John Jay College junior Emilia Cascapera headlines the 2026 CUNY Athletic Conference women’s volleyball awards, securing Player of the Year honors as announced by the league on Thursday.
Her selection marks the fourth straight year a Bloodhound has claimed the top individual prize.
Cascapera leads the conference with 295 kills, maintaining a 3.60 kills-per-set average. She also ranks second in the league with 62 service aces. Her performance continues a dominant run for John Jay, following awards for Josanne Lewis in 2023 and 2024, and Jadyn Orava’s selection last season.
Hunter College Freshman Duo
Hunter College newcomers swept the specialty awards, with Sofia Marolla named Rookie of the Year and Maya Cosmo earning Libero of the Year. Marolla, a five-time conference Rookie of the Week, directs the Hawks’ offense with a league-best 555 assists and a 7.50 assists-per-set average.
Cosmo becomes the first freshman to claim the Libero of the Year title since CCNY’s Leslie Ququilla in 2007. She leads the CUNYAC with 4.01 digs per set, totaling 281 digs across 70 sets.
Brooklyn College Coaching Leadership
Brooklyn College head coach Lauren Caiaccia received Coach of the Year honors, marking her third career selection for the award. Caiaccia, who previously won while at Hunter in 1999 and 2001, led the Bulldogs to a 6-1 conference record this season.
The Bulldogs entered the postseason as a top seed with 12 total wins. The team’s commitment to the sport was further recognized as Brooklyn junior Rose Kory received the conference Sportsmanship Award.
2026 CUNYAC All-Conference Teams
The league also confirmed its First and Second Team selections following the announcement of individual award winners.
| Award Category | Recipient | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| Player of the Year | Emilia Cascapera | John Jay |
| Rookie of the Year | Sofia Marolla | Hunter |
| Libero of the Year | Maya Cosmo | Hunter |
| Coach of the Year | Lauren Caiaccia | Brooklyn |
| Sportsmanship Award | Rose Kory | Brooklyn |
First Team All-Conference
- Emilia Cascapera, John Jay
- Kassidy Cruz Nuesi, Hunter
- Ansley Hobson, John Jay
- Sofia Marolla, Hunter
- Madison Mullan, John Jay
- Saule Okeke-Ziburkus, Brooklyn
Second Team All-Conference
- Olive Carroll, Brooklyn
- Alicia Graves, Baruch
- Michelle Liu, Hunter
- Karolina Lundqvist, Baruch
- Karen Pozo Castro, Baruch
- Rachael Reyes, CCNY
Tournament Context
The award announcements preceded the conference semifinals held on Thursday night. Brooklyn entered the bracket seeking its 10th straight semifinal appearance and a second straight trip to the conference final, facing Hunter in the semifinal round, according to cunyathletics.com.
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