LATHAM, N.Y. - After a tremendous opening week of play, the United East has named six student-athletes from five institutions to part one of the Athlete of the Week honor roll for the week ending on September 4, 2022. 

On the volleyball court, SUNY Morrisville’s Emily Huppee collected Offensive Player of the Week honors while Penn State Berks’ Riley Kovach earned it on the defensive end. 

Berks’ Ethan Brazier was tabbed as the men’s soccer Defensive Player of the Week and Mamboh Smith from Gallaudet University was named the Offensive Player of the Week.

In women’s soccer, Penn State Abington’s Grace Burns earned Offensive Player of the Week honors while Wells College’s Jade Bouvier collected Defensive Player of the Week honors.

 

Read about all six HERE:

 

Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week

Emily Huppee

SUNY Morrisville  |  SO  |  Outside

Huppee sparked the Mustang offense all week, helping Morrisville win three of their four matches. The sophomore registered 51 kills over 15 sets played, ending the stand with a hitting percentage of .418. Huppee had her top outing in a win over Misericordia, where she notched 20 kills. Adding to her stat sheet, the Liberty Hill, Texas native also racked up 12 service aces, five blocks and 28 digs.

Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week

Riley Kovach

Penn State Berks  |  FR  |  Libero

Kovach was instrumental in the Nittany Lions back row as she helped her squad go 2-1 on the week. Dawning the libero jersey, Kovach registered 65 digs across 13 sets, averageing 5.0 a set. Every match, the freshman had at least 20 digs with a season-high 24 coming against Saint Vincent College. Adding to her stats, Kovach also picked up 12 assists to go along with a trio of service aces.

Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week

Mamboh Smith

Gallaudet University  |  Sophomore  |  Forward

Smith played a major role in the offense, helping the Bison kick off their season with a 1-0-1 record. The sophomore found the back of the net twice in the 4-2 win over Valley Forge in the season opener and assisted on a third goal. Smith followed that up with one more score in the draw against Wilson on Saturday.

Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week

Ethan Brazier

Penn State Berks  |  Sophomore  |  Goalkeeper

Brazier saw plenty of action across Penn State Berks’ first two games, playing all 90 minutes in both tilts. The sophomore netminder made four saves in the season opener against Wilkes before putting up an impressive 12 saves in a loss to Alvernia later that week. 

 

Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week

Grace Burns

Penn State Abington  |  Junior  |  Forward

There were no opening day jitters for Grace Burns as she helped her squad defeat Gwynedd Mercy, 7-0, in their sole contest of the week. Burns notched a hat trick just 29 minutes into the contest as she scored the game’s first three goals. She would tack on another goal later in the second half to finish the game with eight points. Burns is one of just 14 players in the country to score four goals or more in the opening week.

Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week

Jade Bouvier

Wells College  |  FR  |  Goal Keeper / Forward

Jade Bouvier did a little bit of everything for the Express this week as the squad finished with a record of 0-1-1. In goal, Bouvier totaled just under 115 minutes across two contests, not factoring into either of the goalie decisions. In the season opening tie against Clarks Summit, the freshman turned aside 13 shots in 70:28 minutes while only allowing a single goal. She’d end up scoring in that contest as well. Bouvier then registered three more saves in a loss to SUNY Cobleskill.

 

 FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram - gounitedeast  |  Twitter - @GoUnitedEast

******************************************************************************************************************************************

The United East has nine NCAA Division III member institutions which include: Gallaudet University, Lancaster Bible College, Morrisville State, Penn College, Penn State Abington, Penn State Berks, Penn State Harrisburg, St. Mary's College of Maryland and Wells College. The United East also includes three associate members in the sport of men’s golf including Clarks Summit University, Rosemont College, Rutgers University – Camden and Wilson College. Clarks Summit University is also an associate member in the sport of men’s tennis. The United East has also partnered with the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference in the sports of men's and women's lacrosse. For more information, please visit: gounitedeast.com