Player of the Week
Kiannisha Santiago, Rider
Sr., San Juan, Puerto Rico, Hudson Catholic (NJ)
Santiago was dominant in a pair of MAAC wins, totaling 38 kills (4.75 per set) while adding 11 digs, seven blocks, and five aces, all while maintaining a .392 hitting percentage. In the win over Marist, Santiago had a season-high 23 kills on .391 hitting along with three aces. The senior stuffed the stat sheet against Siena finishing with 15 kills on .394 hitting, adding eight digs, five blocks, and two aces. In the opening conference weekend, Santiago led the MAAC in points and kills per set, while finishing fifth in the league in hitting percentage.
Libero of the Week
Brenda Reynaga, Canisius
Jr., Aurora, IL, Binghamton/Metea Valley
Brenda Reynaga led the Golden Griffins on both sides of the ball to two wins on the weekend against Iona and Manhattan. The Binghamton transfer turned in a career-high 34 digs in Friday's thrilling reverse sweep over Iona while also recording a kill and a service ace offensively. Reynaga recorded 21 digs to go with a career-high four service aces in a sweep of Manhattan on Saturday, totaling 55 digs on the weekend.
Setter of the Week
Makenna Mason, Rider
Jr., Hilton Head Island, SC, Hilton Head
Mason ran an efficient Rider offense, averaging 12.00 assists per set (most in the MAAC during the opening weekend of MAAC play), while Rider hit .350 as a team across a pair of conference wins. In Rider's win over Marist, Mason added 12 digs for the double-double. Against Siena, Mason was strong on the service line with three aces to go with her 49 assists.
Rookie of the Week
Julia Leonardo, Iona
Fr., Attleboro, MA, Attleboro
Freshman Julia Leonardo had a monster all-around week for the Gaels, averaging 4.08 points, 3.77 kills, and 2.46 digs per set while hitting .231. She totaled 49 kills on 143 attempts, returned 63 of 66 serves, and was a key piece in holding opponents to a .129 hitting percentage, the second lowest mark in the MAAC last week. Leonardo posted eight kills with a block and an ace in a sweep of Holy Cross, then delivered back-to-back double-doubles in heartbreaking five-set losses at Canisius and Niagara. Both matches were decided by two points in the final frame. She recorded 15 kills against the Golden Griffins and followed it with an Iona season-best 26 kills against the Purple Eagles, the seventh-highest single-match total in program history and the most for the Gaels since October 2023.
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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