Oct. 29, 2012

Cambridge, Mass. - After a weekend road sweep of Albany and Hartford pushed it back into the thick of the America East Championship race, the Stony Brook volleyball team swept the America East weekly awards Monday. Freshman Melissa Rigo (East Northport, N.Y.) was named America East Player and Rookie of the Week, and freshman Nicole Vogel (Costa Mesa, Calif.) was named Setter of the Week.

Rigo had a dominating performance in Stony Brook's win over Hartford on Sunday. She posted a career-high 25 kills in just 42 attempts with just six errors, giving her an impressive .452 hitting percentage. She also had nine digs and four blocks. Two days earlier at Albany, she recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 14 kills and 13 digs in an upset win over the Great Danes.

This was Rigo's second Player of the Week honor and fifth Rookie of the Week honor this season. She leads America East in kills per set by a wide margin at 4.35. She has the chance to become the first freshman to lead the conference in that category since Maine's Leah Voss in 2000.

Vogel posted 92 assists, 19 digs and six blocks on the weekend. At Hartford, she helped facilitate an incredibly efficient offense, leading Stony Brook to a .300 hitting percentage as a team. Individually, she posted a career-high 50 assists, twice reaching 15 assists within a single set. It was the sixth time she had posted 40+ assists, including a 42-assist effort at Albany two days earlier.

This was Vogel's first weekly honor of the season. She ranks fifth in America East in assists per set at 8.34.

Rigo, Vogel and the rest of the Seawolves are 4-4 in America East this season and have completed their conference road schedule at 3-3. Stony Brook has four home games remaining in the regular season, beginning Friday night vs. Providence at Pritchard Gymnasium at 7 p.m. The Seawolves are chasing their third consecutive America East Championship bid.