HADDONFIELD, N.J. - The Atlantic East Conference announced the Women’s Volleyball weekly award winners on Monday as Charlotte Pugh of Gwynedd Mercy earned Player of the Week honors and Ayla Bransford of Marywood earned Specialty Player of the Week honors.
Player of the Week: Charlotte Pugh
School: Gwynedd Mercy
Class: Senior
Position: Middle Hitter
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
High School: St. Hubert Catholic High
Brief Outlook of Week: Pugh finished her collegiate career strong as the Griffin captain totaled 46 kills, 3 assists, 4 aces, a block assist, and 34 digs in a 2-1 week versus Pratt, Moravian, and Immaculata University. She hit .208 for the week, including high-percentage performances against Atlantic East Conference (AEC) rivals; .394 (17K-4E-33TA) against the Cannoneers and .200 (15K-7E-40TA) against the Mighty Macs. She averaged 5.67 points per set, 5.11 kills per set and 3.78 digs per set.
Specialty Player of the Week: Ayla Bransford
School: Marywood
Class: Freshman
Position: Setter
Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
High School: Pine Creek
Brief Outlook of Week: Bransford produced 79 assists, averaging 11.29 per set, in a pair of wins over Atlantic East opponents. She had 33 assists in a three-set win over Centenary. Bransford added 46 assists in a four-set win against Saint Elizabeth. She also provided 19 digs and 9.5 points. En route to her fourth DPOW award this season, she averaged 11.29 assists per set and 2.71 digs per set.
Weekly Honor Roll:
Ayanna Gaston, Gwynedd Mercy: Gaston finished her collegiate career in grand fashion as the Griffin captain became the program's all-time leader in assists (2,644) and aces (191) in the Red and Gold's Atlantic East Conference (AEC) and regular season finale against Immaculata. The Griffins won the match 3-0 behind 29 assists, an ace, two block assists, and five digs from Gaston. She finished the week with six kills, 96 assists, five aces, two block assists, and 17 digs with equally strong performances against Pratt (5 kills, 31 assists, 3 aces, 5 digs) and Moravian (1 kill, 36 assists, 1 ace, 7 digs) to average 10.67 assists per set and 1.89 digs per set.
Mia Esposito, Immaculata: Esposito delivered a standout performance in Immaculata’s five-set victory over Neumann on November 5, recording a career-high 20 kills to lead the Mighty Macs to a playoff-clinching win. Esposito’s offensive efficiency and clutch play were pivotal throughout the match, capped by her 20th kill on match point to secure the victory. She averaged 3.44 points per set and 3.13 kills per set on the week.
Johanna Modica, Marymount: Modica led the way for the Saints in their 2-1 week, including a 3-0 sweep over Neumann on Saturday to go undefeated in conference play on the year. Averaging 4.39 points per set, the senior hit at a strong .415 percentage throughout the week, averaging 3.78 kills per set. In the win over Neumann, Modica had 13 kills on a .333 clip. Across the week, she added five aces.
Alyssa Wells, Saint Elizabeth: Wells hit .667% against Marywood, recording 17 digs, three assists and one service ace.
2025 AEC Women’s Volleyball Weekly Award Winners:
AEC Player of the Week:
Sept. 2: Taylor Hallam, Marywood
Sept. 8: Genevieve Pollock, Marywood
Sept. 15: Poppy Skjonnemand, Centenary
Sept. 22: Sabrina Schoeberlein, Marymount
Sept. 29: Dadlyna Louis, Saint Elizabeth
Oct. 6: Taylor Hallam, Marywood
Oct. 13: Carolina Samaniego, Marywood
Oct. 20: Poppy Skjonnemand, Centenary
Oct. 27: Carolina Samaniego, Marywood
Nov. 3: Taylor Hallam, Marywood
Nov. 10: Charlotte Pugh, Gywnedd Mercy
AEC Specialist Player of the Week:
Sept. 2: Ava Humphries, Marymount
Sept. 8: Catie Woolf, Marywood
Sept. 15: Rey Bennett, Centenary
Sept. 22: Andrea Fraga, Marywood
Sept. 29: Jessica Rothermel, Marymount
Oct. 6: Ayla Bransford, Marywood
Oct. 13: Ava Humphries, Marymount
Oct. 20: Ayla Bransford, Marywood
Oct. 27: Ayla Bransford, Marywood
Nov. 3: Kyla Carney, Neumann
Nov. 10: Ayla Bransford, Marywood