CAA Volleyball Weekly Awards - Oct. 11
Hunter Peters
RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 11, 2021) – This Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) has announced its volleyball weekly awards after reaching the halfway point in the conference schedule. Lani Mason of Delaware and Miëtte Veldman of James Madison were honored as CAA Co-Offensive Players of the Week. A pair of Hofstra student-athletes took home the additional accolades as Sarah Pierre was named CAA Defensive Player of the Week and Beatriz Alves earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lani Mason, Delaware
Junior | Outside Hitter | Chester, Va. / Matoaca
Mason led Delaware to a 2-0 week, defeating UNCW in back-to-back CAA matches. The junior outside hitter averaged 4.71 kills per set and 3.29 digs per set while swinging .350 throughout the weekend. On Saturday, Mason recorded her fifth double-double of the season, tallying a match-high 16 kills while adding 17 digs in a four-set victory for the Blue Hens. In the weekend finale, she led the match with 17 kills on a .448 hitting percentage and added six digs and a pair of service aces in a straight-set win. Mason leads the Blue Hens with 199 kills and ranks fourth in the CAA with 3.11 kills per set this season.
CO-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Miëtte Veldman, James Madison
Sophomore | Outside Hitter | Daleville, Va. / Lord Botetourt
Veldman led James Madison to a split with Elon in a showdown of the top two teams in the CAA standings this weekend. The sophomore tallied 38 kills (4.75 per set) on a .341 hitting percentage while adding 20 digs (2.50 per set) in the weekend series. Veldman recorded a match-high 22 kills, swinging .367 with seven digs and two service aces in the Dukes’ five-set victory over the Phoenix. Despite falling in the second matchup, Veldman recorded her fourth double-double of the season, tallying a team-high 16 kills and 13 digs to conclude the weekend. She ranks second in the CAA this season, averaging 3.76 kills per set, and she has recorded double-figure kills in six straight matches.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sarah Pierre, Hofstra
Junior | Middle Blocker | Bloomfield, N.J. / Bloomfield HS
Pierre was a force at the net in Hofstra’s two straight-set victories over William & Mary, averaging 2.33 blocks per set over the weekend. The junior tallied 14 total blocks, including her third match this season with double-digit blocks. Pierre started the weekend with 11 blocks, becoming the first Hofstra player with three matches of 10+ blocks since 2014. The Junior leads the CAA in blocks per set and ranks ninth in the NCAA with 1.52 blocks per set this season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Beatriz Alves, Hofstra
Freshman | Setter | São José dos Campos, Brazil / Colégio Campos Salles
It was another solid week for Alves as she facilitated the Pride offense in back-to-back sweeps over William & Mary. Alves totaled 75 assists (12.50 per set), 13 digs (2.17 per set), six kills (1.00 per set), four blocks (0.67 per set) and three service aces (0.50 per set) throughout the two matches. She helped Hofstra to a .325 attack percentage for the week, setting a new season-high for the Pride. Alves opened the weekend with 39 assists, seven digs, four kills, two service aces and two blocks in Saturday’s victory. In the following contest, she totaled 33 assists, six digs, two kills, two blocks and a service ace. Alves has 30 or more assists in nine straight matches and has 13 such performances this season.
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