NEC/Molten Co-Player of the Week: Sara van Gisteren, LIU
NEC/Molten Co-Player of the Week: Kori McClure, Saint Francis
NEC/Molten Defensive Player of the Week: Mirabella Musignac, LIU
NEC/Molten Rookie of the Week: Alessia Zampieri, FDU

Previous NEC Releases: September 30 | September 23 | September 16 | September 9 | September 3 | Preseason Poll Release

NEC/MOLTEN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sara van Gisteren, LIU
Outside Hitter, Junior, Leuth, Netherlands/Young Talent Academy, ROC Nijmegan
Last Week’s Stats: .350 hitting percentage, 6.22 points/set, 5.22 kills/set, 2.89 digs/set, 0.89 blocks/set, 0.56 service aces/set
Behind Van Gisteren’s solid all-around play, the Sharks continued their red-hot play and added three more straight-set victories to their count. Starting the week off with a 3-0 non-conference win against NJIT, LIU went on the road and handed Le Moyne a pair of 3-0 defeats to improve to 4-0 in conference play, a mark that is tied with Saint Francis for tops in the league standings. In addition, the Sharks, who have won 14 of their last 15 sets — and each of their last 11 sets — extended their league-best winning streak to five matches. Leading all NEC hitters with 47 kills, 5.22 kills per set, 56 points and 6.22 points per set, van Gisteren, a native of Leuth, Netherlands, added 26 digs, eight blocks and five service aces to her impressive stat line. In Tuesday’s win over the Highlanders, she hit .500 with 20 kills and just two errors while in Friday’s series opener against the Dolphins, she racked up 17 kills, 12 digs and four blocks to propel her team to the 3-0 win. In addition, van Gisteren ranked 20th among all Division I players in kills per set. This is her first NEC/Molten Player of the Week award, and the first for a Shark this season.

Kori McClure, Saint Francis
Middle Blocker, Senior, Westerville, OH/Westerville North
Last Week’s Stats: .727 hitting percentage, 3.94 points/set, 3.25 kills/set, 1.38 blocks/set
McClure was one of the most efficient players in all of Division I last week. The veteran middle blocker turned in an incredible .727 attack percentage, the best clip in the nation, to lead Saint Francis to its second weekend sweep of an NEC opponent. In respective 3-0 and 3-2 wins over Stonehill on Friday and Saturday, McClure delivered 26 kills and had just two errors in 33 total attacks. She also made major contributions to the Red Flash’s defensive efforts, recording 11 blocks to help her team secure the two wins and improve to 4-0 in conference play. McClure got her week going with an 11-kill, three-block effort in Friday’s straight-set triumph. In Saturday’s series finale, she helped the Red Flash claw back from a 2-0 deficit and take the victory after she posted 15 kills and led all players with a career-high eight rejections. On the season, the Westerville, OH native is hitting .410 to rank second in the league. With her first NEC/Molten Player of the Week award, Saint Francis has claimed the honor five times this week, as outside hitter Korrin Burns is a four-time recipient of the award. McClure was also named to Avid Volley’s NCAA Top of the Week list.
 
NEC/MOLTEN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Miabella Musignac, LIU
Libero, Sophomore, San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez
Last Week’s Stats: 4.78 digs/set, 1.22 assists/set
Musignac helped her team coast to three-straight 3-0 victories last week to extend LIU’s winning streak to five matches and preserve the Sharks’ undefeated record in NEC play. With a 4-0 mark, the Sharks join Saint Francis as the lone unbeaten squads remaining in conference play this season. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Musignac averaged a league-best 4.78 digs per set to anchor an LIU defense that held opponents to 20 points or fewer in each of its nine sets last week. Leading all NEC players with 43 digs, her stellar week was highlighted by a double-double effort (15 digs, 14 assists) in Friday’s series opener at Le Moyne. The sophomore libero leads the conference with 3.96 digs per set. This is Musignac’s second NEC/Molten Defensive Player of the Week honor, as she previously earned the award on Sept. 23. Winners of 11-striaght sets, and 14 of their past 15, the Sharks look to keep the ball rolling with a mid-week matchup at New Haven on Wednesday.

NEC/MOLTEN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Alessia Zampieri, FDU
Right-Side Hitter, Sophomore, Vicenza, Italy/Liceo Blaise Pascal, Chieri
Last Week’s Stats: .417 hitting percentage, 3.75 points/set, 3.17 kills/set, 0.67 blocks/set
After opening the season by claiming NEC/Molten Rookie of the Week distinction, Zampieri ran it back as the league’s top first-year player this past week after she helped lead FDU to back-to-back straight-set triumphs at New Haven. The Italian-born right-side hitter turned in a stellar .417 attack percentage after she combined for 19 kills and four miscues in 29 attempts. Zampieri got her week off to a sizzling start on Friday. Delivering 11 kills with just one error, she hit .588 for the Knights, who took down the Chargers in three sets with scores of 25-14, 25-18 and 25-17. Zampieri had another solid outing on Saturday, posting nine kills while adding a team-leading four blocks. With the victories, FDU, which hosts Le Moyne in a mid-week NEC matchup on Wednesday, improved to 3-1 in the league standings.


NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Weronika Poczynek, CCSU (OH, Sr)
Last Week’s Stats: .229 hitting percentage, 4.22 points/set, 4.00 kills/set, 0.33 blocks/set

• Tallied 36 kills to lead the Blue Devils to a weekend sweep of Chicago State
• Matched her season-best total of 21 kills in Saturday’s five-set triumph (Oct. 4)

 
Avery Bain, FDU (OH, Jr)
Last Week’s Stats: .373 hitting percentage, 4.33 points/set, 4.00 kills/set, 0.33 blocks/set

• Registered 24 kills to lead FDU to back-to-back sweeps of New Haven

 
Branwyn Lupton, LEM (OPP/MH, Jr)
Last Week’s Stats: .313 hitting percentage, 4.33 points/set, 3.89 kills/set, 0.89 blocks/set

• Led the Dolphins in points (39) and kills (35) while adding eight blocks
• Delivered four blocks in a non-conference defeat to Holy Cross (Sept. 30)
• Posted double figures in kills in each of Le Moyne’s three matches

 
Karly Klaer, LIU (S/OPP, Sr)
Last Week’s Stats: .375 hitting percentage, 11.22 assists/set, 1.89 digs/set, 2.50 points/set, 1.89 kills/set

• Led the NEC in assists per set
• One of 19 setters in the nation to eclipse 100 assists on the week (101 assists), leading LIU to a perfect 3-0 record in that stretch
• Had 33 dimes in each of LIU’s straight-set wins over Le Moyne, adding seven kills on .875 hitting in Saturday’s nightcap (Oct. 4)

 
Miabella Musignac, LIU (L, So)
Last Week’s Stats: 4.78 digs/set, 1.22 assists/set

• NEC/Molten Defensive Player of the Week
• Paced the circuit with 43 digs and 4.78 digs per set in LIU’s 3-0 week
• Notched a double-double (15 digs, 14 assists) in Friday’s 3-0 win at Le Moyne (Oct. 3)

 
Sara van Gisteren, LIU (OH, Jr)
Last Week’s Stats: .350 hitting percentage, 6.22 points/set, 5.22 kills/set, 2.89 digs/set, 0.89 blocks/set, 0.56 service aces/set

• NEC/Molten Co-Player of the Week
• Extended LIU’s win streak to five with a trio of straight-set wins last week
• Led all NEC hitters with 47 kills, 5.22 kills per set, 56 points and 6.22 points per set
• Hit. 500 with 20 kills in Tuesday’s 3-0 win against NJIT (Sept. 30)
• Ranked 20th among all Division I hitters in kills per set

 
Josie Foster, NHVN (MB, So)
Last Week’s Stats: 3.30 points/set, 1.80 blocks/set, 1.40 kills/set

• Totaled seven blocks in New Haven’s setback to FDU on Saturday (Oct. 4)

 
Kori McClure, SFU (MB, Sr)
Last Week’s Stats: .727 hitting percentage, 3.94 points/set, 3.25 kills/set, 1.38 blocks/set

• NEC/Molten Co-Player of the Week
• Topped the nation’s charts with a .727 hitting percentage after racking up 26 kills with just two miscues in 33 total attacks
• Hit .846, the best single-match hitting percentage in the nation among those with 10-14 attempts, with 11 kills and no errors in Friday’s 3-0 win against Stonehill (Oct. 3)
• Racked up a career-high eight blocks and added 15 kills in Saturday’s come-from-behind, five-set triumph (Oct. 4)

 
Alexandra Sappia, SFU (S, Jr)
Last Week’s Stats: 10.00 assists/set, 1.63 digs/set, 1.13 points/set, 0.63 service aces/set, 0.50 blocks/set

• Had a 44-assist effort while adding 12 digs for the double-double in Saint Francis’ come-from-behind, 3-2 win over Stonehill on Saturday (Oct. 4)
• Became the fifth Red Flash setter to eclipse the 2,000-assist mark on her career on Saturday

 

2025 NEC/MOLTEN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3: Korrin Burns (Saint Francis)
Sept. 9: Korrin Burns (Saint Francis)
Sept. 16: Korrin Burns (Saint Francis)
Sept. 23: Kylie Nott (FDU)
Sept. 30: Korrin Burns (Saint Francis)
Oct. 7: Sara van Gisteren (LIU) & Kori McClure (Saint Francis)
Oct. 14: 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3: Kyndal Ganoe (FDU)
Sept. 9: Payton Malinoski (New Haven)
Sept. 16: Naliah Grannell (New Haven)
Sept. 23: Kyndal Ganoe (FDU) & Miabella Musignac (LIU)
Sept. 30: Josie Foster (New Haven)
Oct. 7: Miabella Musignac (LIU)
Oct. 14: 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sept. 3: Alessia Zampieri (FDU)
Sept. 9: Gwen Atkins (Saint Francis)
Sept. 16: Gwen Atkins (Saint Francis)
Sept. 23: Gwen Atkins (Saint Francis)
Sept. 30: Kendra Sawyer (Stonehill)
Oct. 7: Alessia Zampieri (FDU)
Oct. 14: