GNAC Women's Volleyball Report: Week 9

Norwich's Kathryn Farnum averaged 4.56 kills per set to capture her third GNAC Player of the Week award of the 2021 campaign.

November 1, 2021

( FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 25 - 31 )

	PLAYER OF THE WEEK *Kathryn Farnum, Norwich* (Gr., OH - North Andover, Mass.) - Farnum lead the Cadets this week with 41 kills averaging 4.56 kills per set on 82 attempts for a hitting percentage of .439. Farnum also averaged 2.78 digs per set while also recording three total blocks on Saturday against St. Joseph (Conn.).
	LIBERO OF THE WEEK Audra Fontes, Colby-Sawyer (Fr, DS/L - Fresno, Calif.) - Fontes had her best week as a Charger, averaging 5.89 digs per set as the Chargers went 2-1. She also chipped in with 1.11 assists and 0.44 service aces per set.
	ROOKIE OF THE WEEK Claire Conners, Simmons (Sophomore, OH - Albany, Calif.) - Conners posted a staggering .336 attack percentage, tallying 51 kills on 116 attempts with just 12 errors to lead the Sharks to a 4-0 week, which included the program's first victory in seven years against Johnson & Wales University on Saturday. Against the Wildcats, Conners came one kill shy of tying her career single-game high, registering 19 kills on 46 attempts for a .348 hitting percentage, while coming two digs shy of her first career double-double. She closed out the week hitting .429 with 14 kills on 28 attempts and just two errors, while notching three aces in a 3-0 win over Saint Joseph's (Maine). Early in the week, she posted 14 kills on 29 fro a .345 attack percentage in a 3-1 win over Lasell.

HONOR ROLL

Masina Tupea, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fy., OH - Aiea, Hawaii) - Averaged 3.36 kills per set, totaling 37 in three matches over the past week. Tupea tallied her 37 kills on 108 attacks, good for a .148 hitting percetage. She added two service aces and three blocks, totaling 42.5 , good for 3.9 per set. Defensively, Tupea added 34 digs in her three matches, averaging 3.09 per set.

Kate Montigny, Regis (Mass.) (So., M - Shrewsbury, Mass.) - Montigny has become one of Regis's top players as the Pride clinched a home GNAC Tourney quarterfinal match. She earned a then-season high total of 11 kills at Worcester State Tuesday, hitting .500 for the match. After collecting 10 kills and two blocks against Maine-Fort Kent, she posted a season-high 15 kills and once again hit .500 as the Pride defeated Elms Saturday, plus she picked up three digs. For the season, she is second in the GNAC in blocks per set (0.90) and fifth in hitting percentage (.301).

Mica van der Meulen, Regis (Mass.) (Sr., L - Colorado Springs, Colo.) - van der Meulen continues to lead the Pride backline, helping Regis to a 4-0 week. She collected 17 digs in a sweep of Worcester State, followed by a standout performance on Senior Day with 23 digs and four service aces against Maine-Fort Kent. In the Pride's key GNAC victory over Elms, she contributed 15 digs, two assists, and one service ace. For the season, she is third in the league in total digs (362) and fifth in digs per set (3.98). She is now fourth on Regis's career digs list with 948 and has moved into eighth on the Pride single-season digs list with 362.

Sydney Racevicius, Rivier (Sr., OH - Woodbury, CT) - Racevius is still getting back into form after weeks off due to injury. This past week she lead the Raiders offense with 22 kills through two matches. She helped take down a very tough team in Keene State in three straight sets. She stayed very consistent finishing both games with 11 kills. She had a perfect game from the outside against Lasell, finishing with no errors and a .688 kill percentage.

Hannah Benson, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Sr., OH - Terryville, Conn.) - Benson averaged 4.11 kills per set for the week and in the process registered her 600th career kill in her final match in a USJ uniform on Senior Day Saturday. She hit .247 for the week and also averaged 2.11 digs per set. In a 2-1 final week for the Blue Jays, Benson finished her career strong, posting double-digit kills in all three matches on the week. She opened the week with 13 kills and 10 digs for a double-double in a 3-0 triumph versus non-conference opponent Salem State Tuesday. She followed that up with 14 kills in a 3-0 setback versus Norwich before collecting 10 kills, including the 600th kill of her career, in a 3-0 victory over Anna Maria in a home tri-match and Senior Day at USJ Saturday.

Julia MacKenzie, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., OH - Wallingford, Conn.) - MacKenzie was stellar defensively as the Blue Jays went 2-1 in their final week of the 2021 season. MacKenzie averaged 5.11 digs per set on the week, finishing with 46 total digs across nine sets. She opened the week with an impressive 24 digs in a 3-0 victory over non-conference opponent Salem State on Tuesday at home. MacKenzie then followed that up with nine digs in a 3-0 setback versus Norwich before logging 13 digs in a 3-0 victory over Anna Maria in a tri-match hosted by the Blue Jays on Saturday.

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
9	Kathryn Farnum, NOR (3)	Audra Fontes, CSC	Claire Conners, SIM (3)

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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