BENNINGTON, Vt. – Southern Vermont senior Jessica Alvarez (Los Angeles, Calif.) has been named the New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Week for the second-straight week and third time this season.  Freshman teammate Sarah Graham (Moreno Valley, Calif.) was also named the NECC Rookie of the Week for the week ending October 14, 2012.

                Alvarez was instrumental in the Mountaineers' 2-0 week with both victories coming over conference opponents. With only eight errors on 54 attempts, she swung a .370 hitting percentage. She also helped out defensively with 16 digs across the two games.  Head coach Josh Stokes said of his senior and her accumulating accolades, “It just goes to show why she was the NECC Player of the Year last year.”

                Graham hit an impressive .423 averaging 2.33 kills per set in the Mountaineers' 2-0 week, both wins coming against conference opponents. With only three errors on 26 attempts, she posted eight kills and a block assist in a 3-0 win over Bay Path.  She added six kills and a dig in the 3-0 win at Mitchell.  Graham helped fill the void left by an injured Alicia Manzo (Clovis, Calif.).  Stokes commented that, “I’m really happy with her performance, stepping into the position very cold and helping continue the consistency there which ‘Lefty’ brought us.”