RIVERDALE, NY — Manhattan Women's Volleyball Head Coach
Mauro Miletic has announced five newcomers to the Jaspers program ahead of the 2025 season, on Monday morning. They include UAlbany transfer
Emilia Kuzniar,
Emma Francesconi,
Laura Hernandez,
Hanna Kaczynska, and
Helenn Montilla.
Emilia Kuzniar – Junior - Setter – Przemysl, Poland/SMS Stal Mielec/UAlbany
2024 at Albany (Sophomore): Played in four matches and logged service time in five total sets against FDU (Sept. 7), Darmouth (Sept. 13), Wyoming (Sept. 20), and NJIT (Oct. 11) ... Registered a season high five set assists and three attempts at Wyoming (Sept. 20).
2023 at Albany (Freshman): Started five of 11 matches played … served as the team's secondary setter … earned a season-high 45 assists against Seattle (Sept. 16) … collected 32 assists against Saint Louis (Sept. 2) … saw a season-high eight digs against UCF (Aug. 27) … added three kills twice - Syracuse (Aug. 25) and Seattle … overall totaled 142 assists, eight kills, eight service aces, 37 digs, and 7.0 blocks for 19.5 points and a .182 hitting percentage.
Prior to College: Played Girls' Volleyball at SMS
Stal Mielec for six years ... Played in professional 1st League with
Stal Mielec and captured a second place finish in Poland ... Received Best Setter award in quarterfinals of Polish Junior Championship ... Secured eighth place finish in the Polish Junior Championship Tournament with Team San Pajda ... Took part in
Kedzierzyn Kozle Tournament with the Polish U16 National Team ... Called up to Polish U16 National Team Camp ... Played on Club Voivodeship Team for three years (2017-19) ... Club teams were ITA TOOLS
Stal Mielec, San-Pajda Jaroslaw, UKS 15
Przemysl ... Red Stripe on Certificate three times ... Accrued a GPA of at least 4.75 out of a possible 6.00 ... Parents are Maciej and Rita ... Majoring in Psychology.
Why Kuzniar Chose Manhattan: "Because I can continue my psychology major, compete and grow as a Division I athlete, and enjoy being in New York City. The coaches also made me feel welcome from the start."
Miletic on Kuzniar: "She hit the ground running in January and has fit in with our team like a missing puzzle piece. Her international style of setting fits in well with our vision of running a fast and aggressive offense, both in the front and back row."
Emma Francesconi – Freshman - Outside Hitter/Right Side – Viareggio, Tuscany, Italy/ISI Carlo Piaggia
Prior to College: Attended ISI Carlo Piaggia, where she played Girls' Volleyball for five years ... Participated in the Territorial Selection Tournament and took part in the Regional Selections, which were not completed due to COVID ... Club was Oasi Volley Viareggio ... Father is Mauro Francesconi ... Mother is Valentina Bianchi ... Sibling is Greta ... Major is Undecided.
Why Francesconi Chose Manhattan: "In addition to offering me a scholarship to play volleyball, it is known for its academic excellence and stimulating environment - the ideal place to grow both as an athlete and as a student."
Miletic on Francesconi: "Emma brings with her some serious ball control, and we think she will contribute to our team in an
impactful way by controlling the serve receive and defense, an area we've historically lacked in. She can also score for us in the front row and is a low error player with a high volleyball IQ."
Laura Hernandez – Freshman - Middle Blocker – Callisburg, TX/Callisburg
Prior to College: Attended Callisburg High School ... Played four-years of Girls' Varsity Volleyball ... Two years of Varsity Basketball and Track & Field ... One year of Softball ... Logged 1,000+ career kills, eclipsing the feat in 11th grade ... .326 career hitting percentage ... Named Middle Blocker of the Year twice ... TGCA State Team ... Four time Academic All-State ... Top 10% of graduating class ... Two-time Presidential Award winner ... Honor Roll all four-years ... Journalism UIL State Qualifier ... Club was TAV 18 Blue ... Parents are Jan and Gustavo ... Siblings are Layden and Nico ... Majoring in Exercise Science with a focus in Physical Therapy.
Why Hernandez Chose Manhattan: "Presented the most opportunity."
Miletic on Hernandez: "Comes from TAV, a dominant Texas club where she received top of the line training. She suffered an unfortunate injury last year, but we're confident she'll come back better and stronger than ever. Abby and Chloe did an incredible job last season holding down the fort in the middle after
Elenoa's unfortunate injury, and we think they will do a fantastic job showing
Helenn and Laura the ropes this season."
Hanna Kaczynska – Freshman - Right Side – Warsaw, Poland/NLO SMS PZPS Szczyrk
Prior to College: Played four years of Girls' Volleyball at NLO SMS PZPS Szczyrk ... Played on Poland's Women's First Senior Women's Volleyball League for four years, the second highest level of competition in the country ... Polish National Championship U16 ... Second Place at Polish National Championships U17 ... First place at the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) Tournament U16 ... Graduated with honors each year ... GPA above 4.75 out of 6.00 (highest possible grade-point-average) ... Club is MOS WOLA Warszara ... Mother is
Agniesz ... Father is Krzysztof ... Majoring in Marketing.
Why Kaczynska Chose Manhattan: "It offers me the opportunity to pursue a high-level education while playing in the top athletic division in the United States, NCAA Division I. I'm also excited to meet new people and experience different cultures, especially in New York City, a global capital that attracts people from all over the world. During my conversations with the coaches, I felt comfortable and at ease, which made me confident that we will work well together."
Miletic on Kaczynska: "Selected to practice and play with the U19 Polish national team this past Spring. She could very well prove to be a force in the front row with her attack and block."
Helenn Montilla – Freshman - Middle Blocker – Miami, FL/Immaculata La Salle
Prior to College: Attended Immaculata La Salle High School and played Girls' Varsity Volleyball and Beach Volleyball for four years ... Club for Miami Hype ... Logged 405 career kills and 165 career blocks throughout ... Two-time District Champions in 2022 and 2023 ... Coaches Award in Beach Volleyball in 2023 ... Most Improved in Beach Volleyball in 2024 ... Earned Leadership Award in 2025 ... Team MVP in Volleyball in 2025 ... MVP of Beach Volleyball in 2025 ... Parents are Elena and Alvaro ... Siblings are Alvaro, Allenn, and Adrian ... Majoring in Business.
Why Montilla Chose Manhattan: "Because it offers the perfect mix of strong academics and a competitive volleyball program. As a business major and student-athlete, I wanted a school where I could succeed both on the volleyball court and in my classes. Most importantly, the supportive community made it feel like the best place to spend my college years.
Miletic on Montilla: "Brings with her not only her offense and block, but she's been playing a ton of beach and seems to have developed into quite the dynamic player."
"Overall, this group should fill in most of our missing gaps on the court. Off the court, they are strong, kind, and hard-working young ladies and we think they will contribute to our team culture in a positive way. We can't wait to see what they can do!" said Miletic.
The Jaspers season begins on Friday, August 29, when the Green and White take part in the Lobo Invitational hosted by New Mexico in Albuquerque.
Follow Manhattan Women's Volleyball on X and Instagram (@JaspersVB)
