LEXINGTON, Ky. – Manuela Nicolini has added another honor to her impressive 2019 résumé, earning an AVCA All-East Coast Region Honorable Mention. Nicolini, who led Fairfield University Volleyball to the 2019 MAAC Championship and a return to the NCAA postseason, is the first Stag to garner All-Region laurels since 2000.
Nicolini was previously named the MAAC Player and Setter of the Year this fall – the first player in conference history to collect both awards in the same season – and picked up her second All-MAAC First Team distinction. She was also tabbed as the MAAC Championship Most Valuable Player after posting a triple-double in the MAAC Championship Match victory over Quinnipiac.
Nicolini is Fairfield's second-ever AVCA All-Region honoree, joining Fairfield Athletics Hall of Famer Joanne Saunders, who earned the award in the Mideast Region following her standout 2000 campaign for the Stags.
In 2019, Nicolini handed out 1,178 assists to rank ninth in Fairfield single-season history. She finished the campaign ranked second in the MAAC and 35th nationally with 10.91 assists per set, running the Stags' attack to a conference-best .218 hitting percentage, and slotted fourth in the MAAC with a team-leading 0.40 aces per stanza. Nicolini also averaged 2.94 digs per set en route to a team-leading 18 double-doubles. Rounding out her statsheet, she also went over on two for 44 kills of her own and had a hand in 76 of the Stags' 230 team blocks – more than one-third of Fairfield's rejections.
Through three active seasons as a Stag, Nicolini ranks fourth in program history with 3,052 career assists. She is also in striking distance of the 1,000 digs club with 709 to date, and her 227 career blocks rank 16th overall in program annals and third among Fairfield setters.
Fairfield Volleyball finished the 2019 campaign at 24-6 overall. The Stags claimed their conference-best 11th MAAC Championship and fourth in the last five seasons, traveling to #7 Minnesota for their 11th appearance in the NCAA postseason. The Stags also locked up their 18th MAAC Regular Season Championship and fourth season with a winning percentage of .800 or better.