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Tuesday, September 20, 2004
WARRIORS CORRAL SIX INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
In soccers and volleyball, Eastern dominates LEC awards
WILLIMANTIC, Conn.-- The Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors have earned six out of nine Little East Conference Player of the Week selections in the sports of volleyball and women’s and men’s soccer.
The Warrior volleyball team swept the selection honorees with Players of the Week in the Offensive, Defensive and Rookie categories. The women’s soccer team earned both offensive and defensive honors while the men’s team received Offensive Player of the Week.
A winner of five straight, Eastern (9-3) volleyball is off to its best start after a dozen matches since 1998, when it posted its last 30-win season (34-8) and qualified for the last of a New England Division III-record 13 NCAA tournaments.
Senior middle blocker Christine Siranko (DANBURY) helped the Warriors to a 4-0 week which included a perfect 3-0 showing at the LEC Round Robin. Siranko lead the team in both attacks, with a .388 average, and kills with 46. In wins over UMD and UMB, she had 19 kills in 41 attempts with just one error for a .439 attack percentage. Siranko currently leads the team with a .275 attack percentage.
SIRANKO
Defensive Player of the Week, junior libero Marianna Capomolla (STAMFORD) led the defensive attack with an average 4.42 digs per game during the undefeated week. Capomolla had 29 digs in a four-game win over Rhode Island College while totaling 53 digs and a .911 reception average in 12 games.
CAPOMOLLA
Rookie of the Week honors went to outside hitter Sandra Jaques (MILFORD) who appeared in 12 out of 13 games for the Warriors. During the LEC victories, Jaques totaled ten kills and three service aces with a .947 reception percentage. She totaled 12 kills and 45 digs throughout the week.
JAQUES
At this time Eastern shares the top spot of the conference with undefeated LEC rival Plymouth State. The Warriors battle it out with Trinity College Tuesday at 7 p.m. and then visit Stevens Institute of
Technology on Friday.
The Conference acknowledged women’s soccer’s sophomore back Heather-Lynn Spada (HEBRON) for her defensive efforts during her 90 minutes of play against 19th-ranked Amherst which ended in a 1-1 tie. Spada, who has started all seven games this season, is ranked second on the Warriors team with 534 minutes played.
Senior forward Caitlin Buzzell (MANCHESTER), also from the women’s soccer team, was honored for her offensive maneuvers when she became the ninth different player in Eastern history to record a hat trick after she netted three goals and added an assist in a 5-2 decision over UMass Dartmouth. Buzzell earned another place in the records book during that same match when she scored twice in a span of 28 seconds to open the second half, the fastest consecutive goals in the programs history.
BUZZELL
The women’s soccer team, whose main strengths include athleticism and depth according to sixth-year head coach Chris D’Ambrosio, resumes play on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. against Wheaton College (MA).
On the men’s soccer team, senior forward Fotis Anastasiou (COLCHESTER) was the Offensive Player of the Week. Last week Anastasiou earned a goal and an assist during a Warrior win against Salve Regina (3-0) and scored the only two goals against LEC foe UMass Dartmouth (2-1) in the team’s first conference win of the season. Anastasiou is a former NJCAA Division III All-American first team from Manchester Community College.
Eastern takes on Albertus Magnus College Tuesday at 4 p.m. followed by Bridgewater State College on Thursday also at 4 p.m.
ANASTASIOU
