Kaprelyan Named NEC Volleyball Player of the Year
Gala Galabova and Emma Henderson were named to the All-NEC 2nd Team.
Junior Madelyn Kaprelyan of the Central Connecticut volleyball team was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year it was announced on Thursday night at the annual pre-championship banquet in Brooklyn, NY. Kaprelyan is the first Blue Devil honored as Player of the Year. She was also named to the league's All-Conference First Team, while junior Gala Galabova and sophomore Emma Henderson were both named to the All-NEC Second Team.
The Northeast Conference volleyball championship begins on Friday. Third-seeded CCSU will face Bryant in the semifinals at 6:00 p.m., while top-seeded LIU Brooklyn will take on Sacred Heart at 3:30 p.m.
Kaprelyan enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2018. She has posted four triple-doubles during the season, which ranks fourth in the NCAA. She ranks among the NEC leaders in hitting percentage (4th, .291) and kills (5th, 3.22), while posting eight double-doubles on the year. The Huntington Beach, CA native has a season-high 23 kills against Sacred Heart (Oct. 6), while setting up a career-high 24 assists at Saint Francis U. on Oct. 20. She posted a season-high 16 digs at LIU Brooklyn on Sept. 29. Kaprelyan is a three-time Molten/NEC Player of the Week honoree, including consecutive weeks on Oct. 1 and Oct. 8.
Galabova having a strong campaign in the middle anchoring the CCSU defense at the net. She leads the league with 1.26 blocks/set. The Blue Devils lead the league at 2.53 blocks/set and rank 42nd nationally in the category. Galabova ranks 44th in the NCAA and has a season-high eight blocks in a match twice. Galabova averages 1.19 kills/set and has posted a season-high nine twice.
Henderson leads the Blue Devils with 42 service aces on the season and ranks 2nd in the Northeast Conference and is 17th nationally with 0.48 aces/set. She has twice had five aces in a match (Saint Francis U, LIU Brooklyn). Offensively, Henderson posts 2.51 kills/set. She has double-figure kills nine times, including a season-high 20 at Saint Francis U. Henderson has a pair of double-doubles on the seson.
Every match of the Northeast Conference championship will be carried live, and for free, on www.NECFrontRow.com. The Blue Devils will play second-seeded Bryant on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. at LIU Brooklyn.
