WASHINGTON - It's back-to-back Patriot League Volleyball Rookie of the Week honors for American University volleyball as the week two winner is freshman Elise Sterling. Her award follows that of teammate Zedo Yilmaz who took the honor in week one. The Eagles are off to an impressive start to the 2024 season at 7-1, thanks in large part to the play of their newcomers.

Sterling hit .513 in a 3-1 week for American with 24 kills on 39 attempts while committing just four errors. She posted eight blocks, averaging 0.53 blocks per set. Sterling tallied nine kills with a single error in a three-set sweep of Coppin State, hitting .667, and was perfect against both Maryland and Hampton with five kills and zero errors in those two matches. She has started in every match this season and has played in all 25 sets.

The Eagles are back in action tonight, Tuesday, Sept. 10, taking on cross-town rival Howard at 6 p.m.

Patriot League Women's Volleyball Player of the Week
Jordan Hardy, Bucknell, Sr., L, Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Preparatory School
*Hardy totaled 67 digs (11.0 digs per set), eight assists and six aces to lead Bucknell to a 3-0 weekend, including wins against William & Mary (3-2), George Mason (3-0) and Quinnipiac (3-0).
*In Saturday's match against George Mason, Hardy set the Bucknell program record for career digs with 1589, which moved her into ninth all-time in Patriot League history.
*The senior currently leads the Patriot League in digs (105) and digs per set (5.00).

Patriot League Women's Volleyball Rookie of the Week
Elise Sterling, American, Fr., MB, Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg
*Sterling hit .513 with 24 kills and eight blocks, averaging 0.53 blocks per set, in a 3-1 week for American.
*The freshman tallied nine kills, hitting .667, in a sweep of Coppin State.
*She swung perfectly against Maryland and Hampton with five kills and zero errors in each match.

Honorable Mention
Esma Sipahi, American, Sr., S, Istanbul, Turkey/TED Istanbul College
*Sipahi averaged 9.64 assists per set in a 3-1 week for American, which included recording 44 assists, eight digs and two aces in a 3-1 win against Alabama A&M. The senior served up seven aces and totaled nine blocks while hitting .250 with 12 kills and recording 2.21 digs per set. Sipahi posted a double-double with 14 digs and 31 assists versus Maryland. Sipahi leads the Patriot League in assists per set (9.38).

Tatum Grimes, Army West Point, Fr., MB, Olathe, Kan./Saint Thomas Aquinas
*Grimes recorded 18 kills, 11 blocks (1.00 blocks per set), and a pair of digs across Army's three matches this weekend. Against Xavier on Saturday, the freshman finished with eight kills, hitting .400, and seven total blocks. The Olathe, Kan. native ranks eighth overall in the Patriot League in total blocks (18), making her the only freshman in the top-10.

Kingsley Wallace, Army West Point, Sr., RS, Houston, Texas/Memorial Senior
*Wallace earned a spot on the Saint Louis Invitational All-Tournament Team after leading Army in kills in all three matches (8 vs. Saint Louis, 15 vs. Illinois St., and 18 vs. Xavier). The senior hit perfectly against Illinois State (12 kills, 0 errors, 25 total attempts - .600 hitting percentage) and showed out defensively as Wallace posted six block assists and seven digs. The Houston, Texas native ranks third in the Patriot League in kills (74), tied for third in points (82), fourth for points per set (3.67) and fifth in kills per set (3.22).

Bella Rodriguez, Bucknell, Fr., OH, San Antonio, Texas/Antonian College Prep
*Rodriguez helped Bucknell to a 3-0 weekend at the Tribe Invitational as the freshman finished with nine kills and 23 digs. The San Antonio, Texas native tallied a career-high six kills to go along with 11 digs in a three-set sweep at William & Mary on Friday.

Abby Shadwick, Colgate, Sr., OH, Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay
*Shadwick racked up 47 kills (3.92 per set) during the week, with a .293 attack percentage and two double-doubles. The senior totaled double-digit kills in all three weekend matches, including 19 kills and 10 digs against UConn, before adding 18 kills and 13 digs along with two block assists against Stony Brook. Among Patriot League rankings, the Lexington, Ky. native is fourth in kills per set (3.23) and fifth for kills (71).

Emma Halstead, Holy Cross, So., DS/L, Helotes, Texas/Louis D. Brandeis
*Halstead was named to the UTSA All-Tournament Team after totaling 50 digs (5.56 digs per set) over three matches this weekend for Holy Cross. The sophomore posted a career-high 24 digs with two assists against Incarnate Word on Friday. Halstead currently ranks second in the Patriot League in digs (104) and digs per set (4.52).

Gabby Wold, Holy Cross, Fr., OH, Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead
*Wold posted 20 kills (2.22 kills per set), 18 digs (2.00 digs per set), four aces and two total blocks across three matches for Holy Cross. The Hartland, Wis. native recorded a team-high 10 kills with five digs and two aces against Incarnate Word on Friday, before notching a game-high nine kills with an ace versus Abilene Christian.

Mackenzie Calhoun, Lafayette, Fr., S, Ellicott City, Md./River Hill
*Calhoun collected 28 assists in a 1-1 weekend for Lafayette, including 19 in the Leopards' historic 3-1 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Ellicott City, Md. native also matched her career high with eight kills versus the Hokies. 

Emma Patmon, Lafayette, So., OH, Round Rock, Texas/Cedar Ridge
*Patmon hit .346 with 22 kills (3.14 kills per set), 19 digs, and four aces to lead Lafayette to a 1-1 weekend, which included a historic victory over Virginia Tech (3-1) on Saturday. Patmon posted her first double-double of the season against the Hokies after recording a career-high 17 kills on a .412 attack percentage to go along with 13 digs and two aces. 

Natalie Luscomb, Lehigh, Jr., RS, Annapolis, Md./Broadneck
*Luscomb hit .305 with 30 total kills, four digs and six total blocks in a 2-1 weekend for Lehigh, including wins against Middle Tennessee State (3-2) and Arkansas State (3-1). The junior posted 14 kills, hitting .483, in the Mountain Hawks' 3-2 victory over the Blue Raiders on Friday before finishing with 11 kills (.440 attack percentage) in a 3-0 loss to Southeast Missouri State.

Lauren Link, Loyola Maryland, Gr., OH, Shakopee, Minn./Academy of Holy Angels
*Link earned All-Tournament honors at the Villanova Classic after recording 48 kills (3.69 kills per set), 35 digs (2.69 digs per set), five aces and five blocks over three matches for Loyola Maryland. The graduate student notched back-to-back matches with 20 or more kills on Saturday as she posted 21 kills and 12 digs against Princeton, before following it up with 22 kills, hitting .528, and 13 digs versus Old Dominion. Link currently ranks second in the Patriot League for kills (78) and points (90.5).