BOSTON -- A pair of UMBC Volleyball freshmen earned America East weekly honors as Julija Grubisic Cabo was named Rookie of the Week and Hannah Howard was honored as the Defensive Specialist of the Week, the Conference announced on Tuesday.

Grubisic Cabo earned her third Rookie of the Week honor of the season after she recorded a double-double in win over UNH, tallying 10 kills and 15 digs while hitting .333. Overall, she recorded 19 kills and 20 digs on the week while averaging a .260 hitting pct.

Howard earned her first ever Defensive Specialist of the Week award by having a pair of stellar performances. In an #AEVB opening sweep vs. Bryant, helped hold the Bulldogs to hitting only .066 and racked up 17 digs. She then tallied 18 digs while helping a defensive unit hold UNH to a .103 hitting pct in a 3-1 win.

UMBC (8-5, 2-0 AE) is ranked 65th in the first NCAA RPI rankings and will head north to face UAlbany on Sunday at 4 p.m.