GREENVILLE, N.C. – Angeles Alderete has been named the 2022 American Athletic Conference Volleyball Freshman of the Year according to a release by the league Tuesday morning. She was also tabbed to the All-AAC Second Team.

Alderete is the second player in program history to earn AAC Freshman of the Year accolades and first since Shelby Martin garnered the honor in 2017.

An outside hitter hailing from Miami Springs, Fla., Alderete produced a stellar rookie season after which she finished third in the conference in total kills (501), kills per set (4.07) and points per set (4.56). She is the first Pirate to record at least 500 kills in a season since ECU Athletics Hall of Fame member Kelley Wernert notched a program record 627 in 2007.

Alderete registered at least 20 kills in 11 matches and reached double figures in all but six contests as well as posting 14 double-doubles. She tallied a career-high 26 kills in ECU’s five-set loss to Notre Dame. On the national scale, she currently slots 13th in total points (561.0), 15th in total kills, 31st in attacks per set (11.33) and 41st in kills per set.

East Carolina finished the regular season with a 12-20 overall record and 7-13 mark in AAC play. The seven league victories are the most since 2017 when ECU won 13 American Conference contests while the Pirates’ seventh-place finish is the second-highest for the program since joining the conference prior to the 2014 campaign (fourth place in 2017).

2022 American Athletic Conference Postseason Awards

Player of the Year

McKenna Melville, Gr., OH, UCF (unanimous)

Libero of the Year

Kate Georgiades, Jr., Houston (unanimous)

Setter of the Year

Amber Olsen, Gr., UCF

Coach of the Year

David Rehr, Houston

Freshman of the Year

Angeles Alderete, OH, East Carolina

All-Conference First Team

McKenna Melville, Gr., OH UCF

Abbie Jackson, Sr., OH Houston

Amber Olson, Gr., S, UCF

Kate Georgiades, Jr., L, Houston

Abby Hansen, Gr., MB, UCF

Natalie Foster, MB, So., Wichita State

Claudia Dillon, Sr., MB, UCF

Isabel Theut, MB, Gr., Houston

Jamison Wheler, So., OH, SMU

Marieke van der Mark, Gr., OPP, SMU

Kayley Cassaday, Sr., OH, Tulsa

Brylee Kelly, R-Jr., Wichita State

All-Conference Second Team

Rachel Tullos, MB, Sr., Houston

Celia Cullen, Jr., S, SMU

Angeles Alderete, Fr., OH, East Carolina

Sophia Rohling, Jr., OPP, Wichita State

Carly Glendinning, Fr., OH, Cincinnati

Zari Zumach, Gr., RS, UCF

Bailey Houlihan, Jr., L, Memphis

Abby Walker, So., MB, Cincinnati