FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Adelphi with League-High Five All-Conference Selections.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – New Haven's Macy Brown claimed Northeast-10 Conference Volleyball Player of the Year honors – the first Chargers' player to win the award in a decade – as the league office announced its All-Conference teams on Wednesday afternoon.
Joining Brown among major award winners was her teammate Michelle Henwood, the Setter of the Year, while Saint Anselm's Hollyn Frano was named Rookie of the Year and Bentley's Joey Pacis was selected as Sandy Hoffman Coach of the Year for the third time since the 2014 season.
Adelphi's Jamie Yonker earned her third-consecutive Libero of the Year, becoming the first NE10 player to accomplish the feat. The Panthers, who earned the top seed in the NE10 Volleyball Championship, led all programs with five All-Conference selections while two-time reigning NE10 champion American International was second with four honorees.
For a complete list of honorees, please see below. All-Conference teams are not based on position and are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Brown is the first New Haven player since Amber Cannady in the 2013 season to win Player of the Year, as she helped lead the Chargers to a share of the regular season title and the No. 2 seed in the NE10 Volleyball Championship. Brown led all NE10 players in kills (385), kills per set (3.70) and points per set (4.2), while ranking fifth in digs (352) and 14th in digs per set (3.38). She had 15 double-doubles this season, with a season-high 24 kills against Bridgeport on Nov. 6. Brown was selected to First Team All-Conference.
Yonker led all NE10 players in digs (475) and ranked second in digs per set (5.11) on her way to securing a third-straight Libero of the Year honor. She recorded seven matches with 20 or more digs, helping Adelphi's defensive efforts as part of a 13-match winning streak to end the regular season. The Panthers earned a share of the NE10 regular season title with a 10-1 conference record. It is also Yonker's third selection to First Team All-Conference.
Henwood earned Setter of the Year while coordinating the New Haven offensive attack, which ranked second among NE10 teams in kills per set (12.81). She is the first Chargers' player to win the award since Kristine Rios in the 2017 season. Henwood ranked first in assists (936), second in assists per set (9.00) and tied for 11th in digs (296) this season, including 18 matches with 30 or more assists. She is a First Team All-Conference selection for the first time in her career, following a pair of Second Team selections.
Frano is the first Saint Anselm player in program history to win Rookie of the Year, following a standout season for the Hawks. She ranked sixth in the NE10 in both kills (248) and kills per set (3.02), while topping all players in services aces (59) and service aces per set (0.72). Frano was a four-time Rookie of the Week selection and she helped the Hawks earn the No. 6 seed in the NE10 Volleyball Championship. She was also named a Second Team All-Conference selection.
Pacis earned Sandy Hoffman Coach of the Year – an award named after his coaching predecessor at Bentley – for the third time in his career (2014 and 2019). Bentley came within one match of earning a share of the regular season title with a 9-2 record, claiming the No. 3 seed in the NE10 Volleyball Championship. At one point during the season, the Falcons boasted a 14-match winning streak from Sept. 15 to Oct. 21. 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.
The NE10 Volleyball Championship continues on Friday, Nov. 17, with semifinal action at Adelphi. Please visit Championship Central for all information.
�������������������� ������-�������������������� ��
— The NE10 (@TheNortheast10) November 15, 2023
Pair of @UNHChargers earn major awards as the NE10 announces its Volleyball All-Conference honorees for the 2023 season ��
��: https://t.co/dcE2tkWJNY #NE10EMBRACE #NCAAD2 #D2VB @AUPanthers @STAHawks @BentleyFalcons pic.twitter.com/d5aFWD93NS
Player of the Year: Macy Brown, New Haven
Libero of the Year: Jamie Yonker, Adelphi
Setter of the Year: Michelle Henwood, New Haven
Rookie of the Year: Hollyn Frano, Saint Anselm
Sandy Hoffman Coach of the Year: Joey Pacis, Bentley
FIRST TEAM
Jamie Yonker, Adelphi
Aleksandra Ivanovic, AIC
Ingrid Murphy, Bentley
Ellie Wheeler, Bentley
Macy Brown, New Haven
Michelle Henwood, New Haven
Ana Pimenta, SNHU
SECOND TEAM
Noelle Alberda, Adelphi
Lilyen McCarthy, Adelphi
Brenna Valsted, Adelphi
Alice Di Francesco, AIC
Amber Williams, AIC
Kaitlin Brown, Saint Anselm
Hollyn Frano, Saint Anselm
THIRD TEAM
Macarty McQueen, Adelphi
Paola Soto Burgos, AIC
Morgan Schmutzler, Franklin Pierce
Brielle Jones, Pace
Yasmeen Muhammad, Pace
Alexandra Baez Rentas, Saint Michael's
Jessica Vargas, Saint Rose
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Claudia Flores Marrero, AIC
Grace Juergens, New Haven
Peyton Mast, New Haven
Yasmeen Muhammad, Pace
Hollyn Frano, Saint Anselm
Grace Almeida, Saint Michael's
Kyla Farnan, Saint Michael's
Carissa Michel, SCSU
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 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.
