FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Haven and Stonehill with Four All-Conference Selections.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – American International graduate outside hitter Andrea Serra-Rosa has once again been voted the Northeast-10 Conference Volleyball Player of the Year – earning the honor for the second-straight season – as the league office announced its All-Conference honorees on Thursday afternoon.
Serra-Rosa becomes the first NE10 volleyball player to earn repeat Player of the Year honors since New Haven's Keidy Candelaria accomplished the feat in 2011 and 2012. It is also the third-straight season and fourth time in the last five seasons that AIC has produced the NE10 Player of the Year under head coach Matt Cribbin.
Four different institutions earned major awards, which includes two players from AIC. Sophomore Naomi Eckert-Rivera won NE10 Setter of the Year, joining Serra-Rosa in leading the Yellow Jackets to the NE10 regular season championship and top seed in the NE10 Volleyball Championship for the first time in program history.
New Haven and Stonehill were tied for a league-best four All-Conference selections each, while AIC and Southern Connecticut had three apiece. AIC and New Haven both had multiple players on the All-Conference First Team, after the programs earned the No. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively, in the Championship.
For a full list of All-Conference selections – as voted on by the league's head coaches – please see below.
Serra-Rosa provided much of the firepower for the Yellow Jackets, who closed out the regular season on a 17-match winning streak. She ranked second among NE10 players with 3.82 kills per set and 4.3 points per set in conference play this season, while contributing on the defensive side with 2.77 digs per set. Serra-Rosa recorded 10 or more kills in eight NE10 matches, while tallying four double-doubles against conference opponents. She also earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team.
Adelphi senior Jamie Yonker was elected as the NE10 Libero of the Year, the second time in the past three seasons that a Panthers' player has earned the award. Yonker was a defensive force for Adelphi, finishing second in the NE10 in digs (285) and digs per set (5.94) in conference matches. She accumulated double-digit digs against each NE10 opponent, including 35 (7.0 digs/set) against AIC in a 3-2 loss on Oct. 2. Yonker is a First Team All-Conference selection.
Eckert-Rivera takes home NE10 Setter of the Year after serving as the backbone of AIC's offensive attack. She averaged a league-best 11.25 assists per set in conference matches this season. Eckert-Rivera posted 35 or more assists in nine NE10 matches, including a personal-best of 44 in victories over Saint Rose (Oct. 5) and Saint Anselm (Nov. 12). AIC ranked first in kills per set (13.95) and second in hitting percentage (.254) as a team in conference play this season behind Eckert-Rivera's performances. She is also a First Team All-Conference selection.
In her first season of competition, Bentley sophomore outside hitter Ellie Wheeler made a big impact for the Falcons – ranking first among all NE10 players in kills (187) and kills per set (4.07) in conference play. She also ranked just outside the top 25 in digs per set (2.96) among all NE10 teams. Wheeler recorded six double-doubles, including a 17-kill, 15-dig effort in a 3-1 win over SCSU (Oct. 15). She helped Bentley – the 2019 NE10 champion – earn the No. 4 seed in the Championship. Wheeler is a First Team All-Conference selection.
Stonehill's Craig Martin has been named NE10's Sandy Hoffman Coach of the Year, becoming the first Skyhawks' head coach to earn the honor since Lauren Amundson in 2011. Stonehill, currently ranked No. 2 in the latest NCAA East Region rankings, posted a 21-8 (10-3 NE10) record in 2021 under Martin – good for the third seed in the NE10 Championship. The award is named after Sandy Hoffman, an NE10 Hall of Famer, who recorded 758 career victories – fourth-most all-time in Division II history.
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— The NE10 (@TheNortheast10) November 18, 2021
For the second-straight season, @aicathletics Andrea Serra-Rosa has been tabbed Player of the Year, as the NE10 announces its 2021 All-Conference honorees! ��
��: https://t.co/fGDrbDM09i#NE10EMBRACE #NCAAD2 #D2VB pic.twitter.com/gpPGEOq02l
2021 NE10 Volleyball All-Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Andrea Serra-Rosa, AIC
Libero of the Year: Jamie Yonker, Adelphi
Setter of the Year: Naomi Eckert-Rivera, AIC
Rookie of the Year: Ellie Wheeler, Bentley
Sandy Hoffman Coach of the Year: Craig Martin, Stonehill
FIRST TEAM
Jamie Yonker, Adelphi
Naomi Eckert-Rivera, AIC
Andrea Serra-Rosa, AIC
Ellie Wheeler, Bentley
Jessica Akiona, New Haven
Macy Brown, New Haven
Lauren Casey, Saint Anselm
Gabriela Gaibur, SCSU
Abby Remick, Stonehill
SECOND TEAM
Ulrika Blomgren, AIC
Emily Barry, New Haven
Michelle Henwood, Saint Anselm
Abigail Epstein, SCSU
Juliana Pacini, SNHU
Shannon Burgess, Stonehill
Basia Peragine, Stonehill
THIRD TEAM
Kambel Fiser, Adelphi
Barbara Illig, Assumption
Ingrid Murphy, Bentley
Ingrid Lindstrom, Franklin Pierce
Sophia Leon-Tabor, New Haven
Krishnalei So'oto, SCSU
Carly Russell, Stonehill
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Kambel Fiser, Adelphi
Ulrika Blomgren, AIC
Paola Soto-Burgos, AIC
Alexis Distasio, Assumption
Barbara Illig, Assumption
Ellie Wheeler, Bentley
Macy Brown, New Haven
Sophia Leon-Tabor, New Haven
Gabby Belcher, Saint Anselm
Krishnalei So'oto, SCSU
Jentry Allen, Stonehill
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
