WEEKLY HONORS:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Naiya Sawtelle, North Carolina A&T

Sophomore | Outside Hitter | Stuart, Fla. / Jensen Beach HS

Sawtelle tallied 55 kills (4.23 per set) on a .310 hitting percentage to lead North Carolina A&T to a 2-1 opening weekend. The sophomore outside hitter recorded a match-high 19 kills while swinging .417 in a straight-set victory over Bethune-Cookman before leading the Aggies to a reverse sweep of UNC Greensboro, hitting .465 with 25 kills to end a 17-match losing streak against the Spartans. 

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jordan Gower, Elon

Senior | Libero | Raleigh, N.C. / Leesville HS

Gower recorded 70 digs, averaging 6.36 per set and posted a .974 reception percentage as the Phoenix opened the season at the VCU Invitational. She was the only CAA student-athlete with multiple 20-plus dig performances during the first weekend of the season. On Saturday, Gower tallied 29 digs in a four-set defeat against High Point before helping Elon bounce back with a four-set victory over VCU, recording 27 digs.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Kali Moore, Stony Brook

Freshman | Outside Hitter | Brooklyn, N.Y. / Park Slope Collegiate

Moore helped Stony Brook open the year 2-0, with a team-high 29 kills and 22 digs during her first two collegiate matches. The freshman outside hitter averaged 3.63 kills per set, adding 2.75 digs per set throughout the weekend, and recorded her first career double-double. On Sunday, Moore tallied a team-best 21 kills, hitting .269, with 14 digs to lead the Seawolves to a reverse sweep of Fordham. 

CONFERENCE NOTES:

STONY BROOK, TOWSON UNSCATHED   

• Stony Brook and Towson finished week one atop the CAA standings after going unbeaten in their first weekend of action. 

• Stony Brook began the year with back-to-back wins at home, taking down Quinnipiac in its season opener before a reverse sweep of Fordham on Sunday. 

• Towson did not drop a set at the Pirate Invitational, defeating Norfolk State, East Carolina and Furman to begin the year 3-0. 

TOWSON TOPS PRESEASON POLL  

• Three-time defending champion Towson collected seven first-place votes and 96 points to sit atop the CAA Volleyball Preseason Poll. It is the second consecutive season the Tigers have been favored in the preseason poll.  

POLL PARITY  

• Three teams received first-place votes in the CAA Volleyball Preseason Poll, while the teams ranked fourth through sixth were separated by four points and the teams seven through ten by six points. 

DANIEL HEADLINES PRESEASON TEAM

• Elon senior outside hitter Leah Daniel was selected as the 2022 Preseason Player of the Year for the second straight season. She was joined on the Preseason All-CAA team by her teammate Haylie Clark, three Tigers: Fay Bakodimou, Nina Cajic and Lydia Wiers, Charleston’s Lexi Wierzbicki, Delaware’s Lani Mason, Hofstra’s Chiara Cucco and Erica Staunton of Northeastern.  

WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE HERE  

• CAA Volleyball has three new members this season, with Hampton and North Carolina A&T joining from the Big South and Stony Brook coming over from the America East.  

HELLO, ELEVEN 

• Hampton, North Carolina A&T and Stony Brook join CAA Volleyball in 2022 as the membership increases to 11 conference teams. It marks the largest conference field since there were 10 members from 2005-2011. 

EIGHT IS GREAT 

• For the first time in league history, eight teams will participate in the CAA Volleyball Championship. It will be the largest championship field in conference history. Seven teams participated in the conference tournament from 1995-99, but the field has been six teams since 2011, excluding the spring of 2021.  

SECU AT TOWSON IN NOVEMBER 

• The 2022 CAA Volleyball Championship presented by Primis returns to SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University on November 17-19. It will be the third straight season the conference tournament has been held at Towson, marking the longest streak at one venue in league history. 

ORDER FOR A DOZEN 

• On August 3, the Colonial Athletic Association announced that Campbell will join the conference as a full member for the 2023-24 season. The Fighting Camels come from the Big South and will make CAA Volleyball a 12-team league next year. 

TEAM NOTES:

Charleston 

• The Cougars set a new overall and five-set single-match record with 17 aces against Fresno State on Friday.

• Charleston opened the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2018.

• Claire Campbell and Gabi Bailey were named to the all-tournament team following their performances over the weekend. Campbell hit .548 with 25 kills (2.27 per set), and Bailey had a team-best 43 kills (3.91 per set), including 10 or more in all three matches. 

