Bulldogs earn three major NEC awards
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Coming off a record-setting 19-win season that saw the program earn its first Division I postseason berth, the Bryant University women's volleyball team nabbed three major Northeast Conference accolades, including Setter of the Year in sophomore Vika Nesterov (Kfar Saba, Israel), Rookie of the Year in rightside Sophie Hoekstra (Millersville, Md.) and Coach of the Year in Theresa Garlacy.
The trio headlines four all-conference selections for the Bulldogs, who saw Hoekstra and Nesterov named to the All-NEC First Team, with senior libero Debora Magalhaes (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and freshman outside hitter Kristin Kingi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) taking home All-NEC Second Team honors.
After leading the Bulldogs to their first-ever NEC Tournament appearance and program bests in overall wins (19) and conference victories (10), Garlacy earns her first NEC Coach of the Year award, as voted by head coaches across the league. Now in her 20th season at the program's helm, Garlacy led the Bulldogs to a perfect 14-0 record at home, a stretch that included her 450th career victory in a 3-1 win over Saint Francis U. on Oct. 18.
Over the last three years, Garlacy has steadily improved the performance of the Black and Gold, going from a 3-11 league mark in 2013 to a near-miss of the tournament in 2014 before finishing this season at 10-4 and vying for a regular-season title until the final weekend of action. Garlacy has guided the third-seeded Bulldogs to marquee victories in 2015, including a 3-1 win over tournament top-seed LIU Brooklyn at the Chace Athletic Center back on Sept. 27.
Key to the Bulldogs' turnaround, Nesterov earns the first major postseason award of her career after averaging 8.25 assists per set in 2015. The sophomore ranks second in the conference in the category and enters NEC Tournament action just 10 helpers shy of her second-consecutive 1,000-assist campaign. The sophomore setter is also a force on the attack, nabbing fifth in the league in service aces (33) while adding 161 kills to a stellar all-around performance that includes 323 digs and 56 blocks on the year. Nesterov has an impressive 19 double-doubles this season, including a pair of triple-double efforts. As a team, the Black and Gold rank second in the NEC in assists with 11.95 per frame.
As a freshman, Hoekstra led the Bulldog offense to the second spot in the NEC in kills per set (12.88) in 2015, recording a team-leading 333 kills to rank third on the league circuit and tops among conference rookies. The frosh rightside averages 2.95 kills per set entering tournament play – good for fifth on the league ladder – and holds the eighth position with a .259 hitting percentage. The freshman totals 368.5 points on the year so far with 3.26 points per stanza, placing her fifth in the league. Hoekstra has also logged 71 blocks and 94 digs on her rookie campaign.
Both Nesterov and Hoekstra earn All-NEC First Team honors as well, making them the only underclassmen to receive the accolade.
Magalhaes averages 5.65 digs per set in 2015, good for sixth-best in the nation, and totals an impressive 678 total digs on the year, ranking second in Division I. The senior leads the league in both categories, finishing with 194 more digs than the next highest libero in the NEC. The Brazilian led the Bulldog defense to the second-place slot in digs per set (16.60) and posted four 30-dig matches as a senior.
Kingi finished her first regular season ranked second on the Bulldog side with 321 kills, producing 2.92 per set to rank sixth in the league just behind Hoekstra. The outside hitter holds the ninth slot in the conference in points per set with 3.12, totaling 343.5 on the year. Kingi currently sits third on the squad with 279 digs and adds 26 blocks and nine aces on the regular season.
Backed by the honorees, the No. 3 Bulldogs will face off against No. 2 Robert Morris on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m. in the second of two NEC Semifinals. Fans can watch the match on NECFrontRow.com.