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.
