Eight teams will compete for the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship
NEW ORLEANS – October 25, 2024 – The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) reveals the eight schools that will compete for the title at the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship hosted by Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission from November 11-13 at Bossier Parish Community College.
Dillard University (La.), Fisk University (Tenn.), Oakwood University (Ala.), Philander Smith University (Ark.), Southern University at New Orleans (La.), Stillman College (Ala.), Talladega College (Ala.), and Tougaloo College (Miss.) have secured berths. The seeds will be revealed after conference play is completed on November 4.
Talladega (20-7, 13-1 HBCUAC), the defending regular season and tournament champion, is battling Fisk University – last season’s tournament runner-up – and Dillard – the 2023 regular season runner-up – for the 2024 regular season title and top seed. All three schools have one loss. Fisk avenged last season’s championship loss with a five-set victory on Sept. 21. Talladega swept Dillard on Sept. 28 in one of the HBCUAC Crossovers. Dillard swept Fisk on Oct. 18. Talladega hosts Fisk on October 25 with the winner likely clinching the first seed.
The Tornadoes have a deep roster as three players have won Attacker of the Week. Franchesca Rivas and defensive specialist Briyith Echeverri have been recognized as Player of the Week multiple times this season.
Fisk (22-14, 13-1 HBCUAC) also boasts a strong roster as they’ve won a majority of the HBCUAC Player of the Week awards. Trinity Britt has won eight of the 10 Setter of the Week awards and leads the conference in assists and assists per set and ranks eighth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) with 939 assists. Reagan Jones claimed five Attacker of the Week awards and ranks fifth in the NAIA with 401 kills. Nialah Gupton has claimed multiple Defender of the Week awards and leads the HBCUAC with 470 digs.
Dillard (13-7, 11-1 HBCUAC) has only been taken beyond three sets twice and has only dropped five sets in 12 conference matches. Trenity Pender claimed the most recent Defender of the Week award. The Bleu Devils have one of the most intimidating front rows in the conference. Gabrielle Washington leads the HBCUAC with 1.24 blocks per set. Nya St. Cyr and Cadence Thomas follow at 0.96 and 0.93 blocks per set, ranking in the top five of the conference.
Philander Smith (16-6, 8-4 HBCUAC) in its first season under head coach Mariah Yarbrough has been formidable, winning eight conference matches. All of their losses have been to the top three teams in the conference. Christlove Lature and Essence Wren won Defender and Setter of the Week for September 30-October 6. Lature ranks second in the conference with 4.33 digs per set and third with 325 total digs. Wren ranks second in the conference with 515 assists averaging 8.05 per set. Zarea Winn ranks third with 3.04 kills per set.
Oakwood (10-15, 8-7 HBCUAC) has made significant improvement after finishing seventh in the conference last season, currently ranked fifth. It went 3-2 in the HBCUAC Crossovers. Kamaria Murray earned Attacker of the Week for September 30-October 6. Cameryn Bucknor ranks fifth in the conference with 5.59 assists per set.
Stillman (8-17, 7-8 HBCUAC), who joined the conference this season after competing in the Southern States Athletic Conference the last two seasons, is making strides in its third season since the program was reinstated in 2022. It picked up its first seven victories since the return of the program. Emily Powell won Defender of the Week twice, she ranks fifth in the conference with 4.01 digs per set. Erin Nelson is fifth with 0.47 service aces per set and ranks in the top 15 with 3.43 assists per set.
Tougaloo (7-15, 5-6 HBCUAC) has shown improvement, besting last season’s overall and conference win total by two matches. LaShundria Chatman ranks fifth in the conference with 2.44 kills per set. Kaliyah Shavers is 10th with 2.18. Taylor Cousar is eighth in the conference with 4.59 assists per set. Ke’Ira Collier ranks sixth in the conference with 3.63 digs per set.
Southern University at New Orleans (4-15, 4-8 HBCUAC), in its second season since making its return in 2023, is much stronger. It won its first four matches since 2019. Armoni Harris was the Week 2 Defender of the Week and leads the HBCUAC with 4.44 digs per set. Taszia Adkinson ranks in the top 15 of the conference with 2.03 kills per set.
The regular season and tournament champions will earn automatic bids to the 2024 NAIA National Volleyball Championship. The opening round will be November 23 at campus sites. The winners will advance to the National Championship Tournament December 4-10 at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Along with competing for the 2024 HBCUAC title, the schools will lead clinics for junior high and high school students at the BHP YMCA and the Lash Family YMCA in Shreveport on Sunday afternoon. The 2024 All-HBCUAC Awards will be presented during the Reception at Eleven Events LLC.
Fans can catch all the action on HBCU-Plus, which can be viewed online or the free app can be downloaded on mobile devices and Smart TVs. For more information on the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship visit Tournament Central.
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About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s track and field, women’s volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.
