On Sept. 2, three Sacred Heart University Women’s volleyball players were honored with weekly Metro Atlantic Athetic Conference (MAAC) awards. Freshman Ryleigh Short earned Rookie of the Week, redshirt sophomore Ava Roodbol earned Setter of the Week and sophomore Miliani Villarreal earned Libero of the Week.
These awards came after the team’s three game weekend on Aug. 29-30, in which they played Gardner-Webb, UNC Greensboro and Queens (NC).
Short averaged 3.09 kills per set, and 3.09 digs per set. While some freshmen take a couple of matches to adjust to the college game, Short wasted no time, notching 20 kills and 22 digs in her first collegiate match.
“She’s just scratching the surface. She is so skilled. She has a legitimate Division I arm that is a real problem for other teams,” said head coach Rob Machan.
Even with the stellar performance in her first match, her mentality is to continue improving.
“You just keep working because there’s always room for improvement. If the awards come, then they come, but you always want to be getting better and pushing yourself and your teammates,” said Short.
Roodbol took home Setter of the Week, with 10.27 assists per set, and assisted on 113 of the team’s 140 kills, 55 of which came in the first match against Gardner-Webb. Even though she is a transfer and is in her first full season as a Pioneer, her presence has been felt immediately.
“Her leadership skills are off the charts, and she’s just getting more and more comfortable. In the weight room, she’s out-working anybody, nobody works harder. She is the first there, and the last one to leave. She’s just one of those people who is a natural leader,” said Machan.
The leadership she displays is reflected in her attitude towards awards and appreciation for her teammates.
“It’s a team award, we always talk about that. Us getting those awards are the team, because I wouldn’t get those awards if it wasn’t for how amazing my teammates are,” said Roodbol.
Villarreal took home her ninth career Libero of the Week award. She won the award eight times her freshman year, winning it four consecutive weeks, two times.
“She’s one of the best right now. I think she is the best libero in the conference. In my opinion, she was clearly the best libero because she understands the position. She doesn’t only do the flashy things, she does the things that are necessary all the time,” said Machan.
“Last season was last season, and this season my goal is to get better. I’m not focusing on these awards, I’m just focusing on the team first,” said Villarreal.
Although the team has started off 1-5, there is certainly a positive outlook on the rest of their season, with Machan expressing his belief in his team.
“This is one of our most balanced and complete teams we’ve had. We can attack you from all the pins, our middles are physical, our setting is good, barrel play is good. We have a lot of new players on this team that are good but haven’t played together, and they’re just figuring it out,” said Machan.
The team traveled to the Lehigh Invitational on Sept. 12-13, where they went 1-2. The team lost 3-1 against Lehigh University and 3-0 against Valparaiso University, but defeated the New Jersey Institute of Technology 3-1.
They are set to play Brown University at the UConn Invitational on Saturday Sept. 20 at 1 p.m.
Athletic Communications contributed to this article.
