FISK’S JONES PLAYER OF THE YEAR, 2024 ALL-HBCUAC TEAMS REVEALED
NEW ORLEANS - November 8, 2024 - Fisk University volleyball player Reagan Jones headlines the All-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference Teams as the 2024 Player of the Year, as the teams were announced by the conference on Friday. The teams and Player of the Year awards were determined by the conference's head volleyball coaches. Jones led the HBCUAC with 422 kills and 3.46 per set. She ranks 14th in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in total kills. During the 12-week season, Jones garnered five Attacker of the Week awards. She recorded double-digit kills in 25 matches. Her 488 points leads the conference and is ninth in the nation. Along with earning Player of the Year, Jones was selected as Attacker and Newcomer of the Year.
Also representing Fisk on the first team was Trinity Britt, who led the HBCUAC with 990 assists and 8.25 per set, Nialah Gupton, the conference leader with 515 digs; and Sydney Willis, who leads the conference with 121 total blocks. La'Niyah Lumpkin and Laila Esters earned All-HBCUAC Second Team selections.
The two-time defending conference champion Talladega College also had a strong presence with seven selections, including the Defender of the Year Briyith Echeverri, and the Setter of the Year Giovana Costarelli. Echeverri ranked second in the conference with 447 digs. She was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year and a four-time Defender of the Week. Echeverri also recorded her 1,000th career dig. Costarelli set for the top attacking team in the conference with 11.72 kills per set. Her 5.23 assists per set ranked sixth in the conference. Costarelli surpassed 1,000 career assists and earned two Setter of the Week awards.
Joining Echeverri and Costarelli on the first team were Franchesca Rivas and Re'na Ashley. Kortni Johnson, Marcelly Perez, and Josephine Gates earned All-HBCUAC Second Team.
The runner-up Dillard University earned six selections, with three on the First Team. Cadence Thomas ranked third in the HBCUAC with a .311 hitting percentage. She ranked in the top 10 with 2.18 kills per set, 53 block assists, 61 total blocks, and 0.84 blocks per set. Vanae Sapp placed fourth in the conference with 2.51 kills per set and four points per set. She ranked in the top 10 with 198 kills, 6.96 attacks per set, and 2.90 digs per set. Sara Da Silva ranked eighth in the HBCUAC with a .249 hitting percentage. She ranked in the top 10 with 47 block assists and 0.77 blocks per set. Gabrielle Washington, Nanyelis Moreno, and Tyramae Fautanu earned All-HBCU Second Team.
Philander Smith University had two First Team selections with Zarea Winn and Essence Wren. Southern University at New Orleans earned one selection in Armoni Harris.
Ava Cameron of Stillman College earned Freshman of the Year and All-HBCUAC Second Team. She ranked third in the conference with 22 solo blocks and in the top 20 with 31 block assists, 53 total blocks, and 0.65 blocks per set.
Also earning Second Team selections were Kiah Rucker and Christlove Lauture from Philander Smith, Emily Powell from Stillman, Kaliyah Shavers from Tougaloo College, and Kamaria Murray from Oakwood University.
Oakwood's Cameryn Bucknor, Wiley University's Shyla Starks, SUNO's Alaina Obianoze, and Tougaloo's Ke'Ira Collier earned Honorable Mentions.
Fisk head coach Jessica Enderle earned HBCUAC Coach of the Year. She led the Lady Bulldogs to 22 wins and a 13-2 record in conference play. After finishing as tournament runner-up last season, Fisk contended for the regular season title until the final week of the regular season.
Talladega College's Kyle Liechti won HBCUAC Assistant Coach of the Year. He helped head coach LaShaunda Spurgeon guide the Tornadoes to their second straight conference title and an automatic berth to the NAIA Volleyball Championship Opening Round.
The award winners will be honored during the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship reception on Sunday. Matches get underway on Monday at Bossier Parish Community College's Billy Montgomery Gymnasium. The championship is hosted by the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission.
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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.