LEXINGTON, Ala. – Head volleyball coach Amanda Bretherick traveled to Alabama where she signed Alex Howard.

The outside hitter/middle blocker combo earned several accolades including being selected as first team All-State in her junior season. The same year she was honored as the Times Daily Small School Player of the Year. She was twice chosen to the All-Area tournament team – in 2023 and 2024 – while being selected to the All-County tournament team those same years in addition to 2022. The 5-9 newcomer was named as the Golden Bears’ offensive MVP in 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Throughout her career, she maintained a .237 hitting percentage while eclipsing the 1,000 kill mark with 1,279. Her senior season she averaged 4.0 kills per set while her 554 kills ranked 14th in the entire state of Alabama.

“I am so excited to begin my journey at FHU next fall,” Howard said. “I thank God that he has blessed me with this amazing opportunity! Roar Lions!”

Off the court, Howard is a member of the National Honors Society and served as vice president for Mu Alpha Theta and as an officer in he Key Club.

“Alex is a great person and player,” Bretherick said. “She was a key piece to the success of her high school program. We look forward to how she will enhance our program on the court and off the next four years.

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BOSSIER CITY, La. – Dillard University volleyball players Cadence Thomas and Gabrielle Washington led a strong front row defense and Vanae Sapp and Tyramae Fautanu recorded double-doubles to lift Dillard University to the title with a sweep over Talladega College (25-18, 25-23, 25-19) in the 2024 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Championship Match at Billy Montgomery Gymnasium.

Thomas recorded two solo blocks and four assists and Washington provided four block assists. The Bleu Devils turned away 11 attacks from Talladega and held it to a .032 hitting percentage, its lowest of the season.

Sapp recorded her third double-double of the tournament with 11 kills and 12 digs, earning the 2024 HBCUAC Championship Most Valuable Player. Fautanu recorded 15 assists and 10 digs. Thomas and Washington followed Sapp in kills with eight and seven, respectively. Trenity Pender provided 13 digs and four assists, earning All-Tournament. Sara Da Silva also earned All-Tournament with seven kills in the championship match.

Dillard (20-8) took the lead in the first set with a four-point run on three attack errors by Talladega. A kill by Thomas sparked a seven-point run which allowed the Bleu Devils to pull away. Washington and Nya St. Cyr teamed up for two blocks and each got kills to give Dillard an 18-8 lead. Sapp sealed the set with a kill.

The Bleu Devils continued their momentum in the second set jumping out to a 7-3 lead on two kills from Sapp, who also teamed up with Washington for a block. Talladega rallied with a five-point run. Marcelly Perez and Zariah Messick teamed up for two blocks. Giovana Costarelli recorded two aces to give the Tornadoes an 18-17 lead prompting a timeout by Dillard coach Angela Franke.

Kills by Da Silva, Thomas and Makaela Swoopes gave the lead back to Dillard. The teams exchanged points. Washington and Da Silva got kills to put the Bleu Devils up by two games.

The third set was a see-saw battle. Re’na Ashley recorded three kills and teamed up with Perez for a block to give the Tornadoes a five-point lead. It maintained its advantage until it made an attack error and Sarai Rogers recorded a kill to put Dillard in front 15-14. Franchesca Rivas recorded a kill and Kortni Johnson and Josephine Gates put down a block to put Talladega up 17-15.

Washington and Da Silva scored kills and the Bleu Devils took advantage of two attacking errors to retake the lead 19-17. Talladega was unable to rally. Thomas recorded a solo block, a block assist and a kill. Sapp clinched the title with her 11th kill.

Ashley led the Tornadoes with eight kills. Messick followed with seven kills and two block assists. Johnson had six kills and two block assists. Costarelli led the team with 17 assists and three service aces, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Nuria Santos provided 11 assists and six digs. Briyith Echeverri recorded 22 digs. Taquoia Rounds followed with 12 and earned All-Tournament.

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BOSSIER CITY, La. – The championship match of the 2024 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Volleyball Championship is set. Top seed Talladega College and No. 2 seed Dillard University will battle for the title at noon on Wednesday.

NO. 1 TALLADEGA 3, NO. 4 PHILANDER SMITH 0   Boxscore
Talladega College volleyball players Franchesca Rivas and Josephine Gates provided double-digit kill performances to send the Tornadoes to the championship for the second consecutive season with a sweep over Philander Smith University (25-18, 25-22, 25-18).

Rivas recorded 15 kills in 38 attempts and added six digs and two block assists. Gates contributed 10 kills and eight total blocks. Giovana Costarelli nearly recorded a double-double with 19 assists and eight digs. Nuria Santos added 15 assists and six digs. Briyith Echeverri led all defenders with 21 digs.

Two kills by Re’na Ashley and a service ace by Stella Lukaszuk gave Talladega a five-point lead early in the first set and it didn’t relinquish it. The Tornadoes put down 15 kills in 36 attempts while Philander Smith had 10 but made eight attack errors in 37 attempts. Gates clinched the first set with a kill. Talladega did endure a scary moment as Kortni Johnson and Taquoia Rounds collided going after a ball and did not return to the game.

With Talladega having to shake up its rotation, Philander Smith got a jump on them in the second set. Zarea Winn got a kill and a block and Essence Wren got a kill to put the Panthers ahead 11-6. After a timeout, the Tornadoes regrouped. Gates, Ashley and Rivas got kills to cut the margin to 11-10.

