Springfield, Mass. - September 19, 2011 - Both Tessa Smolinski and John Mankus were honored by the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) for their play last week. Smolinski was named the NEWMAC Women's Volleyball Player of the Week, while Mankus took home NEWMAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors.Smolinski continued her dominant play as she helped the Pride to its best start since 2004 as Springfield now stands at 10-0 on the year. In two league victories, Smolinski totaled 37 and 21 digs in eight sets.
The Hebron, Conn. native started the week off in the four-set win at Babson posting 17 kills, 11 digs, and three blocks while hitting .319. In Saturday's 3-1 victory over 25th-ranked Coast Guard, Smolinski dominated the match with 20 kills at a .400 clip to go along with 10 digs.
Mankus, who hails from Vernon, Conn., has been the glue of the Pride's defense that posted two more shutouts last week to bring its season total to four through six matches.
The sophomore defender played a pivotal role in Springfield's 0-0 draw with Wesleyan, marking the first time the Pride held the Cardinals off the scoreboard since 1990. Behind his strong play, Springfield then blanked MIT over the weekend to pick up a key conference 1-0 win on the road.
