage in the nation (25-1). Candelaria led the Northeast-10 in kills per set (3.68), points per set (4.4), and service aces per set (0.51).
Her 4.4 points per set were good for 30th in all of Division II according to the most recent NCAA Report, while her 331 kills on the year rank her fifth and her 46 total aces are good for seventh in the NE-10. Candelaria was also tabbed to the Northeast-10 Conference First Team.
Ane was another member of the New Haven squad to be lauded by the coaches, as she was named the conference's Setter of the Year. The sophomore's 10.66 assists per set led the league (and is currently 20th-best in the nation), and her 927 assists overall is currently seventh best. Ane and the Chargers only played 51 sets in Northeast-10 Conference play (45-6), en route to another perfect regular season.
The Hawaiian native also has 30 aces so far this season, which is tied for second most on her team, and has registered 84 kills and 194 digs. Ane was also named to the NE-10 Second Team this year.
New Haven freshman Kristen Lee is the third member of the team to earn an award as she was named the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year. Lee was among the Chargers' leaders in a number of categories and was another weapon for the top-seeded team in the NE-10.
Lee is currently third on the team in kills per set (2.49) and points per set (2.9), and has registered 222 kills overall. So far this season, she also has accounted for 267 digs and 25 aces.
Pace's Elyse Rowland was named the Conference's Libero of the Year for the second consecutive season. The senior helped lead the Setters to a 10-5 mark in conference play, and following their upset of third-seeded Franklin Pierce in the First Round, a semifinal matchup against Adelphi University on Friday night.
Rowland led the Northeast-10 with 664 digs, which was nearly 100 more than the second-place finisher. Her 5.15 digs per set also was tops in the league. The senior was also a Northeast-10 Conference First Team selection.
Franklin Pierce head coach Stephanie Dragan was named the Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year. Dragan has led the Ravens to a 19-14 season thus far, including a 12-3 mark in league play, which placed them third in the conference standings. Franklin Pierce is hopeful they are a part of the 2012 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball field when it is announced Sunday evening at 10 p.m. EST on ncaa.com.
Dragan's squad finished in ninth-place in the Northeast-10 standings a year ago, and finished the year with a 13-13 record (7-8 NE-10). Two of her student-athletes (Natasha Ray and Lauren Miller) were named to All-Conference teams, while another (Lina Kleinschmidt) was named to the All-Rookie Team.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes
2012 Northeast-10 Volleyball All-Conference Teams
2012 Northeast-10 All-Conference First
Team
Name School Position Year Hometown
Kaitlyn Destefano Adelphi Middle Sophomore Farmingdale, N.Y.
Chelsea Overholt Adelphi Outside Hitter Junior Centerville, Va.
Natasha Ray Franklin Pierce Outside Hitter Junior Colorado Springs,
Colo.
Keidy Candelaria New Haven Outside Hitter Senior Vega Baja, Puerto
Rico
Amber Cannady New Haven Middle Junior Yonkers, N.Y.
Elyse Rowland Pace Libero Senior Antioch, Calif.
Nora Rugova Pace Outside Hitter Senior Mt. Kisco, N.Y.
2012 Northeast-10 All-Conference Second
Team
Name School Position Year Hometown
Bianca Hernandez Adelphi Libero Graduate East Moriches, N.Y.
Caitlin Connelly American Int'l Outside Hitter Junior Holbrook,
N.Y.
Lauren Miller Franklin Pierce Libero Junior Alexandria, Ind.
Kaulana Ane New Haven Setter Sophomore Paia, Hawaii
Alex Gagliano Saint Rose Middle Junior Cornwall, N.Y.
Sarah Beres So. Connecticut Right Side Hitter Junior Ellington,
Conn.
Emily Iverson Stonehill Setter Sophomore Elmhurst, Ill.
2012 Northeast-10 All-Conference Third
Team
Name School Position Year Hometown
Katie Bryson Adelphi Setter Junior Massapequa, N.Y.
Kervelle Redhead American Int'l Setter Graduate St. James,
Trinidad
Morgan McDermott Le Moyne Middle Senior Camillus, N.Y.
Kelsey Lace Saint Rose Outside Hitter Freshman Glendale, R.I.
Kimberly Lachowicz So. Connecticut Setter Senior Mansfield,
Texas
Lauren McVey So. Connecticut Outside Hitter Junior Baldwinsville,
N.Y.
Erin Kelly Stonehill Libero Senior Tinley Park, Ill.
2012 Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team
Name School Position Hometown
Brittany Bryant American Int'l Middle New Windsor, N.Y.
Lina Kleinschmidt Franklin Pierce Middle Santa Barbara, Calif.
Kristen Lee New Haven Outside Hitter Colorado Springs, Colo.
Kea-Marie Olaso New Haven Libero / DS Kailua, Hawaii
Megan Kurz Pace Outside Hitter San Diego, Calif.
Kelsey Lace Saint Rose Outside Hitter Glendale, R.I.
Emma Houlihan So. New Hampshire Middle Shoreham, N.Y.
Player of the Year – Keidy
Candelaria, New Haven
Setter of the Year – Kaulana Ane,
New Haven
Libero of the Year – Elyse Rowland,
Pace
Rookie of the Year – Kristen Lee,
New Haven
Coach of the Year – Stephanie
Dragan, Franklin Pierce
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