WEST BABYLON, N.Y. – Coming off an impressive weekend debut, the East Coast Conference announced LIU Post freshman outside hitter Kiora Ridgeway as the inaugural Rookie of the Week for the 2018 season Monday.
 
Ridgeway helped guide the Pioneers to a 3-1 record at the Raven First Serve Invitational hosted by Franklin Pierce University. The Green and Gold opened the weekend with a perfect 2-0 start after knocking off the host Ravens and Texas A&M International. On the final day of the event, the Pioneers dropped their first contest of the season to the University of Tampa but bounced back to defeat Wilmington University in the backend of the two-match set.
 
In her debut, Ridgeway recorded seven kills on 15 attempts while also adding two blocks in the win against Franklin Pierce. In match two, she recorded her best match of the weekend with 12 kills on 25 total attempts for a .400 hitting percentage and two blocks. The strong defense continued with two blocks in the final two matches, while Ridgeway also added 10 total kills on the afternoon.
 
The Pioneers will look to keep the hot start going this weekend with four more matches on the docket as the team hosts the Long Island Invitational Sept. 1 and 2.