Co-Player of the Week
Yagmur Gunes, Quinnipiac
Sr., Bursa, Turkey, Sahinkaya Academy
Yagmur Gunes started both matches for the Bobcats over the weekend, leading QU to a 2-0 weekend. Gunes recorded 25 kills in the four-set win over Siena on Friday night. Gunes also recorded five service aces and eleven digs in the win. Gunes recorded her eleventh double-double of the season and for the second straight match. On Saturday, Gunes registered eight kills and nine digs in the sweep over Marist. Gunes averaged 4.71 kills per set across the seven sets this past weekend.
Co-Player of the Week
Cristina Montanez, Sacred Heart
Gr., East Stroudsburg, PA, East Stroudsburg North
Montanez helped lead the Pioneers to a 2-0 weekend with an impressive .600 attack percentage, drilling 22 combined kills with just a single error in 35 total attempts. She also added six combined blocks and three digs. The graduate middle blocker finished both matches in double figures, starting out the weekend with 10 in a sweep of Manhattan and adding a dozen the next evening against Iona where she also added four of her six blocks.
Libero of the Week
Miliani Villarreal, Sacred Heart
So., Murrieta, CA, Vista Murrieta
The Pioneers starting libero Miliani Villarreal led the defensive efforts, averaging 5.29 digs per set with 37 total combined on the two matches. Additionally, Villarreal added 17 assists and three aces. In the opening match of the weekend, a sweep of Manhattan, she finished with 12 digs and added nine assists, while the next evening against Iona she added 25 defensive digs, her sixth match this season with 20+ and third with 25+. She also added eight assists and all three of her aces against the Gaels.
Setter of the Week
Damla Gunes, Quinnipiac
Sr., Bursa, Turkey, Sahinkaya Academy
Damla Gunes helped the Bobcats to a 2-0 weekend, defeating the Siena Saints (3-1) and Marist Red Foxes (3-0) over the weekend. Gunes recorded 48 assists in the four-set win over Siena and 32 assists in the sweep over Marist. Gunes also finished the weekend with 12 digs and three kills. Damla Gunes averaged 11.43 assists per set across the two matches this past weekend.
Rookie of the Week
Mary Claire Deacy, Siena
Fr., Chicago, IL, Mother McAuley High School
In three matches last week, Mary Claire Deacy totaled 27 kills (2.54 kills per set) on a .270 hitting percentage with four digs and four blocks in a 2-1 week for the Saints (won at Holy Cross, lost against Quinnipiac, won versus Merrimack).
The 2025 MAAC Volleyball Championship is a six-team, single-elimination championship taking place November 18 - November 24, 2025. The first round will be hosted by the #3 and #4 seeds. The semifinal round and championship final will be hosted by the #1 seed. The semifinals can be played between November 21-23, and the championship final can be played between November 22-24. For all information regarding the 2024 MAAC Volleyball Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/vb.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 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 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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