NEC/Molten Player of the Week: Korrin Burns, Saint Francis
NEC/Molten Defensive Player of the Week: Josie Foster, New Haven
NEC/Molten Rookie of the Week: Kendra Sawyer, Stonehill
Previous NEC Releases: September 23 |
September 16 |
September 9 |
September 3 |
Preseason Poll Release
NEC/MOLTEN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Korrin Burns, Saint Francis
Outside Hitter, Senior, Clarion, PA/Clarion Area
Last Week’s Stats: .351 hitting percentage, 5.88 points/set, 5.50 kills/set, 2.88 digs/set, 0.50 blocks/set
After a one-week absence, Burns reclaimed her spot as the league’s NEC/Molten Player of the Week to extend her conference-leading total to four in a possible five weeks. Burns strung together two sizzling performances and as a result, she helped Saint Francis jump out to a 2-0 start to NEC play with a weekend sweep at Central Connecticut. During that stretch, the veteran outside hitter, who posted a .351 attack percentage, racked up 47.0 points behind 44 kills and four blocks. Among national leaders last week, Burns ranked ninth with 5.50 kills per set, while her 44 total kills were good for 12th-most. She also contributed 23 digs to the Red Flash’s defense to push her season double-double total to eight. Burns got off to a hot start to conference play, tallying 16 kills and 13 digs to lead Saint Francis to a straight-set win over Central Connecticut on Friday. On Saturday, she helped the Red Flash push past the Blue Devils in five sets after she recorded 28 kills, 10 digs and three blocks. She continues to lead the entire nation in kills per set this season (5.21), while her 271 total kills and 287.5 points are both good for second in NCAA Division I.
NEC/MOLTEN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Josie Foster, New Haven
Middle Blocker, Sophomore, Kurwongbah, Australia
Last Week’s Stats: .429 hitting percentage, 3.60 points/set, 2.40 kills/set, 2.20 blocks/set
Foster was one of 14 players in NCAA Division I — and the lone NEC student-athlete — to average at least 2.00 blocks per set this past week when she racked up a nation-best 22 rejections on opening weekend of conference play. Behind her stellar all-around play, which also included 24 kills on .429 hitting, New Haven jumped out to a 1-1 start in NEC competition after bouncing back from a five-set defeat at Stonehill on Friday with a 3-2 triumph against the Skyhawks on Saturday. The Australian-born middle blocker was a brick wall in Friday’s league opener. Delivering nine kills, she tallied 13 rejections to tie Northeastern’s Beatrice Gennari for the best single-match, five-set performance in the nation this season. In addition, the 13 blocks were the most by an NEC player since Central Connecticut’s Eline van Heijningen had 13 against Byrant on Nov. 16, 2018. One day after she stole the show on defense, Foster flipped the switch with a standout offensive match. She notched a career-high 15 kills and committed just two miscues in 21 attempts for a .619 attack percentage to lead New Haven to its first-ever NEC win. With this week’s award, Foster becomes the third different Charger to earn NEC/Molten Defensive Player of the Week distinction. She joins Payton Malinoski (Sept. 9) and Naliah Grannell (Sept. 16).
NEC/MOLTEN WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Kendra Sawyer, Stonehill
Setter, Freshman, Humble, TX/Kingwood
Last Week’s Stats: 11.10 assists/set, 2.70 digs/set, 0.60 blocks/set
Sawyer racked up 111 assists this past week to become the first Skyhawk to earn a weekly award from the NEC. Just three other players in NCAA Division I totaled more assists than the Lonestar State product, while her 11.10 assist-per-set average was the third-best clip among all rookie setters in the nation. In addition, Sawyer, who delivered a pair of program-record breaking marks, added 27 digs and six blocks to lead Stonehill to a 1-1 record against New Haven in the opening weekend of NEC play. On Friday, she set what was a Division I program record after she dished out 50 assists to lead her team to a 3-2 win. The next day, Sawyer topped her own program-best mark by 11 with a 61-assist effort in a hard-fought 3-2 defeat. In addition to those assist totals, the Humble, TX native notched double-doubles in each of those matches with 14 and 13 digs, respectively. She currently ranks fourth in the NEC in assists per set with 7.00.