Delaware

• Savannah Seemans posted back-to-back double-doubles to begin the season. She recorded 13 kills and 19 digs in the season opener, followed by 14 kills and 11 digs in the weekend finale. 

• Lani Mason paced Delaware with 4.44 kills per set and recorded a pair of double-doubles. She tallied a season-best 26 kills with 15 digs in her first match of the season before 14 kills and 13 digs to wrap up the weekend. 

• Eileen Gex and Seemans were named to the all-tournament team following the Blue Hens’ opening weekend.  

Elon

• Jordan Gower racked up 70 digs (6.36 per set), the second most in the NCAA, during the opening weekend of NCAA Volleyball. 

• Leah Daniel picked up where she left off, leading the Phoenix with 42 kills (3.82 per set), including 21 in Elon’s victory. 

• Lily Emlong made her collegiate debut and led the Phoenix with 10 blocks (1.11 per set) while adding 16 kills (1.78 per set).  

Hampton 

• Hampton begins its tenure in the CAA with a pair of matches this weekend. Hampton opens the season against UMES on Friday before squaring off with Manhattan on Saturday. 

• Hampton returns six players that played in all 23 matches for the Lady Pirates last season. 

• Clara Smith and Gabby Calloway recorded over 200 kills last fall to lead the Hampton attack. Smith paced the team with 210 kills (2.56 per set), while Calloway followed closely with 207 (2.46 per set).  

Hofstra

• With a win in its season opener, the Pride has won its past 12 home openers. 

• Freshman Clara Bal recorded her first career double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs in the weekend finale against Bryant. 

• Beatriz Alves totaled 105 assists (10.50 per set), recording at least 25 in all three matches. She has now reached double-digit assists in all 32 matches during her career.

North Carolina A&T

• North Carolina A&T snapped a 17-match losing streak to in-state rival UNC Greensboro, defeating the Spartans in dramatic fashion with a reverse sweep. 

• Naiya Sawtelle paced the Aggies with 55 kills (4.23 per set), hitting .310 over the weekend. Her 55 kills rank 12th in the NCAA after the first weekend of 2022. 

• Hannah Howell recorded a double-double in two of three matches last week. She tallied 16 kills and 17 digs in the season opener before 12 kills and 14 digs in the weekend finale. 

UNCW

• Senior Katie Lanz opened the season with 19 kills in a 4-set loss to Virginia Tech at the Seahawk Volleyball Classic and finished the tournament with 34 kills in total (3.09 per set).

• Jadyn Barry recorded 48 digs (4.36 per set), including double-digit digs in back-to-back matches to begin the season.  

• All seven newcomers saw action last weekend, with freshman Hannah Forbes posting 14 kills.

Northeastern 

• Erica Staunton recorded double-figure kills in all three matches, totaling 37 (3.36 per set) to lead Northeastern during the opening weekend.

• Laura Seegar made her Northeastern debut as the graduate student recorded 14 kills and eight digs in the season opener. 

• It was the first time in program history Northeastern has faced UTEP, Pacific, or Northwestern. 

Stony Brook

• The win over Quinnipiac on Friday marked the first season-opening win for the Seawolves since 2018. 

• Kali Moore concluded her first weekend of collegiate volleyball with a double-double, recording 21 kills and 14 digs against Fordham. 

• Abby Campbell opened the season with 19 kills (2.38 per set) and nine blocks (1.11 per set) while posting a .390 hitting percentage. 

Towson

• Towson started the season 3-0 for the fourth straight season, not dropping a set at the Pirate Invitational, hosted by East Carolina.  

• The Tigers posted the top hitting percentage (.412) in the NCAA throughout the opening weekend of the season. Additionally, Towson ranks ninth in kills per set (15.00) and 13th in assists per set (13.89). 

• Nina Cajic led Towson with 28 kills (3.11 per set) and hit .521, while Lydia Wiers posted a .621 hitting percentage with 19 kills (2.11 per set) and nine blocks (1.00 per set). 

William & Mary

• Freshman outside hitter Sarah Callender produced her first-career double-double with 11 kills and 14 digs in the weekend finale. 

• Kaitlyn Ferguson recorded double-figure kills in back-to-back matches to end the weekend with a team-best 28 (2.80 per set). 

• Anna Porter tallied 40 digs (4.00 per set), including 15 or more in the final two matches last weekend, to lead the Tribe defensively.