Eliana Baran Named Sports Imports/AVCA Division III National Player of the Week

LEXINGTON, Ky.- Rookie Eliana Baran (Beaumont, Calif.) of the Eastern Nazarene College women's volleyball team has been selected as the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III National Player of the Week, announced the organization Tuesday.

Baran becomes the first player in program history to garner the award. She also captured New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week accolades this week.

Baran racked up 35 kills while adding six digs and two blocks to lead the Lions to a pair of 3-0 victories to cap off the regular season.

In Eastern Nazarene's 3-0 win at St. Joseph's (Maine), she tallied 12 kills and collected five digs.

Baran posted a career-best 23 kills as the Lions swept Mitchell 3-0 in the final regular-season match. Her 23 kills in a three-set match is the fifth-highest total in NCAA Division III this fall.

This season, Baran paces the squad and ranks second in the conference with 280 kills while leading the league with 3.64 kills-per set. She has also registered 124 digs, 23 blocks, and 10 aces.

Eastern Nazarene finished the regular-season with a 15-10 overall record and a 2-1 mark in conference play to earn the No. 2 seed in the NECC Tournament. The Lions will host third-seeded Mitchell in the NECC Tournament semifinals November 4 at the Lahue Athletic Center.