CAA Volleyball Report - Nov.7, 2023
CAA Volleyball Report - Nov.7, 2023
The CAA has announced its volleyball weekly award winners following the 11th week of the 2023 season.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chloe Cook, Campbell
Senior | Outside Hitter | Nacogdoches, Texas / Central Heights
Cook led Campbell to a 2-0, recording 4.00 kills per set on a .400 hitting percentage while adding 2.43 digs per set. The senior outside hitter opened the weekend with a match-high 14 kills and eight digs, hitting .303 in a four-set victory for the Camels over Hampton. On Sunday, she led the match with 14 kills, posting a .545 attacking percentage, with nine digs in a straight-set victory that clinched a CAA Tournament berth for Campbell in its first season in the conference.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sopheea Mink, Charleston
Senior | Outside Hitter | DeForest, Wisc. / DeForest Area HS
Mink paced Charleston with 4.00 kills per set on a .450 hitting percentage to lead the Cougars to a crucial weekend sweep over Hofstra. On Saturday, the senior outside hitter tallied a team-high 15 kills with just one error, hitting .500, while adding seven digs and three blocks in a straight-set victory. Mink bettered the effort on Sunday, recording a career-high 17 kills on a .406 attacking percentage with three blocks and two digs as Charleston prevailed in five sets.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sofie Vogel, Charleston
Senior | Middle Blocker | Golden Valley, Minn. / Robbinsdale Armstrong
Vogel recorded 16 blocks, averaging 2.00 per set in back-to-back conference victories for Charleston. In the weekend finale, Vogel tallied a career-high 12 blocks, adding eight kills and two digs in a five-set win to help CofC earn a weekend sweep over Hofstra. The block total is the most by a Cougar this season and the third most by a CAA student-athlete. The effort came after contributing four blocks, four kills and one dig in a straight-set victory to open the weekend series.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Gha’Naye Whitfield-Moss, Delaware
Freshman | Middle Blocker | Bessemer, Ala. / Hueytown
Whitfield-Moss averaged 2.17 kills and 1.33 blocks per set, helping Delaware to a 2-0 weekend to extend its winning streak to 11 matches. For the weekend, the freshman middle blocker recorded 13 kills on a .385 hitting percentage and eight blocks in six sets. On Saturday, Whitfield-Moss added eight kills while hitting .429 with one block, helping the Blue Hens sweep North Carolina A&T and secure a berth in the CAA Tournament. She followed the performance with five kills on a .333 attacking percentage and a match-high seven blocks in a 3-0 win for Delaware.
CONFERENCE NOTES:
TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE
• Two more teams punched their tickets to the CAA Volleyball Championship this weekend. Delaware and Campbell posted 2-0 weekends to secure their berths in the conference tournament. The Blue Hens, who reached the title match last season, will make their third straight appearance in the CAA Championship. The Camels qualify for the league tournament for the first time in their inaugural CAA season.
GET YOUR POPCORN READY
• Entering the final weekend of the regular season, six teams - Charleston, Northeastern, Stony Brook, Hofstra, William & Mary and UNCW - are contending for three spots in the CAA Tournament. The Cougars, Huskies and Seawolves enter play at 9-7 in league contests, 1.0 game ahead of Hofstra and W&M at 8-8. The Seahawks have the steepest hill to climb at 7-9.
THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
• Highlighting the final weekend of the regular season is a Long Island battle with postseason implications, featuring Stony Brook at Hofstra. Also with heavy postseason stakes is William & Mary traveling to UNCW. In addition, Charleston visits Hampton and Northeastern hosts Towson. Finally, Delaware heads to Elon, and North Carolina A&T entertains Campbell.
LET’S GO STREAKING
• Delaware extended its winning streak to 11 straight victories following a 2-0 weekend, and Towson has won eight matches in a row after back-to-back wins. The CAA is one of three conferences in the NCAA, with two teams maintaining winning streaks of at least eight matches. The streak for Delaware is its longest winning streak since 2010 and marks the third consecutive season a CAA team has posted a double-digit winning streak. Towson has a winning streak of at least eight straight matches in four of the past five seasons.
TEAM NOTES:
• Campbell went 2-0 this weekend against Hampton to clinch a berth in the CAA Tournament. The Camels won in four sets on Saturday and three on Sunday.
• Chloe Cook led Campbell with 28 kills (4.00/set) on a .400 hitting percentage. Cook tallied 14 kills in both contests, adding eight digs on Saturday and nine on Sunday. The senior outside hitter has 10 or more kills in 17 matches this fall.
• Claranne Fechter tallied 30 digs (4.29/set) to pace the Campbell backline. The senior libero reached double figures in both matches, with 12 and 18, respectively. Fechter has 10 or more digs 23 times this fall.
• Charleston went 2-0 against Hofstra over the weekend, defeating the Pride in straight sets on Saturday and five on Sunday. CofC won its final six home matches during the regular season.
• Sopheea Mink paced Charleston with 32 kills (4.00/set), hitting .450 for the weekend. The senior outside hitter reached double figures in both matches, recording 15 on Saturday and a career-best 17 on Sunday.
• Sofie Vogel led the defensive effort with 16 blocks (2.00/set). The senior tallied a career-high 12 blocks in the finale, marking the most by a Cougar this fall and the third-highest total by a CAA student-athlete.
• Delaware went 2-0 against N.C. A&T this weekend, extending its winning streak to 11 matches. It marks the longest winning streak for the Blue Hens since 2010.
