ALBANY, N.Y. – Four members of the Hartford volleyball team collected America East accolades Thursday, highlighted by senior outside hitter Jenna Bridges, who was named America East Player of the Year for the second year in a row and freshman outside hitter Maddie Lindsay, who was named the America East Rookie of the Year.

"It is a great honor for the America East coaches to recognize Jenna and Maddie for their hard work throughout this season," said head coach Vinh Nguyen. "But they will be the first ones to say that they could not have done it without their teammates."
 
A total of nine postseason awards were handed out to the Hawks at the banquet, as Bridges was also named First Team All-Conference and to the America East All-Academic Team. Along with being named Rookie of the Year, Lindsay earned All-Conference Second Team honors and was named to the All-Rookie team.

Junior outside hitter Abby Nash earned First Team All-Conference honors, while junior setter Megan Anderson was recognized on the Second Team All-Conference team and joined Bridges on the All-Academic Team.
 
Bridges, a native of Exeter, R.I., becomes the fourth player in conference history to be named America East Player of the Year multiple times. Earning a conference-record nine Player of the Week awards, she led the conference in three different statistical categories including hitting percentage (.378), kills per set (4.09) and points per set (4.63). In the 10 conference matches this season she also averaged the most kills per set with 4.70 and was second with a .349 hitting percentage. Bridges registered 20 kills or more kills in nine matches.

"Jenna has been a wonderful athlete to work with these past 2 years. Her athletic awards speak for themselves but very few people get to see her behind the scenes on a daily basis," Nguyen added. "She has a tremendous drive on and off the court that separates her from many other athletes. In addition, she is a great role model and teammate and we know that she will accomplish anything she puts her mind to. She has left her legacy at Hartford and will be missed."

Lindsay, a native of Lehi, Utah, becomes just the second Hartford player to earn Rookie of the Year honors since Stephanie Volkers took home the award in 2001. Earning seven Rookie of the Week awards on the season, Lindsay ranked fourth in the conference in kills per set (3.20) and points per set (3.66). In the 10 conference matches, Lindsay averaged 3.00 kills per set and 3.46 points per set.
 
"Maddie was a marvelous addition to our Hawk family and we are so proud that she is being recognized for her determination and grit throughout this season. She is an extremely intelligent volleyball player and is also a great student," Nguyen said. "What differentiated Maddie from other players during the recruiting process was that she didn't shy away from adversity. She thrives on challenges and similar to Jenna, has a drive and determination to do the best she can for her teammates. We look forward to her continued growth at Hartford."
 
A native of Rocklin, California, Nash earned First Team honors after averaging 3.21 kills per set with a .243 hitting percentage, which ranked third and 10th in the conference on the year, respectively. Her 3.66 points per set also landed her fifth in the America East. Nash upped her play in conference play, averaging 3.76 kills and 3.86 points per set, with a .279 hitting percentage. 

A native of Orono, Minnesota, Anderson was touted as one of the top setters in the conference having been named Setter of the Week five times this season. The Second Team All Conference member led the America East with a total of 1,039 assists and her 10.49 assists per set led the conference as well. Anderson's 0.44 service aces per set ranked second, but her 44 total service aces led the conference. 

Anderson and Bridges were both named to the All-Academic team for the second time in their career. Anderson, a junior, boasts a 3.97 GPA as a biology major, while the senior Bridges boasts a 3.48 GPA as a biomedical engineering major.
 
Third-seeded Hartford meets second-seeded New Hampshire in the semifinals of the America East Championship Friday night. Opening serve is 4 p.m.