2019 MAAC Volleyball Major Awards and All-MAAC Teams Announced
2019 MAAC Volleyball Major Awards and All-MAAC Teams Announced
EDISON, N.J. (Nov. 4, 2019) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has announced the 2019 Volleyball All-MAAC Teams and Major Award winners. All awards were voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.
The 2019 MAAC Volleyball Player and Setter of the Year is Fairfield University’s Manuela Nicolini. The senior adds to her resume after making the All-Rookie team in 2016, being named MAAC Setter of the Year in 2017, and being named the 2018 MAAC Preseason Co-Player of the Year. Nicolini paced the MAAC with 11.12 assists per set this season, totaling 1068 for the year. A Castelnuovo Rangone, Italy native, Nicolini also ranked fifth in the conference in service aces with 40, averaging .42 per set.
The 2019 MAAC Libero of the Year is Alejandra Rodriguez of Quinnipiac University. Rodriguez ranked third in the MAAC with 4.79 digs per set. The senior recorded a season-high 37 digs in five sets against Manhattan on Oct. 6. Rodriguez also recorded 99 assists on the year, with a season-high coming against Niagara on Nov 16. In all, the Toa Alta, Puerto Rico native played in 101 sets for the Bobcats this year.
The 2019 MAAC Rookie of the Year is Morgan Romano of Rider University. Romano won an unprecedented 12 MAAC Rookie of the Week Awards, collecting the title outright 10 times and sharing it twice. From Oviedo, Florida, Romano led the MAAC in kills per set with 4.59. Her 510 kills and 576.0 total points both ranked third in the entire country. Prior to this season, no MAAC player had eclipsed the 500 kills mark in over a decade. Romano powered a Rider offense that ranked third in the MAAC with 12.45 kills per set.
The 2019 MAAC Volleyball BSN Sports Coach of the Year is Todd Kress of Fairfield University. Kress led the Stags to a 22-5 record, going 17-1 in MAAC play and claiming the top seed in this year’s championship. The Stags saw drastic improvement on the court after finishing last season at a 14-16 overall mark, going 11-7 in conference play. This marks the seventh time Kress has been named the MAAC BSN Sports Coach of the year in his tenth season with the team. The Stags have won five MAAC Championships under Kress and will pursue the team’s sixth under his leadership this weekend.
For the full list of awards, including the All-MAAC Teams and All-Rookie Team, see below.
| 2019 MAAC Volleyball Major Awards |
| Award |
Player |
School |
| Player of the Year |
Manuela Nicolini |
Fairfield |
| Libero of the Year |
Alejandra Rodriguez |
Quinnipiac |
| Setter of the Year |
Manuela Nicolini |
Fairfield |
| Rookie of the Year |
Morgan Romano |
Rider |
| BSN Sports Coach of the Year |
Todd Kress |
Fairfield |
| 2019 MAAC Volleyball All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Class |
School |
Position |
| Leah Simmons |
Sr. |
Canisius |
Middle Hitter |
| Manuela Nicolini |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
Setter |
| Joelle Battles |
Fr. |
Fairfield |
Right Side |
| Megan Fergus |
Sr. |
Marist |
Outside Hitter |
| Jaycie Roberts |
Jr. |
Niagara |
Outside Hitter |
| Morgan Romano |
Fr. |
Rider |
Opposite |
| Anilee Sher |
So. |
Rider |
Setter |
| 2019 MAAC Volleyball All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Class |
School |
Position |
| Camila Vazquez |
So. |
Canisius |
Middle Hitter |
| Kaylie Butts |
Jr. |
Fairfield |
Middle Blocker |
| Mayda Garcia |
Sr. |
Fairfield |
Outside Hitter |
| Caroline Leitch |
Sr. |
Niagara |
Outside Hitter |
| Kaleigh Oates |
Sr. |
Quinnipiac |
Middle Blocker |
| Alejandra Rodriguez |
Sr. |
Quinnipiac |
Libero |
| Morgan Koch |
Fr. |
Rider |
Middle Hitter |
| 2019 MAAC Volleyball All-Rookie Team |
| Player |
Class |
School |
Position |
| Bree Long |
Fr. |
Canisius |
Libero |
| Ella Loussia |
Fr. |
Canisius |
Outside Hitter |
| Joelle Battles |
Fr. |
Fairfield |
Right Side |
| Sophia Theriot |
Fr. |
Marist |
Libero |
| Gabby Murray |
Fr. |
Marist |
Middle Blocker |
| Morgan Romano |
Fr. |
Rider |
Opposite |
| Morgan Koch |
Fr. |
Rider |
Middle Hitter |
Keep up with all MAAC volleyball action by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by searching #MAACVB. For championship information, visit
MAACSports.com/VB.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.