PITMAN --- The New Jersey Athletic Conference announced its women's volleyball weekly honors for the week ending Oct. 12.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NICOLE PALMER • Stockton University
Junior • Right Side/Setter • Islip Terrace, NY/East Islip
Palmer was selected NJAC Player of the Week after showcasing remarkable versatility in leading Stockton to a 2-0 week. The junior registered her fourth double-double of the season with 15 kills and 12 digs while hitting an outstanding .393 in a critical conference victory over Kean. For the week, Palmer led the team with a .367 hitting percentage and 17 digs while finishing second with 26 kills, and added five aces, seven blocks, and five assists to her impressive stat line, excelling in her dual role as both setter and attacker. Palmer currently ranks among the top 10 in the NJAC with 3.86 points per set in conference play so far this season. She is also tied atop the leaderboard with 11 aces against NJAC opponents.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
LAILA NEWBORN • Stockton University
Senior • Middle Hitter • Lower Merion, PA/Lower Merion
Newborn earned NJAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after an elite blocking performance that led Stockton to a 2-0 week. The senior middle hitter tallied 15 total blocks, including seven solo blocks and eight block assists, while posting a career-high eight blocks against Drew. She also contributed two kills, two aces, and three digs in the two victories. Newborn leads the NJAC in conference-only total blocks (14) and blocks per set (1.00).
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
ASYA AKAR • Ramapo College
Freshman • Outside Hitter • Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst
Akar was tabbed NJAC Rookie of the Week after leading the Roadrunners to a perfect 4-0 week with a dominant all-around performance. The freshman outside hitter posted a career-high seven aces while recording a double-double of 21 kills and 10 digs in the conference win over Rutgers-Newark to open the week. She followed up with 15 kills on a week-best .444 hitting percentage in a sweep of Centenary before putting up two more double-doubles in back-to-back four-set wins over Hunter and Mount Saint Mary on Saturday. Akar finished with 67 kills, 37 digs, and 16 aces, while hitting .301 for the week.