University of Albany Volleyball's Teresa Coppiellie & Brooke Stanley Earn America East Conference Weekly Awards - UAlbany Sports 2009

Cambridge, Mass. - University at Albany's Teresa Coppiellie and Brooke Stanley were named the America East Conference Volleyball Player and Setter of the Week, respectively, as announced on Monday, Nov. 2 by the conference office. With her first honor of the season, Coppiellie becomes the third straight Great Dane to earn the player of the week award. Stanley was chosen the conference's top setter for the fifth consecutive week.

Coppiellie, a junior from Canton, Mich., recorded a double-double with a match-high 11 kills and 10 digs to lead UAlbany to a 3-0 sweep of New Hampshire on Oct. 30. In the week's only match, the outside hitter averaged 3.67 kills, 3.33 digs and 1.00 aces while hitting at a .370 clip. Coppiellie recorded just one attack error and smacked three service aces.

Stanley, a junior from Hendersonville, N.C., quarterbacked her team past New Hampshire, keeping the Great Danes undefeated in conference play and extending UAlbany's win streak to 13 straight. Against the Wildcats, Stanley recorded a match-best 30 assists, nine digs and two service aces to go along with two kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Stanley, who is among the league leaders in three statistical categories, leads the conference with 11.0 assists per set in league play.

UAlbany (17-8, AE 7-0) will return to action on Friday, visiting second-place UMBC at 7 p.m. The Great Danes have a two-game lead in the America East standings with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

University of Albany's Nicole Savage Named America East Field Hockey Player of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2009

Cambridge, Mass. - UAlbany's Nicole Savage was named the America East Conference Field Hockey Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. It is Savage's second weekly award this season.

Savage tallied two assists in the Great Danes' 2-0 win over Boston U. that clinched UAlbany's second consecutive America East regular-season title. Savage, who is tied for the team lead with six goals on the season, recorded her sixth and seventh helpers for the year. She assisted on the game-winning goal in the 34th minute, before passing off to Alysia Hough in the 47th minute for an insurance goal. The senior forward also finished with a team-high three shots, including two on goal, in the game between the league's final two undefeated teams in conference play. UAlbany (12-3, AE 4-0) wraps the regular season this week against Connecticut and New Hampshire.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

University of Albany's White & Stanley Take Home America East Weekly Honors - Ualbany Sports 2009

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- University at Albany remained undefeated with two more conference wins last weekend and garnered this week's America East Volleyball Player and Setter of the Week awards. Senior middle blocker Hillary White (Aberdeen, S.D./Aberdeen) earned the award for top player, while junior setter Brooke Stanley (Hendersonville, N.C./West Henderson) made it four in a row with this week's Setter of the Week award.

Senior middle blocker White averaged 3.12 kills, 1.38 digs, 0.75 blocks and a remarkable .535 hitting percentage in two wins over Binghamton over the weekend, keeping the Great Danes undefeated in league play. At home on Friday, White finished with 14 kills, eight digs and five total blocks, hitting .444 for the match. In Vestal on Sunday, White recorded a team-high 11 kills with three digs and one block assist, hitting .688. For the week, White totaled 25 kills on 43 attempts with just two attack errors. The senior, a two-time all-conference selection, is receiving her first career Player of the Week award.

Stanley led the Great Danes to two wins over Binghamton, averaging 11.25 assists, 3.62 digs and 0.75 kills, while also finishing with five service aces and four block assists. In Friday's win at home, the junior setter recorded a match-high 55 assists and a career-high 22 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. She also added five kills with a .455 hitting percentage, two service aces and four block assists. On Sunday in Vestal, Stanley totaled 35 assists and seven digs, along with three service aces and one kill. Stanley's quarterbacking of the Great Danes offense led Albany to a .301 team hitting percentage. This is Stanley's fourth straight Setter of the Week honor and fifth of the season.

Team Notebook:

UAlbany (16-8 overall record, 6-0 America East record) won its 11th and 12th straight matches with two victories over Binghamton on Friday and Sunday to remain the lone undefeated team in the conference... Senior middle blocker Hillary White (Aberdeen, S.D./Aberdeen) averaged 3.12 kills, 1.38 digs and a remarkable .535 hitting percentage in the two wins... She totaled 25 kills on 43 attempts with just two attack errors for the week... Junior setter Brooke Stanley (Hendersonville, N.C./West Henderson) quarterbacked the Great Danes to the two wins over the Bearcats... On Friday, Stanley recorded a match-high 55 assists and a career-best 22 digs for her eighth double-double of the season... She also added five kills with a .455 hitting percentage, two service aces and four block assists... On Sunday, Stanley totaled 35 assists and seven digs, along with three service aces... Senior outside hitter Valerie Sourbeer (Valley Center, Calif./Valley Center) averaged a team-high 3.38 kills for the week, while junior outside hitter Teresa Coppiellie (Canton, Mich./Salem) added 2.62 kills and 2.75 digs per set... Sophomore middle blocker Casey Wright (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) led the team at the net with 10 total blocks, including four solo, and is averaging a team-best 1.06 blocks per set on the season... Libero Laurie Gonzalez (Carolina, Puerto Rico/St. Francis School) paced the team defensively with 5.88 digs per set over the weekend... The Great Danes will return to action with one match on Friday, hosting New Hampshire at 7 p.m... UAlbany will be celebrating the second annual Dig Pink event, to raise money and awareness for the Sideout Foundation in support of breast cancer research.

