GNAC Women's Volleyball Report: Week 8

Norwich's Kathryn Farnum posted double-doubles in both of the Cadets' wins last week to notch her second GNAC Player of the Week award of the season.

October 25, 2021

( FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 18 - 24 )

	PLAYER OF THE WEEK Kathryn Farnum, Norwich (Sr., OH - North Andover, Mass.) - In the Cadets' two wins last week, Farnum averaged 5.25 kills per set while hitting .319 on the week. Farnum also added 3.50 digs per set compiling a total of 44.5 points on the week or 5.6 points per set. Farnum also hit .377 against Elms on Wednesday. In both victories she double-doubled, going for 29 kills and 14 digs in the five-set win over Elms before registewring 13 kills and 14 digs in the sweep of Emmanuel.
	LIBERO OF THE WEEK *Kianna Lozada, Elms* (Senior, L) - The reigning Libero of the Week averaged 5.92 digs per set in 2-1 week, registering 30, 25, and 16, respectively, against Norwich, Colby-Sawyer and Saint Joseph's of Maine.
	ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Nalani Majkia, Simmons (First Year, MH - Albuquerque, N.M.) - Majkia guided Simmons to a 2-1 week, which included a pair of GNAC victories over Anna Maria and Albertus Magnus. Against the AMCATS, Majkia posted her second-highest attack percentage of the season, hitting .647, tallying 12 kills on 17 attempts with just one error, while also registering a solo block. Majkia closed out the week reocrding five kills on 11 attempts in a 3-0 sweep of the Falcons. Over the course of the two-game week, she posted a .500 attack percentage with 17 kills on 28 attempts with only three errors.

HONOR ROLL

Alanys Cruz Diaz, Elms (Senior, OPP) - The senior averaged an impressive 4.17 kills and 2.83 digs per set in a 2-1 week with a pair of double-doubles. In a five-set loss at Norwich, she exploded for 25 kills (.333), 12 digs and five blocks, before registering 17 kills and 13 digs in a 3-1 win at Colby-Sawyer.

Laura Farnum, Norwich (So., DS - North Andover, Mass.) - Serving as the team's libero Farnum earned 4.63 digs per set while recording 3 service aces for 0.38 service aces per set and adding 0.75 assists per set.

Rita Dow, Regis (Mass.) (Jr., M - Nashua, N.H.) - Dow contributed to Regis' effort both offensively and defensively. Tuesday, she helped the comeback attempt with nine kills and five digs as the Pride won the third and fourth sets to force a deciding fifth set. Saturday, she led the Pride with 10 kills, a .391 hitting percentage, and a career-high six total blocks in the victory over Lasell. She reestablished her career high total with eight total blocks against Johnson & Wales.

Hannah Benson, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Sr., OH - Terryville, Conn.) - Benson helped power the Blue Jays to a perfect 2-0 week in GNAC action. Benson averaged 5.00 kills per set while registering a .330 hitting percentage on the week. She also chipped in defensively averaging 2.29 digs per set and 0.57 blocks per set. Benson opened the week with 21 kills (5.25 k/s) in a four-set triumph over intrastate and conference rival Albertus Magnus on Tuesday. She also added 12 digs (3.00 d/s) and five service aces against the Falcons. She followed that up with 14 kills (4.67 k/s) in a 3-0 sweep on the road over Dean on Saturday while also adding four digs (1.33 d/s) and three service aces.

Julia MacKenzie, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., OH - Wallingford, Conn.) - MacKenzie averaged 5.29 digs per set in a 2-0 GNAC week for the Blue Jays. MacKenzie opened the week with 19 digs (4.75 d/s) in a four-set victory at intrastate and conference rival Albertus Magnus before posting 18 digs (6.00 d/s) in a 3-0 sweep on Saturday in another road GNAC triumph at Dean.

Krissy Lloyd, Simmons (Senior, MB/RS - Tampa, Fla.) - Lloyd helped guide the Sharks to a 2-1 week, which included a pair of wins over GNAC foes Anna Maria and Albertus Magnus. Against the two, Lloyd hit a solid .346 from the floor tallying 13 kills on 26 attempts with just four miscues. In a 3-0 sweep of Albertus Magnus to close out the week, she hit .429 with eight kills on 14 attempts, while tallying two blocks - one solo and one assisted.

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
6	Lily Blodgett, RIV	Emily Corbett, JWU	Mckenna McCool, LAS
7	Lily Blodgett, RIV (2)	Kiana Lozada, ELMS	Claire Conners, SIM (2)
8	Kathryn Farnum, NOR (2)	Kiana Lozada, ELMS (2)	Nalani Majkia, SIM

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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