Scarff named NEC Rookie of the Year, pair earn All-NEC Second Team nods

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshman outside hitter Natascha Scarff (Geneva, Switzerland) earned the first-ever major Division I postseason award for the Bryant University volleyball team, taking home 2014 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year honors, while a pair of Bulldogs were named all-conference second team picks for their season-long performances.

Scarff added an All-NEC Second Team selection to her Rookie of the Year honors, and the frosh was joined as an all-conference honoree by junior libero Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil).

A five-time Molten/NEC Rookie of the Week pick, Scarff led the Bulldogs to their highest finish ever (T-4th) since joining the Northeast Conference back in 2008. Despite missing the first 10 matches of the season, the rookie outside hitter dominated in every situation, finishing the year with 259 kills, 276 digs, 29 blocks and 20 aces while appearing in 93 sets. Scarff compiled 12 double-doubles, including five in the last seven matches of the season, and hit the 20-kill mark twice (vs. LIU Brooklyn, at Holy Cross) as one of the top scoring threats in the league. The only rookie to make an appearance on the all-conference list, she averaged 2.78 kills per set and 2.97 digs per set and finished her freshman campaign with an impressive .962 reception percentage.

The defensive stronghold of the 2014 Bulldogs, Magalhaes joins Scarff as an All-NEC Second Teamer after leading the league in total digs and digs per set this fall. Her 660 total digs – 175 more than the next highest total in the league – and 5.20 digs per set rank third and 21st, respectively, among all Division I players in 2014, while both numbers set new Division I program marks and rank in the top three all-time. Magalhaes added 11 service aces and a .926 reception percentage in her debut season with the Black and Gold, earning an NEC Defensive Player of the Week accolade Oct. 20 and recording four 30-digs outings, including a career-high 35 at UConn Sept. 20.

The Bulldogs finished the 2014 season 12-22 overall with a 7-7 mark in Northeast Conference action.