NEC PRIME PERFORMERS
Kyndal Ganoe, FDU (L, Sr)
Last Week’s Stats: 4.91 digs/set, 1.73 assists/set
- Led all NEC players in digs per set
- Helped FDU extend its winning streak to five matches with victories over NJIT (Sept. 24) and Mercyhurst (Sept. 26)
Kylie Nott, FDU (MB, Sr)
Last Week’s Stats: .450 hitting percentage, 4.73 points/set, 4.09 kills/set, 1.09 blocks/set
- Had 25 digs in a 3-1 win over NJIT (Sept. 24) and 13 in Friday’s straight-set victory over Mercyhurst (Sept. 26) to extend FDU’s season-best winning streak to five matches
Karly Klaer, LIU (S, Sr)
Last Week’s Stats: .375 hitting percentage, 11.10 assists/set, 2.50 digs/set, 2.35 points/set, 1.70 kills/set, 0.50 service aces/set
- Committed just one error in the weekend sweep of Chicago State, hitting .539 in Friday’s straight-set win with a career-high 10 kills
- Added 10 digs and 30 assists to compile a triple-double on Friday
Miabella Musignac, LIU (L, So)
Last Week’s Stats: 4.70 digs/set, 1.30 assists/set
- Registered double figures in kills in all three of LIU’s matches last week
- Combined for 39 digs to lead the Sharks to a weekend sweep of Chicago State
Andrea Zaric, MU (OH, R-Jr)
Last Week’s Stats: 3.50 points/set, 3.29 kills/set, 1.43 digs/set, 0.43 blocks/set
- Hit .324 with a season-high 16 kills to lead Mercyhurst to a 3-1 win over FDU on Saturday (Sept. 27)
Josie Foster, NHVN (MB, So)
Last Week’s Stats: .429 hitting percentage, 3.60 points/set, 2.40 kills/set, 2.20 blocks/set
- NEC/Molten Defensive Player of the Week
- Led all NEC players with 22 blocks in a 1-1 weekend vs. Stonehill
- Racked up 13 blocks in the Chargers’ 3-2 defeat on Friday (Sept. 26)
Payton Malinoski, NHVN (L/DS, So)
Last Week’s Stats: 4.31 digs/set
- Had a league-leading 56 digs in three matches
Korrin Burns, SFU (OH, Sr)
Last Week’s Stats: .351 hitting percentage, 5.88 points/set, 5.50 kills/set, 2.88 digs/set, 0.50 blocks/set
- NEC/Molten Player of the Week
- Topped the NEC charts in points per set and kills per set in Saint Francis’ 2-0 weekend at Central Connecticut
- Had a pair of double-doubles, including a 28-kill, 10-dig and three-block effort in Saturday’s five-set triumph (Sept. 27)
Kori McClure, SFU (MB, Sr)
Last Week’s Stats: .516 hitting percentage, 2.88 points/set, 2.25 kills/set, 1.13 blocks/set
- Led all NEC players with a .516 hitting percentage after compiling 18 kills with just two miscues in a pair of wins over Central Connecticut
- Delivered a career-high eight blocks in Saturday’s five-set triumph (Sept. 27)
Alexandra Sappia, SFU (S, Jr)
Last Week’s Stats: 10.88 assists/set, 2.25 digs/set, 0.75 blocks/set, 0.63 service aces/set
- Totaled 87 assists and 18 digs to lead the Red Flash to a weekend sweep at Central Connecticut
Sam Loyd, STO (OH, Fr)
Last Week’s Stats: .239 hitting percentage, 4.35 points/set, 3.80 kills/set, 2.40 digs/set, 0.50 blocks/set
- Had a pair of double-doubles to lead Stonehill to a 1-1 record vs. New Haven on opening weekend
Kendra Sawyer, STO (S, Fr)
Last Week’s Stats: 11.10 assists/set, 2.70 digs/set, 0.60 blocks/set
- NEC/Molten Rookie of the Week
- Tied for first on this week’s NEC charts with 11.10 assists per set
- Set Stonehill’s single-game record in assists on Friday with 50 against New Haven (Sept. 26) before improving on that mark against the Chargers with 61 on Saturday (Sept. 27)
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:
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:
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: