NESCAC Volleyball Player of the Week
Bianca Ortiz - Wesleyan - Sr. - Libero - Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Ortiz leads all NESCAC players in digs with 100 and a 6.67 digs per set average after helping Wesleyan start the 2023 season with a 4-0 record. After matching a career-high with 22 digs in a season-opening road sweep of Hartford, Ortiz tallied 15 digs in a 3-0 home win over Baruch. Over the weekend, Ortiz reset her career-high with 36 digs in a five-set victory over Emerson, marking Emerson’s first loss of the season. The libero added a 27-dig effort in Wesleyan's 3-1 triumph over Johnson & Wales. Ortiz finished the week with a .948 serve/receive percentage.

NESCAC Weekly Honor Roll
Amherst - Kinsey Cronin (Medford, Minn.) had 26 kills with a .364 hitting percentage in a 2-2 week for the Mammoths. The junior led the team with eight blocks, including seven solo. 

Bates - Ami Evans (Honolulu, Hawaii) averaged 2.69 kills per set over the course of four matches for the Bobcats to lead the team and rank eighth in the NESCAC. Evans started the week with 10 kills and a .333 hitting percentage in a 3-0 win over Husson and concluded with 17 kills and nine digs against Clark. Evans was named to the First Serve Classic All-Tournament Team hosted by Bates.

Bowdoin - First-year Skye LaMendola (Farmers Branch, Texas) averaged 3.85 kills and 2.69 digs as the Polar Bears went 3-1 to start the 2023 campaign. LaMendola totaled 50 kills and hit .250 for the week while also collecting five service aces.

Colby - LJ Grant (New York, N.Y.) led Colby to wins in its first two matches of the season, taking down St. Joseph's and Stevens, both in straight sets. In a 2-2 week, the sophomore led the Mules with 26 kills and eight blocks from the outside hitter position. 

Connecticut College - Sophomore Riley Lord (Exeter, N.H.) led the Camels to a 2-2 record in the opening week of the season. The outside hitter tallied a team-high 41 kills (3.15 per set) over the four matches and hit .250 for the week. Lord posted double-digit kill totals in three matches, including a season-high 14 in the opener against Salve Regina while also finishing with a team-high 12 kills in a win over Dean.

Hamilton - Summer McClintic (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) averaged 3.00 kills per set in 12 sets and posted a hitting percentage of .361 in a 3-1 week. The senior served a career-high five aces in a three-set win against Oswego State. McClintic also averaged 2.00 digs per set and finished with six total blocks, four of which came in a three-set win against SUNY Morrisville.

Middlebury - Senior Kelly Ferrero (San Francisco, Calif.) eclipsed the 1,000-career digs mark (1,027) during a five-set thriller against Gettysburg. Over the three-match weekend, Ferrero led the team with 61 digs and 5.08 digs per set, while pacing the entire NESCAC with 10 service aces. 

Trinity - Junior Bella Caffuzzi (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Bantams with 33 kills and nine total blocks to help Trinity begin the 2023 season with a 3-1 record. Caffuzzi contributed 11 kills in the 3-1 win over Saint Joseph and added 12 kills in a victory over Worcester State. Caffuzzi finished the week hitting .464 with 2.75 kills per set.

Tufts - Alina Qi (San Francisco, Calif.) helped Tufts open the 2023 season with a 2-2 record, including going 1-2 at the East-Classic at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Qi was named to the All-Tournament Team and finished with 28 kills for the week while hitting .338 and adding 18 total blocks. The junior posted seven kills against Roger Williams and Colorado College and added a career-high eight kills, five digs, and five blocks against Trinity (Texas) in a five-set upset of the Tigers. 

Williams - Senior captain and setter Lauren Kauppila totaled 100 total assists for the week for Williams (10.0 assists per set), while also chipping in six services aces and 28 digs over three matches. The senior posted double-doubles in sweeps over Skidmore (28 assists, 10 digs) and WPI (33 assists, 10 digs) respectively. Kauppila’s performance helped the Ephs to a 3-0 start to the season.