NORFOLK, Va., Aug. 28, 2023 – Howard University sophomore Rya McKinnon was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Player of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola, the conference office announced. North Carolina Central’s Amarah Johnson was named Rookie of the Week, while Howard University graduate student Kayla Diaz was named Setter of the Week and teammate Maya Gerlach earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.
McKinnon (So., OH, Hoover, Ala.) averaged 5.49 kills per set and hit .299 across three matches this past weekend, two of which the Bison won in five sets. She opened with a 14-kill performance against Georgetown, before recording back-to-back double-doubles against George Washington and George Mason. She racked up 27 kills and 18 digs against George Washington, hitting .371, before turning in a career-high and program-record 30 kills and 13 digs, hitting .313 against George Mason.
Johnson (Fr., MB/RS, Naples, Fla.) racked up 15 kills on .480 hitting against UNC Asheville, to go along with two digs and a service ace. She also had seven kills, seven digs, six blocks and an ace in the season opener against Albama A&M. For the weekend, Johnson hit a combined .349 and averaged 2.2 kills per set.
Diaz (Gr., S, Rockland, N.Y.) averaged 11.0 assists per set in helping the Bison open the season 2-1, with wins over George Washington and George Mason. Against George Washington, she racked up a career-high 58 assists to go along with seven digs, and an ace. She recorded 48 assists against Georgetown and George Mason, while also notching three aces and coming one dig shy of a double-double in each.
Gerlach (Jr., MB, Philadelphia, Pa.) averaged nearly a block per set as the Bison opened the season with two wins in three matches, totaling 11 blocks in 14 sets played. She had five in a five-set win over George Mason on Sunday, after blocking a pair of shots and racking up a career-high 11 kills against George Washington. She opened the season against Georgetown on Friday with four total blocks (three solo).
Other Top Performers
Coco Figueroa (Coppin State) had six digs and three aces against Jacksonville State.
Ashley Roman (Coppin State) averaged 4.3 digs per set, including a weekend-high 17 against McNeese State.
TaKenya Stafford (Coppin State) recorded three double-doubles as the Eagles opened the season with wins over McNeese State and Jacksonville State.
Andrea Tsvetanova (Coppin State) racked up 44 assists against McNeese State and recorded a double-double (27 assists, 11 digs) against Auburn.
Maria Carattini (Delaware State) recorded three blocks against Hofstra.
Alondra Maldonado (Delaware State) hit .321 over three matches, including a 14-kill effort against NJIT and 12 against tournament host Hofstra.
Paige Meins (Delaware State) had 19 assists and five digs in the Hornets’ season-opening win over NJIT.
Kaitlynn Robinson (Howard) racked up six blocks against George Mason after turning in four kills and four blocks against George Washington.
Anisa Dorlouis (Maryland Eastern Shore) had 15 assists, three digs, and an ace in a win over UNC Asheville.
Romina Vacca (Maryland Eastern Shore) started the season with 30 assists against UNC Asheville.
Charlie Williams (Maryland Eastern Shore) opened the season with 16 kills and five blocks against UNC Asheville.
Isil Yilmaz (Maryland Eastern Shore) had 15 digs each against UNC Asheville and Alabama A&M.
Erin Carpenter (Morgan State) was named to the Hokie Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 3.3 assists and 2.2 digs per set.
Mya Karrick (Morgan State) had 24 assists, five digs, and two aces against Quinnipiac.
Jada Williams (Morgan State) had five blocks against Quinnipiac.
Gabrielle Gilbert (Norfolk State) had eight kills in her collegiate debut against VCU.
Sydney McCree (Norfolk State) had 26 assists against Old Dominion, after turning in a 22-assist, 6-dig effort against VCU.
Fabiana Mucciola (Norfolk State) racked up 11 digs in the season opener against VCU.
Shonte Seale (Norfolk State) had 16 kills on .333 hitting against Old Dominion, after recording 11 kills against VCU.
Kamren Harper (North Carolina Central) racked up a career-high 25 kills to go along with 12 digs against Alabama A&M.
McKinley Roach (South Carolina State) hit .538 and had eight kills against New Orleans.