BETHLEHEM, Pa. – American and Colgate collected one of the two Patriot League women’s volleyball weekly awards when the League office unveiled the honors on Tuesday.
American senior setter Esma Sipahi earned Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week honors after leading American to a 2-0 weekend where she averaged 11.38 assists, 3.13 digs and 1.25 kills per set.
Colgate first-year right-side hitter Tiana Owens was named Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Rookie of the Week, leading the Raiders to a two-win weekend with 25 kills (3.13 per set), seven blocks, three digs, and a .281 hitting percentage.
American freshman middle blocker Elise Sterling, Army West Point junior outside hitter Mackenzie Lynch, Colgate senior middle blocker Greta Hoogstra, Holy Cross freshman outside hitter Gabby Wold and Navy sophomore setter Arleigh Hanson all received honorable mentions.
2024 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Standings (through Oct. 15)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| Bucknell |
7-1 |
.875 |
15-2 |
.882 |
| Colgate |
7-1 |
.875 |
9-9 |
.500 |
| American |
6-2 |
.750 |
16-4 |
.800 |
| Lehigh |
4-4 |
.500 |
11-7 |
.611 |
| Army West Point |
4-4 |
.500 |
8-9 |
.471 |
| Loyola Maryland |
4-4 |
.500 |
6-11 |
.353 |
| Navy |
3-5 |
.375 |
3-14 |
.176 |
| Lafayette |
1-7 |
.125 |
6-11 |
.353 |
| Holy Cross |
0-8 |
.000 |
2-15 |
.118 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Player of the Week
Esma Sipahi, American, Sr., S, Istanbul, Turkey/TED Istanbul College
*Sipahi led American to a 2-0 weekend with four-set wins over Lehigh and Army as the Istanbul, Turkey native averaged 11.38 assists, 3.13 digs and 1.25 kills per set. The senior just missed a triple-double on Friday night against the Black Knights with 46 assists, 14 digs and seven kills while hitting .353. Sipahi posted her second double-double of the weekend with 45 assists and 11 digs at Lehigh.
*The setter, who ranks fourth in NCAA Division I in assists (751), leads the Patriot League in that category and assists per set (9.88).
Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Rookie of the Week
Tiana Owens, Colgate, Fy., RS, El Cajon, Calif./Cathedral Classic
*Owens was unstoppable in Colgate's 2-0 week with victories over Loyola Maryland and Bucknell as the first-year right-side hitter compiled 25 kills (3.13 per set), seven blocks, three digs, and a .281 hitting percentage.
*In the Raiders’ 3-1 win over the Bison, Owens delivered 13 kills and five blocks with a .267 hitting clip to help snap the nation's leading winning streak (15 matches). On Friday at Loyola Maryland, Owens totaled 12 kills, two digs, and two blocks.
Honorable Mention
Elise Sterling, American, Fr., MB, Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg
*Sterling averaged 2.00 kills per set and 0.75 blocks per set while hitting .464 in a 2-0 weekend for American. The freshman posted eight kills, hitting .429, and two blocks in a 3-1 win at Lehigh. Sterling returned with eight kills on a .500 clip and four blocks in a victory over Army.
*The Orland Park, Ill. native ranks fifth in the Patriot League in hitting percentage (.338).
Mackenzie Lynch, Army West Point, Jr., OH, Asheville, N.C./T.C. Roberson
*Lynch turned in a pair of stellar performances for Army as the junior outside hitter totaled 23 kills, 38 digs, four assists, three blocks, and two aces in a 1-1 weekend. In a sweep at Lafayette, she had 11 kills on a .400 hitting percentage while leading the Black Knights with 12 total digs.
*The Asheville, N.C. native tallied 12 kills while also picking up a career-high 26 digs in the four-set match at American on Saturday.
*Among Patriot League rankings, Lynch is fifth in digs (224) and sixth in digs per set (3.39).
Greta Hoogstra, Colgate, Sr., MB, Elmhurst, Ill./Timothy Christian
*Hoogstra was instrumental in Colgate's 2-0 week, helping the Raiders pick up wins over Loyola Maryland and Bucknell as the senior middle blocker compiled 15 kills, six digs, and four blocks while posting an outstanding .609 hitting percentage.
*She shined in a sweep of the Greyhounds with 10 kills and a .769 hitting percentage, before posting three blocks, five kills, and a .400 hitting clip in a victory over the Bison.
*The Elmhurst, Ill. native leads the Patriot League in hitting percentage (.433), is tied for ninth in blocks (36), and 10th in blocks per set (0.90).
Gabby Wold, Holy Cross, Fr., OH, Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead
*Wold posted a team-best 27 kills (3.86 per set) and 30.0 points (4.29 per set), while chipping in 23 digs (3.29 per set) over the weekend for Holy Cross. She tallied 11 kills, nine digs and three aces on Friday against Navy.
*The freshman returned with a match-best and career-high of 16 kills with 14 digs for her sixth double-double of the season at Lehigh on Sunday.
*The Hartland, Wis. Native ranks tied for seventh in the Patriot League in kills (173), eighth in kills per set (2.88), eighth in points (194.5), and 10th in points per set (3.24).
Arleigh Hanson, Navy, So., S, Alexandria, Va.
*Hanson recorded a pair of double-doubles in Navy’s road victories over Holy Cross (3-0) and Lafayette (3-1) as she averaged 6.43 assists and 4.00 digs per set. The sophomore registered 14 assists and 12 digs in the Mids’ 3-0 win at Holy Cross and finished with 31 assists and 16 digs in a 3-1 victory at Lafayette on Saturday.
Player of the Week
9.3 – Gracie Reisman, Holy Cross, Jr., RS
9.10 – Jordan Hardy, Bucknell, Sr., L
9.17- Adelina Berisha, American, Jr., OH
9.24 – Milan Bayless, Colgate, So., OH
10.1 – Caleigh O’Connell, Bucknell, Jr., S
10.8 – Kacy Sekunda, Loyola Maryland, Sr., S/OPP
10.15 – Esma Sipahi, American, Sr., S
Rookie of the Week
9.3 – Zedo Yilmaz, American, Fr., OH
9.10 – Elise Sterling, American, Fr., MB
9.17 – Zedo Yilmaz, American, Fr., OH
9.24 – Zedo Yilmaz, American, Fr., OH
10.1 – Zedo Yilmaz, American, Fr., OH
10.8 – Tatum Grimes, Army West Point, Fr., MB
10.15 – Tiana Owens, Colgate, Fy., RS
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.