UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO ATHLETICS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Mid-American Conference postseason volleyball awards were announced on Wednesday afternoon and three Bulls earned All-League honors. Sophomore Andrea Mitrovic was named to the All-MAC First Team, while juniors Polina Prokudina and Kristina Nieves were named to the league’s second team.
Mitrovic was named a first-league selection, the third straight year that Buffalo has had a member named to the All-MAC First Team. A five-time MAC East Player of the Week selection, Mitrovic is leading UB with 453 kills, the third most in school history for a single season. Her 453 kills lead the Mid-American Conference, averaging 4.27 kills per set. Mitrovic also led the MAC in points per set at 4.79. She set the UB school record for kills in a match during the season with 34 in a win at Kent State and eight times she had 20 or more kills.
Prokudina is second on the team with 277 kills as she has served as the team’s primary right side hitter during the year. She recorded double figures in kills 11 times during the season, including a season-high 19 kills against Northwestern. She had a solid final week of the season, helping Buffalo clinch the opening round bye, including 17 kills in the regular season finale against Toledo.
Nieves was also honored postseason by the MAC for the first time. A two-time MAC East Defensive Player of the Week, Nieves led the Bulls in blocking, averaging 1.00 block per set. She also set a personal best with 187 kills. She finished with double figures in kills seven times, and she had a career-high 10 blocks in a win over Eastern Michigan.
The Bulls enter the MAC Tournament as the #4 seed, their best finish ever in MAC play. UB finished with a school-record 10 conference wins and they head to the tournament with an 18-10 overall record. The Bulls will play the winner of #5 Eastern Michigan and #8 Kent State on Friday at 4:30 pm. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.