Kean Women’s Volleyball Strong Start: Sian Seeger Wins NJAC Award Twice
By Hector Morales | Published November 3, 2022
Kean University Women’s Volleyball Cougars are having an exceptional season as they are grinding out in the New Jersey Athletics Conference. The Cougars have a 13-8 overall record, and they are 5-1 in the NJAC.
Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Don Perkins looks forward to his Cougars being a stronger team and having a bounce-back season after overcoming injuries last season and losing to Rowan University Professional Owls in the semi-finals of the NJAC Tournament last year.
The Cougars made so many moments during the course of this season, but one Cougar is having a season she will never forget and that is Sian Seeger, senior libero and defensive specialist.
Seeger has recently won NJAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 3 and Oct. 17. The first time she earned the award, her reaction was emotional.
“I cried and I called my mom,” Seeger said. “It’s my last year playing for myself and with my teammates and playing in front of my mom and my family members makes me motivated.”
Seegar is from Leesburg, Virginia majoring in Global Business. She had notched her new career-high with 25 Digs against the Stockton University Ospreys.
“I’m just happy for her,” Perkins said. “All the stuff she has to endure over the course of her career to have this success as a senior means a lot to her.”
Senior right-side hitter Morgan Hall and senior setter Gwen Hangey were proud of Seeger’s performance and her getting the award.
“She’s always in the right placement to get that dig when we need it the most,” Hall said.
Hall is from Toms River, New Jersey and she is majoring in Elementary Education. She enjoys playing with Seeger and the rest of her teammates and she always stays motivated on the sport she loves playing.
“Sian is greatly deserving of this award,” Hangey said. “Being her roommate freshman year, I know how hard and long she’s been working for the libero position that she finally got this year. She has been having a great season and is truly working her hardest to pass the best balls for the team overall.”
Hangey is from Marlton, New Jersey and she is also majoring in Elementary Education. She loves the talent that Seeger and the rest of her team has, even when half of the team are from out of state. Hangey looks forward to what’s about to come in the last few weeks of the season.
Another Cougar that has been grinding out lately is junior outside hitter Ashley Smith. Smith now leads the team with 215.5 points and 185 kills this season.
“It’s always good to hear and it’s encouraging,” Smith said. “It helps me push me harder, but then I also want more to be better for our team.”
Smith is from Lake Villa, Illinois and she is majoring in marketing. Smith is now in the top ten in most points in the NJAC as she is ranked 8.
“Ashley has been a key player to our team,” Hangey said. “Along with being extremely talented on the outside and defensively, she is a great teammate and leader as the only junior on this team.”
The team’s chemistry has really been the key point for this season. They worked together and faced many obstacles and challenges such as facing tough teams like their NJAC rival Stockton University, who are second in the NJAC standings.
“This is as much of a family as it is as a volleyball team,” Perkins said.
The Cougars are looking forward to facing new challenges ahead of them as they are preparing to face competitive teams like the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks, the New York University Violets, and their NJAC rival Rowan University, who currently hold first place in the NJAC.
“I think that this season we have the capability of going all the way,” Hangey said. “We are 5-1 in the NJAC and have so much farther to go before playoffs and we are super excited about it.”
Perkins hopes his team can stay consistent as they are weeks away from playing in the NJAC tournament.
“We are in striking range and hopefully we can pull through in the playoffs,” Perkins said.