Bolner, Schmitt Headline Women’s Volleyball All-North Atlantic Conference Selections

WATERVILLE, Maine- The Eastern Nazarene College women's volleyball team garnered six All-North Atlantic Conference honorees while senior Piper Bolner (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) was tabbed the Co-Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year and head coach Derek Schmitt was voted the Coach of the Year, announced the league office Monday.

Maria Clarabuch (Sant Cugat Del Valles, Spain) and Telma Zelaya (Tegucigalpa, Honduras) both earned All-NAC first team accolades. Andrea Aceituno (Tegucigalpa, Honduras), Amanda Pierce (Johnston, R.I.), and Shantte Siliezar (Puerto Cortes, Honduras) picked up All-NAC second team nods. Eliana Baran (Beaumont, Calif.) collected All-NAC third team honors while Nareichka Melendez (Worcester, Mass.) represented the Lions on the NAC Sportsmanship Team.

Bolner saw action in 28 matches this season and leads the team with 51 total blocks. She has also tallied 87 kills and 17 digs. In NAC contests, Bolner posted 27 kills to go with 10 digs and eight blocks.

A History major with a Pre-Law Concentration, Bolner owns a 3.987 cumulative grade-point average and will graduate from Eastern Nazarene after just three years. She is a two-time academic all-conference honoree and has been on the Dean's List each of the past four semesters while also serving on the Executive Student Government Association as the Director of Organizations and Operations.

Clarabuch has notched 243 kills, 180 digs, 38 total blocks, and 33 service aces on the year. In conference action, she tallied 65 kills, 28 digs, 10 aces, and three blocks.

Zelaya has dished out 875 assists this season to go with 246 digs and 63 kills. She ranks third in NCAA Division III with 80 service aces on the year. In league matches, Zelaya posted 242 assists, 59 digs, and 20 aces.

Aceituno paces the Lions with 305 kills and 282 digs this fall while also adding 65 aces and 25 blocks. In NAC play, she racked up 75 kills, 79 digs, and 24 aces.

Pierce ranks second on the squad with 281 digs on the year to go with 40 aces and 100 assists. In conference contests, she chalked up 74 digs and added 25 assists. A two-time NAC Defensive Player of the Week, Pierce also tallied a pair of kills and one block this season.

Siliezar has posted 198 kills, 81 digs, and 34 total blocks. In NAC matches, she notched 52 kills, 29 digs, and 10 blocks. This season, Siliezar was named the North Atlantic Conference Rookie of the Week three times.

Baran ranks second on the team with 254 kills while registering 81 digs, 27 aces, and 21 total blocks. In league action, she recorded a team-high 85 kills to go along with 34 digs and 18 aces.

In his seventh season at the helm, Schmitt has guided Eastern Nazarene to a 27-2 overall record and a 10-0 mark in North Atlantic Conference matches during the regular season. The Lions opened the 2023 campaign with 10 consecutive victories.

Eastern Nazarene claimed the No. 1 seed in the West Division bracket of the North Atlantic Conference Tournament. The Lions defeated fourth-seeded SUNY Delhi before sweeping second-seeded SUNY Morrisville to clinch the NAC West Division title.

Eastern Nazarene will travel to Maine Maritime, the No. 1 seed out of the East Division, November 11 for the North Atlantic Conference championship match.