Fairfield University Athletics

Career: Finished her career ranked third all-time in assists (4,396), seventh in blocks (310 – most by a setter), and 16th in digs (1,050 – third by a setter).
 
2021 (Fall): All-ECAC…MAAC Setter of the Year…All-MAAC First Team…MAAC All-Championship Team… Preseason All-MAAC…CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team... MAAC All-Academic Team…Played in 29 matches and 92 total sets…Set a MAAC record with her fourth Setter of the Year honor…Also became a four-time All-MAAC First Team pick and a four-time MAAC Champion...Led the conference and ranked 17th nationally with 10.99 assists per frame…Guided the Fairfield attack to a conference-best .254 team hitting percentage…Put down 66 kills of her own on .383 hitting…Averaged 2.61 digs per set on her way to a team-high 12 double-doubles…Also had a hand in 66 blocks.

2021 (Spring): MAAC co-Setter of the Year…All-MAAC…CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team…MAAC Preseason Player of the Year…Preseason All-MAAC…MAAC Player of the Week (March 12)… MAAC All-Academic Team…Co-captain…Appeared in all 10 matches, totaling 35 sets…Handed out 9.60 assists per frame…Also landed 28 kills on .482 hitting…Posted 2.89 digs per set and had a hand in 17 blocks…Recorded seven double-doubles out of nine matches in which she started…Had a season-best 17 digs in the first of two wins at Niagara on March 18.

2019: AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention…MAAC Player of the Year…MAAC Setter of the Year…All-MAAC First Team… MAAC All-Academic Team…MAAC Player of the Week (Nov. 12)…The first player in MAAC history to win two major awards in the same season…Ranked second in the MAAC with 10.91 assists per set, leading the Stags to a league-leading .218 team hitting percentage…Also fourth in the MAAC with 0.40 aces per set (43 total)…Posted 2.94 digs per set…Totaled 76 blocks…Dumped over 44 kills of her own…Had 17 double-doubles, including a triple-double with 39 assists, 14 dig and 10 blocks in the MAAC Championship Match victory over Quinnipiac…Reached double-digit digs in 17 matches, led by 24 digs in the five-set match with Cal Baptist on Sept. 6.

2018: MAAC Preseason co-Player of the Year… MAAC All-Academic Team…MAAC Academic Honor Roll...Redshirt season due to injury.
 
2017: MAAC Setter of the Year…First Team All-MAAC…MAAC All-Championship Team… MAAC All-Academic Team…MAAC Player of the Week (Sept. 26)…Manuela Nicolini’s 2017 season ranks 10th in Fairfield history with 1,171 assists and ninth with 10.46 assists per frame…One of two Stags to appear in all 112 sets, she also landed 72 kills on .358 hitting with 2.38 digs per set and a team-high 88 blocks…Nicolini reached double-digit digs in 12 matches, posting a double-double in each instance…She had a career-high 63 assists with 19 digs in the five-set win at Niagara on Oct. 1…Nicolini averaged 13.67 assists per set with 12 blocks, seven digs and three kills to earn All-Championship honors at the 2017 MAAC Championship…She handed out 27 assists at #2 Texas in the 2017 NCAA Championship First Round.

2016: MAAC All-Rookie Team…A three-time MAAC Rookie of the Week…Averaged 6.22 assists in per set a two-setter system…Totaled 703 assists to go along with 55 kills of her own on .387 hitting…Also got a piece of 63 blocks and averaged 1.11 digs per set…Recorded three double-doubles, including a season-high 42 assists and a season-high 15 digs in the Nov. 6 win at Niagara…Also had six blocks in that road win…Had a personal-best seven blocks in the Oct. 15 sweep of Siena…Notched four kills in the MAAC road wins at Rider and Quinnipiac.

High School: A two-time recipient of the Best Setter award at the Emilia Romagna (regional championship)…Finished in sixth place or better in five national championship tournaments, including second place in 2011-12 with Scuola di Pallavolo Anderlini and in 2014-15 with Pallavolo Montale.