Philander Smith called a timeout leading to another momentum shift. Two kills by Winn, one by Sanders and a pair of errors by Talladega gave the Panthers a 16-11 lead. The lead stayed intact until Ashley got a kill and Gates got a block to give Talladega a 21-20 lead. The Panthers tied it with an attack error by the Tornadoes. Rivas put down two kills and Gates one to take the set.

The Tornadoes took control of the third set with a five-point run. Rivas got a kill and Gates and Costarelli and Dyani Steward teamed up for three blocks to increase their advantage to 12-7. It lead by as many as eight. Winn got a kill and teamed up with Antonisha Whitney for a block to cut the margin to four. Kills by Rivas and Ashley and two attack errors by Philander Smith put the Tornadoes up by eight.

The Panthers finish the season 21-7. Sanders recorded 10 kills and seven digs. Winn notched eight kills, three digs and three total blocks. Wren posted a double-double with 23 assists and 18 digs. Christlove Lauture put up 12 digs.

NO. 2 DILLARD 3, NO. 3 FISK 0 Boxscore
Dillard University volleyball players Vanae Sapp recorded a double-double and Gabrielle Washington led a strong front row defense to lead the Bleu Devils to a sweep over Fisk University (25-19, 25-15, 25-18).

Along with a spot in the championship match the victory gives Dillard the conference’s second automatic berth to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Volleyball Championship Opening Round. Talladega gained the other automatic berth by winning the regular season title.

Sapp tallied 13 kills, 15 digs and five service aces. Cadence Thomas followed with eight kills in 19 attempts. Washington contributed to six blocks with two solo and put down five kills. The Bleu Devils blocked seven attacks from the Bulldogs and out-hit them .327 to .118. Dillard put down 42 kills and only made eight errors in 104 attack attempts. The Bulldogs recorded 32 kills but made 19 errors in 110 attempts.

The Bleu Devils (19-8) pulled out to a 10-1 lead in the first set and didn’t look back. Sapp recorded two kills and four service aces. Fisk didn’t get closer than five. Washington secured the first set with a kill. Dillard outhit Fisk .216 to .132 in the first set.

Fisk briefly held the lead in the second set on kills by Sydney Willis and Trinity Britt. Kills by Thomas, Sapp and Sara Da Silva opened a seven-point lead for Dillard. The Bulldogs didn’t have an answer. Kills by Thomas and Da Silva opened up a double-digit advantage for the Bleu Devils.

Sapp scored two kills and Nya St. Cyr one to give Dillard a four-point lead in the third set. The Bulldogs weren’t able to put more than two points together. Two kills by Neveah Bax and one from Thomas, put the Bleu Devils in striking distance of clinching the match. Thomas, Da Silva, St. Cyr and Sapp closed it out for Dillard, which is making their second appearance in the finals in the last three years.

Tyramae Fautanu recorded 19 assists and four digs. Nanyelis Moreno followed with 17 assists, five digs and two service aces. Trenity Pender and Jasmyne Mumphrey posted double-digit dig performances with 13 and 12, respectively.

Fisk finished the season 23-16. Willis led the attack with 13 kills. Reagan Jones followed with eight and contributed eight digs. Britt recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 14 digs. Nialah Gupton provided 14 digs and three assists.

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ATLANTA – Middle blocker Kassandra Fairly of Spring Hill collected her second Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honor alongside with teammate, Taylor Fontenelle, who was selected as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, announced Thursday by the league office.

All votes are submitted by SIAC head volleyball coaches and sports information directors.

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Kassandra Fairly, Middle Blocker
Spring Hill College

Fairly, a junior middle blocker, was chosen as this years’ Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after maintaining a career .385 hitting percentage averaging 3.25 kills per set and 0.62 blocks per set. In 2019, she led the Badgers in kills (401) and blocks (77). The Ft. Walton Beach, Fla. native has amassed several awards including being a three-time member SIAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team, two-time all-conference first team selection, two-time SHC Female Athlete of the Year, 2018 SIAC Player of Year and SIAC Tournament MVP, 2019 D2CCA All-South Region Second Team, 2019 AVCA All-South Region First Team, and 2019 SIAC Freshman of the Year.

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Taylor Fontenelle, Libero/Defensive Specialist
Spring Hill College
Fontenelle, a Spanish Fort, Ala. native, has been named this years’ Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after a dynamic first season with the Badgers where she collected 189 digs and led the Badgers in service aces (49). The sophomore libero is also a two-time member SIAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team.

Volleyball Preseason Rankings by Division

Eastern Division

1. Albany State
2. Benedict
3. Clark Atlanta
4. Savannah State
5. Fort Valley State
6. Edward Waters*
7. Allen*

Western Division

1. Spring Hill
2. Kentucky State
3. Central State
4. LeMoyne-Owen
5. Lane
6. Tuskegee
7. Miles

*Allen University and Edward Waters University are first-year provisional members of NCAA Division II and are not eligible for SIAC nor NCAA volleyball postseason competition.

2021 SIAC Preseason Volleyball Team

First Team

Second Team

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LEXINGTON, Ky.- Alabama State Volleyball was named a recipient of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award, the organizations announced Monday.

The award, initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors volleyball teams across all levels of competition that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale. A record 1,313 teams earned the award for the 2019-2020 season, topping last year’s record by almost 200 teams.

The Lady Hornets won the award for the first time since 2015 and are the lone representative from the Southwestern Athletic Conference on the list. Alabama State remains the only SWAC school to ever receive the recognition.

For a full list of USMC/AVCA Team Academic Award recipients, Click Here.

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