Courtesy: AE News

University of Albany's Ashley Tirabassi Garners Second America East Women's Soccer Player of the Week Award - UAlbany Sports 2009

Cambridge, Mass. - University at Albany's Ashley Tirabassi was named the America East Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday, Oct. 19. The senior co-captain is being honored with the award for the second time this season.

Tirabassi set the program standard for career goals to help the Great Danes win two straight America East matches for the first time since joining the league in 2001. Her game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over UMBC was her 17th career marker, breaking the record of 16 set by Anna Courtney in 1982 and matched by Sara Rickard in 2004. Tirabassi also added the insurance goal in UAlbany's 2-0 win at Stony Brook, which knocked the Seawolves out of first place.

The forward, the program's all-time scorer with 18 career goals and eight assists for 44 points, has helped UAlbany (8-7-1, AE 3-2-1) post its highest single-season win total in 21 years. The Great Danes won 10 matches as a Division III program in 1988. After winning five conference matches in eight years, she has also led the squad to three America East victories for the first time ever. In addition, UAlbany has never finished higher than eighth in the league standings and is in a position to make its first-ever America East postseason appearance.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

University of Albany's Nicole Savage Named America East Conference Field Hockey Player of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2009

Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany's Nicole Savage was named the America East Conference Field Hockey Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Savage, a senior forward, scored three goals in two games to lead UAlbany to an undefeated week in non-conference play.

Savage recorded the game-winner in a 3-1 win over Colgate on Sept. 23, taking an assist from freshman Nina Walters. She then scored two unassisted tallies in Sunday's 2-1 defeat of No. 19 Providence, the Great Danes' first win over a ranked opponent this season. She recorded nine shots on goal in the two games, en route to earning her third career weekly award. Savage is third on the team with three goals and three assists on the season.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

University of Albany's Tirabassi Earns UAlbany's First-Ever A-East Women's Soccer Player of the Week Honor - UAlbany Sports 2009

Cambridge, Mass. - Senior Ashley Tirabassi was named the America East Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday, Sept. 21. The forward becomes the first player in program history to earn the honor.

Tirabassi broke the school's all-time scoring record, which stood for 26 years, when she netted the lone goal in the Great Danes' 1-0 victory over Niagara on Friday, Sept. 18. The senior now has 39 points in her career, which eclipsed the previous standard of 37 set in 1983 by Dee Marfé. The tally was also her 16th career goal, which tied the all-time school record set in 1982 by Anna Courtney and matched in 2004 by Sara Rickard.

The co-captain is among the America East scoring leaders with three goals and six points. She has helped UAlbany already equal its highest win total as a Division I program entering conference play. The team also won five matches in 2006 and 2007.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

University of Albany Volleyball Setter Brooke Stanley Earns America East Player of the Week Honors - UAlbany Sports 2009

Cambridge, Mass. - Junior setter Brooke Stanley was named the America East Conference Volleyball Player of the Week after leading UAlbany to an undefeated record at the UAlbany Classic last weekend, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.

Stanley, last year's conference setter of the year, picked up her first weekly award of the 2009 season after being named the tournament's most valuable player. Stanley averaged 10.90 assists and 3.90 digs per set, recording three straight double-doubles while hitting at a .240 clip and smashing four aces. Against Hofstra on Friday, Sept. 4, Stanley finished with 30 assists and 11 digs, along with three kills. In Saturday's first match against Seton Hall, she totaled 31 assists, 11 digs, three kills and two service aces. She closed out the tournament with a season-high 48 assists and 17 digs, along with two aces against Lamar.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

University of Albany's Meagan Butsch Earns America East Conference Softball Player of the Week Honors - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Cambridge, Mass. – University at Albany’s Meagan Butsch was named the America East Conference Softball Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday, April 27. Butsch broke two school records for home runs in a career (27) and home runs in a season (12) by going yard four times in five games.

Butsch began the week by hitting a walk-off grand slam in UAlbany’s 10-2 victory over Vermont in the first game of a doubleheader. It was her second home run of the contest, while her six-RBI performance matched a Division I program record. In the nightcap, she cleanly fielded a squeeze attempt by the Catamounts to gun down the runner at home which could have been the game-winning run in the Great Danes’ 5-4 eight-inning victory.

In the second game of a doubleheader at Maine on Saturday, April 25, the senior clubbed two more home runs to break Kelly Ogden’s single season and career standards. Butsch, who has hit eight home runs in the past 12 games, finished the week with a .600 batting average, four home runs and eight RBI. She also led the squad with a .684 on-base percentage to go along with a slugging percentage of 1.400.

UAlbany returns to action on Tuesday, April 28 when it travels to face cross-town rival Siena for a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.

University of Albany's Caitlin Crowley Named America East Conference Tennis Player of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2009

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Cambridge, Mass. – Junior Caitlin Crowley was named the America East Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Week after winning both of her singles matches and one doubles match during the team’s trip to California last week.

Crowley did not drop a set in singles play, defeating players from Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton with scores of 6-0, 6-0 in both matches. She also teamed up with Kim Weltman to record an 8-0 win in doubles play against Bakersfield. Crowley is 4-0 overall in singles play this season and has teamed up with two different partners for a 3-0 record in doubles play.