WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Junior Emma Sousa (Coventry) and senior Marianna Capomolla (Stamford) have capped outstanding seasons by being selected to the 2006 AVCA Division III All-New England Region volleyball team.

Sousa, a 5-10 inch middle blocker, was among 12 first-team selections. A defensive specialist, Capomolla was among six players named as honorable mention selections.  They become Eastern's 23rd and 24th all-region picks since 1986 but the first selections since Jen Butts and Michelle Cunningham were named to the squad in 1998.

Sousa and Capomolla  were the only representatives from the Little East Conference and were the only players from a state institution.

The honors are among many this year for both Sousa and Capomolla, who led Eastern to its second straight Little East Conference tournament title and NCAA tournament berth and a final record of 30-10. Sousa was voted the Offensive Player-of-the-Year in the conference and Capomolla the Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Capomolla also repeated as conference tournament MVP.

Earlier named as a NEWISA All-New England honorable mention pick, Sousa completed her 2006 season with 598 kills, a .328 attack percentage and 147 blocks. She led the conference in points (724.5) and points per game (5.14) kills, kills per game (4.29) and block assists (117),  and was second in attack percentage (.328) and tied for second in blocks per game (1.04). In addition to setting a program season record for block assists, Sousa had the second-most blocks (147) and kills in a season in program history and the third-most attack attempts (1,268). With one season remaining, Sousa ranks second all-time in block assists (266), fourth in total blocks (340) and kills (1,153), sixth in attack percentage (.252) and in total attack attempts (2,709), and ninth in block solos (74).

Capomolla was second in the conference this year in digs (766), digs per game (5.55), and service aces (101) and fourth in aces per game (0.63). Her dig total fell just eight shy of the Eastern season record. Capomolla also had a career-high .958 reception percentage on 1,063 attempts this season. She finished her three-year Eastern career with a career-record 1,929 digs and is ranked fifth in service aces (210). In her career, she handled 3,067 receptions with a .938 percentage.

This past Sunday at Clark University, both Capomolla and senior outside hitter Jessica Keogh (Monroe) participated in the NEWVA Senior Classic, coached by fourth-year head coach Jolie Ward. In that game, Capomolla was named her team's MVP. They became Eastern's 20th and 21st NEWVA Senior Classic selections since 1987.

Keogh was a first-team all-conference pick this year. She placed seventh in the conference in service aces per game (0.63), seventh in points per game (3.76) and eighth in kills per game (2.92). She ranks 11th all-time with 157 career service aces.