Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Great Northeast Athletic Conference

GNAC Women's Volleyball Report: Week 5

Rivier senior setter Avery Pollard had a fantastic all-around week to help the Raiders to three wins.

GNAC Women's Volleyball Report: Week 5
October 4, 2021

( FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 27 - OCT. 3 )

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Avery Pollard, Rivier (Sr., S - Ballston Lake, N.Y.) - Pollard averaged 9.55 assists, 1.00 service aces and 1.73 digs per set while hitting .407 (1.18 k/s) in a 3-0 week, including a pair of GNAC wins. Her most impressive performance came in a four-set road win at Regis, where she registered 44 assists, five aces and nine digs against the Pride.

LIBERO OF THE WEEK

Mica van der Meulen, Regis (Mass.) (Sr., L - Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Mica van der Meulen led the Pride defensive effort as the team extended its winning streak to 11 matches before a tough four-set loss to Rivier, averaging 5.56 digs per set in a 3-1 week, including two GNAC wins. On Tuesday against Norwich, she tied her career-high with 26 digs as the Pride came back from a first-set loss to defeat the Cadets in four sets. She posted a new career high in Thursday's comeback win over Fisher with 33 digs as Regis rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the five-set win. In Saturday's win at Albertus Magnus, she collected 21 digs, two assists, and two service aces. She finished the day against Rivier with nine digs, three assists, and three aces. She is now averaging over 4.00 digs per set, leading the Pride with 194.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Peyton Oliver, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., MB - Ramsey, N.J.) - In a four victory week for the Wildcats, Oliver totaled 40 kills, 8 digs, 13 blocks, and three service aces, good for 52 points on the week. Oliver's vest offensive output came against Roger Williams with 14 kills, but she reached double digits against Elms and Anna Maria, with 10 and 12 respectively. She averaged 3.33 kills per set, with a 3.71 kills per set average in conference matches.

HONOR ROLL

 
Anna Allen, Colby-Sawyer (Sr, S - Los Angeles, Calif.) - The senior registered 95 assists and 36 digs on the week across 15 sets played.
 
Alanys Cruz Diaz, Elms (Senior, OPP) - Cruz Diaz averaged 3.67 kills, 2.50 digs and 0.80 blocks per set while hitting .242 in an 0-2 week.
 
Rita Dow, Regis (Mass.) (Jr., M - Nashua, N.H.) - Dow was one of Regis's main offensive weapons as the Pride went 3-1 over the past week, averaging 2.63 kills per set on a .352 hitting percentage. She collected eight kills, six digs, and three blocks against Norwich Tuesday. Thursday, she finished with 13 kills and a .313 hitting percentage as Regis defeated Fisher. She did not make an attack error in Saturday's match against Albertus Magnus, going 12-for-21 for a .571 hitting percentage. She finished the day with nine kills and three blocks against Rivier. Among hitters with at least 100 attack attempts, she leads the GNAC with a .350 hitting percentage for the season. 
  
Shannon Carey, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., MH - Bayport, N.Y.) - Carey averaged 2.44 kills per set on a stellar .656 hitting percentage in the Blue Jays' 1-2 week.
 
Sydney Iannantuono, Simmons (Junior, OH - East Lyme, Conn.) - Iannantuono helped lead Simmons to a 2-0 week, registering 17 kills and 10 defensive digs to go along with one block assist. Against conference foe Norwich on Friday evening, Iannantuono tallied 13 kills, while also recording five aces and digs in the 3-0 sweep of the Cadets. She averaged 3.40 kills, 1.40 service aces and 2.00 digs per set.
 
Kat Simeonidis, Simmons (Sophomore, S - Lake Mary, Fla.) - Simeondis paced the Simmons offense to a 2-0 week, which included a pair of wins against conference foes Dean and Norwich, as she averaged 8.67 assists, 1.33 service aces, and 2.17 digs per set. Early in the week against Dean, Simeondis registered a career-best seven aces in addition to 19 assists and seven digs. Simeondis closed out the week pacing the Sharks to a 3-0 shutout against the Cadets with 33 assists and six digs. 
 
GNAC WEEKLY ARCHIVE
WEEK PLAYER LIBERO

ROOKIE
1 Peyton Oliver, JWU Sofia Pawlusik, RIV Masina Tupea, JWU
2 Kathryn Farnum, NOR Laura Farnum, NOR Claire Conners, SIM
3 Masina Tupea, JWU Sofia Pawlusik, RIV (2)  Masina Tupea, JWU (2)
4 Valerie Whalen, REG Sofia Pawlusik, RIV (3)  Sabine Milton, LAS
5 Avery Pollard, RIV  Mica van der Meulen, REG Peyton Oliver, 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. 

– #TheGNAC –