• Lani Mason paced Delaware with 24 kills (4.00/set) on a .340 attacking percentage. The graduate outside hitter reached double-digit kills in both matches, with 14 on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. Mason has at least 10 kills in eight straight contests.
• Ezgi Basaranlar facilitated the attack, recording 66 assists (11.00/set). The graduate setter had 34 helpers on Saturday before 32 on Sunday. She has 30 or more assists on 20 occasions this season.
• Elon fell in back-to-back contests to Towson over the weekend. The Phoenix dropped a pair of straight-set contests against the Tigers.
• Sydney Love and Keira Kasten reached double-digit kills over the weekend. Love had a team-best 11 on Saturday, and Kasten led the way with 10 on Sunday. Love has 10 or more kills a team-best 12 times this fall.
• Jordan Gower paced the Elon defensive effort, recording 19 digs (3.17/set). The senior libero reached double figures on Sunday. Gower has at least 10 digs in 19 matches this season.
• Hampton went 0-2 in a pair of matches against Campbell this weekend. The Lady Pirates fell in four sets on Saturday and straight sets on Sunday.
• Kristine Teivane led Hampton with 17 kills (2.43/set) while adding 18 digs (2.53/set). Teivane recorded her first double-double this season with 11 kills and 13 digs on Saturday. Both totals were season highs for the senior.
• Kylah Hunter paced the Lady Pirates with 25 digs (3.57/set). Hunter tallied a season-high 18 digs in the weekend finale. It marks her fifth performance this fall with 10 or more digs.
• Hofstra dropped back-to-back contests on the road to Charleston over the weekend. The Pride fell in straight sets on Saturday before a five-set defeat on Sunday.
• Yagmur Cinel paced the Hofstra attack, recording 35 kills (4.38/set). Cinel reached double figures in both contests, with 19 kills on Saturday and 16 on Sunday. She has at least 10 kills in 14 matches this season, including four straight.
• Chiara Cucco was phenomenal defensively, recording 52 digs (6.50/set). The junior libero tallied 18 digs on Saturday and a season-high 34 on Sunday. The 34 digs are a single-match high in the CAA this year.
• North Carolina A&T went 0-2 against Delaware this weekend. The Aggies dropped back-to-back straight-set matches to the Blue Hens.
• Chiara Napoli totaled 36 assists (6.00/set), facilitating the A&T offense. Napoli had 21 assists on Saturday and 15 on Sunday. The sophomore setter has at least 15 assists in every match this season.
• Kaili Doctor paced North Carolina A&T with 14 kills (2.33/set). On Saturday, Doctor had seven kills and four digs before a team-high seven kills and five digs on Sunday.
• The Seahawks dropped back-to-back contests to Stony Brook. UNCW played the Seawolves tight but fell in five sets on Saturday, then three on Sunday.
• Jadyn Barry paced UNCW with 32 digs (4.00/set). Berry tallied 18 digs on Saturday and 14 on Sunday, extending her double-digit dig streak. The senior libero has double-digit digs in 18 consecutive contests.
• Katie Lanz led the Seahawks with 22 kills (2.75/set) while adding 22 digs. Lanz recorded her sixth double-double this fall with 18 kills and 15 digs in the opener. The graduate outside hitter has at least 10 kills in 12 matches this fall.
• Northeastern split its matches against William & Mary over the weekend. The Huskies took match one in four sets before a three-set defeat in the finale.
• Abby Reck paced Northeastern with 26 kills (3.71/set). The freshman outside hitter reached double figures in both contests, with 10 and 16 kills, respectively. She has 10 or more kills in 11 matches this season.
• Tessa Onaga led the Husky backline, recording 29 digs (4.14/set). The freshman libero tallied 18 digs on Saturday before 11 on Sunday. Onaga at least 10 digs in seven straight matches.
• Stony Brook completed its second straight 2-0 weekend, defeating UNCW in back-to-back contests. The Seawolves won in five sets on Saturday before a straight-set victory on Sunday.
• Leoni Kunz paced Stony Brook with 27 kills (3.38/set) and 36 digs (4.50/set). Kunz recorded her fifth double-double this fall with 17 kills and 25 digs on Saturday. She has at least 10 kills in four straight matches.
• Torri Henry facilitated the attack with 11.25 assists per set, totaling 90 for the weekend. Henry tallied her 15th double-double (56A, 15D) and fifth performance with 50-plus assists on Saturday.
• Towson extended its winning streak to eight matches following a 2-0 weekend. The Tigers defeated Elon in back-to-back contests and secured a top-two seed in the CAA Tournament.
• Nina Cajic paced Towson with 23 kills (3.83/set) on a .385 hitting percentage. The senior outside hitter tallied 14 kills, hitting .462 on Saturday. Cajic has 10 or more kills in 19 matches this fall and hit over .400 nine times.
• Victoria Barrett contributed 21 kills (3.50/set). The junior outside hitter had 11 kills on Saturday and 10 on Sunday. Barrett has 10 or more kills 18 times this season, including nine straight contests.
• The Tribe split its weekend series against Northeastern. W&M dropped a four-set contest on Saturday before winning in straight sets on Sunday.
• Eleanor Stothoff contributed 23 kills (3.29/set) and 11 blocks (1.57/set). Stothoff reached double-digit kills in both contests, with 12 and 11, respectively. She added seven blocks on Saturday and four on Sunday.
• Sarah Callender led W&M with 24 kills (3.43/set) while adding 28 digs (4.00/set). She recorded her seventh double-double this season with 18 kills and 15 digs on Saturday.