GNAC Players of the Week: February 22

By Melissa Maitland

GNAC Sports Information Specialist

Matt Ferreira (Men’s Volleyball, Rivier), Sarah Wheeler (Women’s Swimming, St. Joseph (CT)), Javon Williams (Men’s Basketball, Lasell), and Paulette Wright (Women’s Basketball, Pine Manor) have been named Great Northeast Athletic Conference Players of the Week.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Men's Volleyball – Matt Ferreira, Rivier, Sr., Lincoln, R.I.
Weekly Totals
Kills (43), Assists (2), Digs (10), Blocks (17), Aces (0)

Middle hitter Ferreira had an outstanding week as the #7 ranked Raiders went 4-1. Ferreira tallied 43 kills, with just 4 hitting errors on 79 swings, for a .494 hitting percentage. Rivier defeated Mount Ida, 3-0, before heading to the Endicott Invitational Tournament last weekend. At the Endicott Invitational, the Raiders collected victories against New Jersey City, 3-1, then #13 ranked SUNY New Paltz, 3-0, and MIT, 3-0. The Raiders only loss of the week came against host Endicott, 3-0. Ferrier hit .500 with 7 kills on 14 swings with zero errors, while adding 8 blocks in the win over MIT. Ferreira is ranked 2nd for the Raiders in attack percentage (.413), blocks per set (1.6), points per set (5.33), and kills per set (3.16). This is the 1st time this season that Ferreira has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week. Rivier is currently in 1st place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 7-0 and an overall record of 17-4. The Raiders next face Newbury on Feb. 25.

Women’s Swimming - Sarah Wheeler, St. Joseph (CT), Jr., Winchendon Springs, Mass.

Wheeler set three school records at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association (NEISDA) Championships last weekend. She placed 5th in the 100-yard butterfly (1:01.04), 6th in the 400-yard individual medley (4:59.16), and 8th in the 200-yard butterfly (2:20.16). Wheeler also helped earn the Blue Jays points as a member of three relay teams. Her team placed 11th in the 400-yard medley relay (4:25.80), 12th in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:47.90), and 14th in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:54.80). St. Joseph (CT) finished the meet with 114 points, earning the Blue Jays 15th place out of 22 teams. This is the 3rd time this season that Wheeler has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week. She was previously honored on Dec. 7 and Feb. 1.

Men's Basketball – Javon Williams, Lasell, So., Mattapan, Mass.
Weekly Totals
Points (52/26.00 per game), Rebounds (21/10.50 per game), Assists (4/2.00 per game)

Williams scored 37 points in an 85-78 overtime victory over Mount Ida on Feb. 17. He then recorded his 12th double-double of the season against Rivier, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a 66-53 loss to the Raiders on Feb. 20. Williams also averaged 4 steals and 2 blocks per game for the week. Williams is currently ranked 2nd in the GNAC in minutes played (35.8 pg). He is also ranked 3rd in the GNAC in scoring (20.6 ppg), rebounding (8.8 rpg), steals (2.1 pg), and offensive rebounding (3.7 pg), 5th in field goal percentage (.538), 7th in defensive rebounding (5.1 pg), 10th in blocked shots (1.1 pg), and 12th in free throw percentage (.711). This is the 1st time this season that Williams has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week. Lasell finished the regular season with a 8-10 conference record and a 10-15 overall record, seeding them 6th in the GNAC Men’s Basketball Championship, which began on Feb. 23. In quarterfinal action the #6 seeded Lasers knocked off #3 seeded St. Joseph’s (ME), defeating the Monks 85-78 in overtime. The Lasers move on to the semifinals and will face #2 seeded Emerson on Feb. 25.

Women's Basketball – Paulette Wright, Pine Manor, So., Baltimore, M.D.
Weekly Totals
Points (26/26.00 per game), Rebounds (15/15.00 per game) Assists (3/3.00 per game)

Wright sank a game-winning buzzer-beater and secured the GNAC rebounding title with her monstrous 26 point, 22 rebound, 4 block effort in Pine Manor’s 75-73 victory over St. Joseph (CT) on Feb. 20. Her tip-in as time expired gave the Gators their first road win of the season. Wright also set career highs with 14 free throws made in 17 attempts. Wright finished the regular season ranked 1st in the GNAC in rebounding, pulling down 10.9 rebounds per game. She is also ranked 2nd in offensive rebounding (4.2 pg), 5th in defensive rebounding (6.8 pg), 7th in blocked shots (1.3 pg), 10th in steals (2.1 pg), and 12th in scoring (12.6 ppg). This is the 1st time this season that Wright has been named as a GNAC Player of the Week. Pine Manor finished the regular season in 11th place in the GNAC, with a conference record of 2-10 and an overall record of 2-18.