Talladega, Dillard head to NAIA Volleyball Championship Opening Round
NEW ORLEANS - November 21, 2024 - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Volleyball Opening Round matchups are set for the 2024 Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) regular season champion Talladega College and the tournament champion Dillard University. The Tornadoes will visit No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan University at 6 p.m. Saturday and the Lady Bleu Devils will travel to No. 1 Northwestern College at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Talladega's match will stream on Indiana Wesleyan's Hudl TV and can be viewed for $9.95. Live statistics can be viewed at no charge. Dillard's match will stream on Northwestern's channel on the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Network and can be viewed for $10. Live statistics are available at no charge.
The Tornadoes (25-9) make their second straight NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round appearance. They locked up the HBCUAC regular season title with 11 straight conference wins after suffering their only blemish, a five-set loss to Fisk University on September 21 in a rematch of last season's championship match. Talladega only lost four sets which were all to Fisk in its 15 HBCUAC matches. It won several of the Weekly HBCUAC awards. Franchesca Rivas won three Attacker of the Week awards and earned All-HBCUAC First Team, and Re'na Ashley won two and was also an All-HBCUAC First Team selection. Briyith Echeverri, who was selected as the Preseason HBCUAC Player of the Year, won four Defender of the Week Awards, earning Defender of the Year and All-HBCUAC First Team. Giovana Costarelli claimed Setter of the Week twice, Setter of the Year, All-HBCUAC First Team and All-Tournament. The Tornadoes breezed to the final with sweeps over Southern University at New Orleans and Philander Smith University.
Indiana Wesleyan is the defending NAIA national champion and went 31-2 en route to their second straight Crossroads League title. Eva Joldersma won Crossroads Player of the Year for the second straight season. She led the team with 488 kills and an average of 4.52 per Set.
The Lady Bleu Devils (20-8) make their first NAIA Volleyball National Championship appearance since 2010. They also dominated the HBCUAC with its only loss against Talladega on September 27. Trenity Pender was Dillard's only HBCUAC Weekly award winner - claiming Defender of the Week for October 14-20. Dillard had three All-HBCUAC First Team Selections: Cadence Thomas, Vanae Sapp and Sara Da Silva. Gabrielle Washington, Nanyelis Moreno and Tyramae Fautanu earned All-HBCUAC Second Team Selections. The Lady Bleu Devils waltzed through the competition at the 2024 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship. Only two of the nine sets they played were within five points. Dillard swept Tougaloo College and avenged last season's semifinal loss against Fisk and this season's loss against Talladega to claim the title. Sapp won Most Valuable Player after recording three double-doubles. Da Silva and Pender were selected to the All-Tournament Team.
Northwestern (30-0) finished NAIA National Runner-up last season. It won its second straight GPAC title. Jazlin Douma was selected as the GPAC Player of the Year with 448 kills and an average of 4.44 per set.
The winners of Saturday's matches will advance to the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa, from December 4-10. Talladega and Dillard are looking to advance for the first time in program history.
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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.