NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - A pair of newcomers led their respective programs over the opening weekend of the 2024 season, as Wilmington University freshmen Karla Nunez-Rivera and Michiharu Takanashi were named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Rookies of the Week on Monday.
The men's soccer team hosted its Opening Kickoff Weekend at the WU Athletics Complex, going 0-1-1 while the volleyball team went on the road and competed at the PSAC East Kickoff Tournament at Millersville and West Chester, going 1-3 over the weekend.
Freshman outside Karla Nunez-Rivera (Charlotte, N.C./Piedmont) led the Wildcats' attack with 55 kills and a 3.06 kills per set average over the four matches. More impressive was that the rookie didn't make many mistakes, only committing 11 errors on 131 total attempts over the weekend, hitting .336 in the four matches. She also added a team second best 35 digs, going for 1.94 digs per set, and collected six aces over the weekend.
She put down a weekend's best 18 kills while hitting .400 against California (Pa.) on Saturday, adding seven digs. She had one double-double to start the year, going for 13 kills while hitting .407 and 16 digs in the win at West Chester. She also had 13 kills against Roberts Wesleyan and 11 at Millersville.
Freshman forward Michiharu Takanashi (Ota City, Japan) started both games atop the formation for the Wildcats. In two games this past weekend, he had three shots, two of which were on goal, a goal and an assist to help the Wildcats to a 0-1-1 record.
On Saturday, Takanashi got in the scoring column with the first three points of his career. He assisted on a goal to Theo Faillon in the 54th minute, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead. He then broke a 2-2 tie in the 81st minute to his first career goal, finishing off a feed down the middle from Tsubasa Abe.
Women's soccer's Alyssa Ruggeri was named to the CACC Weekly Honor Roll after scoring both goals in a 2-1 victory over Adelphi for the team's first win of 2024.