Players of the Week
Player of the Week
Grace Dilena (Mercy)
Jr., OH, New York, N.Y., Liberty University Online Academy
Dilena had a team-high 34 kills and 4.25 kills per set on .263 hitting with 20 digs, and one ace as Mercy went 2-0 to finish the regular season undefeated in ECC play. The junior opened the week with a match-high 15 kills on .444 hitting to go with four digs, one ace and one assist in the sweep at Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday. The outside hitter ended the week with a double-double by way of a match-high 19 kills to go with a team-high 16 digs in the five-set win at D'Youville on Sunday.
Defensive Player of the Week
Boglarka Kiss (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Sr., L, Szeged, Hungary, Szegedi Deak Ferenc Gimnazium
Kiss recorded 11 serve assists, two service aces and 38 digs over eight total sets, as the Spartans went 2-0 on the week with wins against Molloy and Roberts Wesleyan.
Setter of the Week
Ashley Ballou (D'Youville)
R-So., S, Eden, N.Y., Eden/University of Connecticut/University at Buffalo
Ashley Ballou directed the Saints' offense with 113 assists across 12 sets, averaging 9.42 assists per set. Ballou recorded 31 assists against Roberts Wesleyan before posting a week-high 46 assists in the four-set victory over Queens College. She added 36 assists and 18 digs against Mercy, finishing the week with 27 digs, eight total blocks, and one service ace.
Rookie of the Week
Amelie Gasche (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Fr., OP, Oekingen, Switzerland, Kantonsschule Solothurn
Gasche recorded 20 kills, a serve assist, five digs, a solo block and five block assists in seven total sets, as the Spartans went 2-0 on the week with wins against Molloy and Roberts Wesleyan. The STAC freshman opposite hitter also held a .244 hitting percentage in that span.
Weekly Honor Roll
Avery Craig (Daemen)
Jr., OH, Tomball, TX, Tomball Memorial HS
Craig totaled 26 digs (3.7 digs/set) and 20 kills (2.8 kills/set) along with two aces and three blocks as Daemen defeated Molloy (3-1) and Queens (3-0) this weekend. The junior outside hitter posted her sixth double-double of the year with 12 kills and a season-tying high 20 digs in the 3-1 victory over Molloy on Saturday, adding three blocks – one solo – and an ace. Saturday's 20-dig performance marked Craig's second straight match with 20+ digs. Craig followed up with a team-tying high eight kills, six digs and one ace in the 3-0 sweep over Queens in the regular season finale on Sunday.
Audrey Johnson (Daemen)
Fr., OH/DS, Mequon, Wis., Homestead
Johnson totaled 26 digs (3.6 digs/set), 10 kills, four aces and two blocks as Daemen defeated Molloy (3-1) and Queens (3-0) in the final weekend of the regular season. The freshman outside hitter totaled 13 digs and two aces in both Wildcat wins, adding six kills in the victory over Molloy on Saturday and four in the win over Queens on Sunday.
Madeline O'Brien (D'Youville)
Sr., OH, East Amherst, N.Y., Clarence
Madeline O'Brien provided consistent offensive production for D'Youville, totaling 36 kills, 25 digs, two service aces, and three total blocks across three matches. O'Brien opened the week with 13 kills and 11 digs against Roberts Wesleyan before adding 12 kills against Queens College. She finished with 11 kills, nine digs, and two aces against Mercy, reaching double-digit kills in all three matches.
Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Sr., S, Humacao, Puerto Rico, American International College
Rivera Rodriguez had a team-high 69 assists and 8.63 assists per set to go with 19 digs, six blocks (1 solo, five assists), and two kills as Mercy went 2-0 on the week to end the regular season undefeated in ECC play. The senior opened the week with a match-high 29 assists to go with eight digs, three block assists and two kills in the sweep at Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday. The setter ended the week with a match-high 40 assists to go with 11 digs, and three blocks (1 solo, 2 assists) in the five-set win at D'Youville on Sunday.
Stasa Stamenkovic (Mercy)
Jr., OH, Bor, Serbia, Barton CC
Stamenkovic had 27 kills and 3.38 kills per set on .281 hitting to go with 19 digs, three assists, two aces and one block as Mercy went 2-0. The junior opened the week with 12 kills on .550 hitting to go with eight digs, one ace, and one assist in the sweep at Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday. Stamenkovic ended the week with a double-double by way of 15 kills, 11 digs, one block assist, two assists and one ace in the five-set win at D'Youville on Sunday.
Cameron Ulinski (D'Youville)
Jr., OH, Bretten, Germany, Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Cameron Ulinski led the Saints offensively across three matches, totaling 44 kills, 28 digs, four service aces, and three total blocks over 12 sets. Ulinski recorded nine kills and 14 digs in the sweep of Roberts Wesleyan before delivering 17 kills on .351 hitting with three aces against Queens College. She closed the week with a team-high 18 kills against conference-leading Mercy, helping the Saints push the Mavericks to five sets. Ulinski also set a new program record this week for kills in a single season.
2026 ECC Women’s Volleyball Weekly Award Winners
Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Grace Dilena (Mercy)
Sep. 7 – Grace Dilena (Mercy)
Sep. 14 – Cameron Ulinski (D'Youville)
Sep. 21 – Grace Dilena (Mercy)
Sep. 28 – Stasa Stamenkovic (Mercy)
Oct. 5 – Grace Dilena (Mercy)
Oct. 12 – Cameron Ulinski (D'Youville) (2x)
Oct. 19 – Stasa Stamenkovic (Mercy) (2x)
Oct. 26 – Grace Dilena (Mercy)
Nov. 2 – Grace Dilena (Mercy)
Nov. 9 – Grace Dilena (Mercy) (7x)
Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 31 – Kamila Colon (Mercy)
Sep. 7 – Kamila Colon (Mercy) (2x)
Sep. 14 – Mia Illes-Hair (Mercy)
Sep. 21 – Stasa Stamenkovic (Mercy)
Sep. 28 – Aleksandra Lucic (Mercy)
Oct. 5 – Aleksandra Lucic (Mercy)
Oct. 12 – Aleksandra Lucic (Mercy) (3x)
Oct. 19 – Mia Illes-Hair (Mercy)
Oct. 26 – Janneliz Rodriguez Fuentes (Mercy)
Nov. 2 – Mia Illes-Hair (Mercy) (3x)
Nov. 9 – Boglarka Kiss (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Setter of the Week
Aug. 31 – Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Sep. 7 – Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Sep. 14 – Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Sep. 21 – Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Sep. 28 – Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Oct. 5 – Ashley Ballou (D'Youville)
Oct. 12 – Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Oct. 19 – Ashley Ballou (D'Youville and Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Oct. 26 – Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy)
Nov. 2 – Adriana Rivera Rodriguez (Mercy) (9x)
Nov. 9 – Ashley Ballou (D'Youville) (3x)
Rookie of the Week
Aug. 31 – Zoe Sercu (Queens)
Sep. 7 – Amelie Gasche (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Sep. 14 – Audrey Johnson (Daemen)
Sep. 21 – Audrey Johnson (Daemen)
Sep. 28 – Audrey Johnson (Daemen)
Oct. 5 – Kailie Girard (Molloy)
Oct. 12 – Kailie Girard (Molloy) (2x)
Oct. 19 – Zoe Sercu (Queens) (2x)
Oct. 26 – Audrey Johnson (Daemen) (4x)
Nov. 2 – Etana Murray (Daemen)
Nov. 9 – Amelie Gasche (St. Thomas Aquinas) (2x)
2026 ECC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. Mercy - 49 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Molloy - 38 points
3. Daemen - 37 points
4. D'Youville - 29 points
5. Roberts Wesleyan - 15 points
T6. St. Thomas Aquinas - 14 points
T6. Queens - 14 points
***
Founded as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference in 1989 and rechristened the East Coast Conference in July 2006, the ECC was formed to enhance intercollegiate athletic competition among member institutions and to assist them in integrating athletics into their academic program in a fiscally sound way. The ECC is committed to the highest standards of scholarship, sportsmanship, teamwork, and citizenship. Its mission is to promote the total person concept in its student-athletes, which stresses the abilities to excel in academic achievement, athletic competition, and positive character traits. East Coast Conference members include: Daemen University (Amherst, N.Y.); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, D.C.); D'Youville University (Buffalo, N.Y.); Mercy University (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.); Molloy University (Rockville Centre, N.Y.); Queens College (Flushing, N.Y.); Roberts Wesleyan University (Rochester, N.Y.); College of Staten Island (Staten Island, N.Y.); and St. Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.). The ECC also is home to 13 associate members in the sports of women’s bowling (3), men’s and women’s indoor track & field (3), men's volleyball (2), field hockey (1), and men’s lacrosse (1).
The ECC sponsors the following championship sports: baseball; men’s and women’s basketball; women's bowling; men’s and women’s cross country; field hockey; men’s and women’s lacrosse; men’s and women’s indoor track and field; men’s and women’s outdoor track and field; men’s and women’s soccer; softball; and men's and women’s volleyball.
The East Coast Conference is a proud member of the NCAA and Division II. Division II is a dynamic and engaging group of colleges, institutions and conferences of varying sizes and educational missions. Division II members encourage and support diversity; value sportsmanship, fairness and equity; and place the highest priority on the overall educational excellence of the student-athlete.