AMHERST, N.Y. -- Daemen University women's volleyball freshman Audrey Johnson (Mequon, Wisc.) was named the 2026 East Coast Conference Rookie of the Year, the league announced on Thursday following a vote of the league's seven head coaches. Johnson is Daemen's third ECC Rookie of the Year in program history, joining Charlotte Koerber (2023) and Bailey Dolegowski (2016). Additionally, junior Avery Craig (Tomball, Tex.) and Johnson were named to the All-ECC Second Team, while sophomore Jolie Faw (Williamsburg, Va.) earned All-ECC Honorable Mention. The Wildcats have had multiple players earn all-conference honors every year since 2015. 

Audrey Johnson, Fr., OH, Mequon, Wisc. -- Johnson was named the ECC Rookie of the Year after a stellar freshman campaign with the Wildcats, as well as taking home Second Team All-ECC honors. A four-time ECC Rookie of the Week, Johnson started 24 of Daemen's 26 matches this season and finished second on the team in kills with 202, averaging 2.27/set while leading the Wildcats with 40 aces. Her 0.45/set ranks sixth among ECC leaders. A stud in serve-receive, Johnson has taken a team-high 528 receptions this season, holding a 92.4 reception percentage. Defensively, the freshman ranks third on the team in digs, contributing 182 digs (2.04/set) while adding 25 total blocks on the year. Johnson has totaled five double-doubles (kills-digs) and was a key factor in the Wildcat offense that advanced back to the ECC Tournament. 

Avery Craig, Jr., OH, Tomball, Tex. -- Emerging as Daemen's top offensive weapon in 2026, Craig earned Second Team All-ECC honors for the first time in her career. This season, the junior outside hitter leads the way with 235 kills (2.35 kills/set) while hitting .194 on the year. Playing in a team-high 100 sets over 26 matches this season, Craig second on the team with 37 aces (0.37/set), and has contributed a team-high 284 digs, ranking fourth in the ECC with 2.84 digs/set while being the only outside hitter ranking in the league's top-10 in digs (fourth in the ECC). Craig has taken 518 receptions on the year for a 93.1 reception percentage, and contributed 21 blocks at the net. Totaling six double-doubles (kills-digs) this season, Craig has finished with 20+ digs twice (vs. Roberts Wesleyan on Nov. 1 and vs. Molloy on Nov. 7) while finishing with double-digit digs in 13 games. 

Jolie Faw, So., MB, Williamsburg, Va. -- Faw made quite the impact in her first season with Daemen, earning All-ECC Honorable Mention after a solid season. A dominant force at the net, Faw posted a team-high 85 blocks to average 0.87 blocks per set, good for third in the ECC. Faw also ranks fourth on the team in kills, totaling 152 on the season to average 1.55 kills/set while hitting .202 on the year. The only Daemen player to start all 26 matches on the year, the sophomore middle has totaled multiple blocks in all but four matches, and finished with a season-high eight blocks against Franklin Pierce on Aug. 29. 

Craig, Johnson, Faw and the rest of the Wildcats will play in the ECC Tournament on Friday, Nov. 13 in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. Entering as the three seed in the tournament, Daemen with take on two seed D'Youville at 6:30 PM.