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Great Northeast Athletic Conference

GNAC Women's Volleyball Report: Week 1

GNAC powerhouse Johnson & Wales took home Player and Rookie of the Week honors in Week 1.

GNAC Women's Volleyball Report: Week 1
September 7, 2021

( FOR THE OPENING WEEK OF SEPT. 1 - 5 )

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Peyton Oliver, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., MB - Ramsey, N.J.) - Oliver had a huge night to open the season with 14 kills in each of the Wildcats' two matches. Against Union she hit .306 while totaling four blocks and five digs. On Saturday she managed to hit .318 in a losing effort against Babson but picked up her fourth ace of out weekend. FOr the week, she averaged 3.07 kills and 0.93 digs per set. 

LIBERO OF THE WEEK

Sofia Pawlusik, Rivier (So., LB - Burnt Hills, NY) - Pawlusik held down the Raiders defense as she racked up 22 digs throughout the four sets. She averaged 5.5 digs per set and tallied two assists as well. 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Masina Tupea, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fy., OH - Aeia, Hawaii) - Tupea stepped onto the court for her first career match and put together a 17-kill effort against Clark before tallying 12 in a 3-1 win over Union. She grabbed 19 digs combined on night one of the JWU Invitational before earning five service aces on Saturday morning against New Paltz. 

HONOR ROLL

Anna Allen, Colby-Sawyer - The team captain averaged 7.45 assists and 3.90 digs per set in a 2-1 week for the Chargers. 
 
Audra Fontes, Colby-Sawyer - The libero averaged 5.00 digs per set, including 18 in her first collegiate game.
 
Amanda Payne, Dean (Sr., DS - Millis, Mass.) - Payne led the Bulldogs with 5.25 digs per set in a pair of tough 3-1 defeats last week. The senior posted a team best 20 digs in a 3-1 loss at Bay Path and followed with a match high 22 digs at Fitchburg State in a 3-1 loss. She added three assists in each match. 
 
Alanys Cruz Diaz, Elms (Senior, OPP) - Diaz hit .238 en route to 3.50 kills, 3.00 digs, 1.00 service aces, and 0.67 blocks per set in a two-match week. 
 
Emily Corbett, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., L/DS - Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) - Corbett saw action in all four matches of the JWU Invitational and made a splash the Wildcats 3-1 win over Union with 23 digs and three aces. She followed that performance up with a pair of ten dig matches against New Paltz and Babson on Saturday as the Wildcats closed the week out at 2-2.
  
Kathryn Farnum, Norwich (Sr., OH - North Andover, Mass.) - Totaled 19 kills in Norwich's opening matches of the 2021 season, while having a hitting percentage of .441 for the week including hitting .643 hitting percentage and double-digit kills in a Saturday afternoon contest against NVU-Lyndon.
 
Avery Pollard, Rivier (Sr., S - Ballston Lake, NY) - Pollard helped the Raiders to their first victory of the 2021 season this past Saturday. She recorded 38 assists through for sets tallying an additional 4 kills and 9 digs. 
 
Hannah Benson, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Sr., OH - Terryville, Conn.) - Benson powered the Blue Jays to a season-opening victory, 3-2, over Mount Holyoke College on Saturday in USJ's first-ever game inside the new O'Connell Center Gymnasium. Benson logged a double-double in the triumph with a career-high 22 kills to go along with 15 digs and she hit .220 for the match. Four of the Blue Jays' final five points were Benson kills, including back-to-back kills to end the fifth set, 17-15, and the match, 3-2. It marks the first time USJ has defeated Mount Holyoke in more than a decade.
 
Sydney Iannantuono, Simmons (Junior, OH - East Lyme, Conn.) - Iannantuono guided Simmons to a 2-1 week, which included the program's first victory in 12 years over non-conference Wentworth. Against the Leopards, Iannantuono registered a match-high 11 kills while coming two digs shy of a double-double, tallying eight. Additionally, she registered four service aces against the Leopards. Later in the week, Iannantuono helped the Sharks split Saturday afternoon's tri-match at Emerson. In two matches against Maine-Presque-Isle and Emerson, Iannantuono combined to registered a team-high 10 kills and eight defensive digs and a block assist. 
GNAC WEEKLY ARCHIVE
WEEK PLAYER LIBERO

ROOKIE
1 Peyton Oliver, JWU Sofia Pawlusik, RIV Masina Tupea, JWU

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

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