MARLBOROUGH, Mass. – The NEWMAC has released its volleyball postseason awards, as announced by the conference on Tuesday morning. The awards are determined by the conference's twelve coaches following the conclusion of regular-season play.

Setter Kayleigh May (Camarillo, Calif.) of MIT was voted NEWMAC Athlete of the Year, while U.S. Coast Guard Academy's Laila Baameur (Bakersfield, Calif.) earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. MIT's Ella Zhou (Beijing, China) was voted Rookie of the Year. The MIT coaching staff was selected as Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers.

May headlines the first team selections and is joined by teammates Zhou, Ali Gibbs (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), and Eileen Sadati (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.). Baameur is also featured on the first team. Babson College placed two on the first team in Zoe Ackerman (Aurora, Calif.) and Angelina Holm (Denver, Colo.). Smith College's Mia Etheridge (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) rounds out the first team selections.

Springfield College saw two honored on the second team in Tori Colosimo (Fairport, N.Y.) and Jodi Saelua (Mililani, Hawaii). Babson's Isabella Allen (Williamsville, N.Y.) earned a spot, as did Emerson College's Chloe Hokenson (McLean, Va.). MIT's Daphne Gavros (Bel Tiburon, Calif.) was voted onto the second team, along with Mount Holyoke College's Elle Rimando (Mililani, Hawaii). Coast Guard's Amelia Matson (Mililani, Hawaii) and Wellesley College's Kaija Kunze-Hoeg (Eagan, Minn.) round out the selections.

Athlete of the Year- Kayleigh May (Jr., S), MIT

Setter Kayleigh May helped the Engineers to an 11-0 conference record, leading the league with 11.72 assists in conference play. Overall, her 11.05 assists per set are tops in NCAA Division III, and she has compiled over 1000 assists so far this season. May also contributed 2.29 digs per set, to go along with 0.52 blocks per set, as the Engineers won the 2025 NEWMAC Championship.

Defensive Player of the Year – Laila Baameur (Sr., L), U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Baameur leads the NEWMAC with 5.97 digs per set in conference play, while her 6.01 digs per set ranks fifth overall in Division III. Baameur has compiled 523 digs this season and helped the Bears to a 7-4 conference record.

Rookie of the Year- Ella Zhou (Fr., OH), MIT

Zhou made an immediate impact for the Engineers as they went undefeated in conference play, ranking fourth in the NEWMAC and tops amongst rookies with 3.22 kills per set, which rose to 3.43 in conference play. She also ranks fifth in the league with 0.54 service aces per set. Zhou averages 4.01 points per set in conference play, good for third in the league.

Coaching Staff of the Year – MIT

The Engineers, led by head coach Paul Dill, went 11-0 in conference play and 27-3 overall, capturing the NEWMAC Championship. The Engineers are currently ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA NPI rankings and will host the upcoming NCAA Regionals. The MIT coaching staff includes Dill, Brooke Stanley, Jeremy Velazquez, Mike Coniglione, and Ashley Margetts.

2025 NEWMAC Women's Volleyball All-Conference
 

Team	Name	Institution
First Team All-Conference	Zoe Ackerman	Babson College
First Team All-Conference	Angelina Holm	Babson College
First Team All-Conference	Ali Gibbs	MIT
First Team All-Conference	Kayleigh May	MIT
First Team All-Conference	Eileen Sadati	MIT
First Team All-Conference	Ella Zhou	MIT
First Team All-Conference	Mia Etheridge	Smith College
First Team All-Conference	Laila Baameur	U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Second Team All-Conference	Isabella Allen	Babson College
Second Team All-Conference	Chloe Hokenson	Emerson College
Second Team All-Conference	Daphne Gavros	MIT
Second Team All-Conference	Elle Rimando	Mount Holyoke College
Second Team All-Conference	Tori Colosimo	Springfield College
Second Team All-Conference	Jodi Saelua	Springfield College
Second Team All-Conference	Amelia Matson	U.S. Coast Guard Academy
Second Team All-Conference	Kaija Kunze-Hoeg	Wellesley College

 
About the NEWMAC

The NEWMAC is an association of 12 selective academic institutions: Babson College, Clark University, U.S Coast Guard Academy, Emerson College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Salve Regina University, Smith College, Springfield College, Wellesley College, Wheaton College, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III Philosophy. The conference also partners with eight Associate Members: Brandeis University (Women's Lacrosse, 2026-2027), New York University (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), Norwich University (Football), Simmons College (Rowing), SUNY Maritime College (Football), SUNY New Paltz (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Football), and Vassar College (Men's Volleyball, 2026-2027), while sponsoring 20 sports.