Emma Nihill, Cummins Earn MASCAC Weekly Honors

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State women's volleyball junior Emma Nihill (Chandler, Ariz.) and first-year Sydney Cummins (Nicholasville, Ky.) earned conference honors this past week, with Nihill receiving the MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week while Cummins earned the MASCAC Rookie of the Week.

Nihill averaged 12 kills and 6.5 digs with a solo block and a block assist in a 2-1 week for the Owls. She tied the team lead with 12 kills and added seven digs in a 3-1 victory over MCLA on Tuesday, then posted 12 kills in a four-set win over Eastern Connecticut on Saturday afternoon.

On the season, Nihill is top-five in the conference and second on the Owls in kills with 108 and has also amounted 50 digs and seven total blocks. She has now recorded double-digit kills in three of her last four matches.

Cummins claimed the MASCAC Rookie of the Week honors for a third time this season, collecting 24 kills, 26 digs, three block assists, and three service aces in a productive week for the Owls.

She racked up double-figure kills (12) and digs (17), serving as a key offensive and defensive player for the Owls in a four-set victory over the Trailblazers on Tuesday. She then posted 12 additional kills and nine digs in Westfield's 3-1 win over Eastern Connecticut on Saturday.

Cummins has made a significant impact for the Owls in her first collegiate season as she is currently third in the MASCAC with 119 kills and has been a consistent presence in finishing out points, recording six or more kills in ten of her last 12 games. Cummins has also compiled 120 digs which is second on the team.

Westfield State faces a familiar opponent from the weekend as the Owls host Keene State on Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. from the Woodward Center in Westfield, Mass.