HBCU Athletic Conference presents 2025 Preseason All-HBCUAC Volleyball Team, Rankings
HBCU Athletic Conference presents 2025 Preseason All-HBCUAC Volleyball Teams and Preseason Rankings with Fisk University's Reagan Jones claiming 2025 HBCUAC Preseason Player of the Year, the conference announced on Wednesday.
Nominations and voting were done by the HBCUAC head volleyball coaches. Points were derived from the order the coach ranked the athlete. Jones, who earned 2024 HBCUAC Player of the Year, Attacker of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, garnered 62 points and seven first place votes. Additionally, Jones was selected as a Third-Team NAIA All-American last season. She led the HBCUAC with 440 kills, averaging 3.38 per set. The rest of the team is below:
Cadence Thomas, Dillard: Two-time All-HBCUAC First Team selection
Essence Wren, Philander Smith: Three time All-HBCUAC selection with two on First Team
Briyith Echeverri, Talladega: 2024 HBCUAC Defender of the Year; finished second in the conference with 511 digs
Nialah Gupton, Fisk: 2024 All-HBCUAC First Team; led the conference with 545 digs
Gabrielle Washington, Dillard: 2024 All-HBCUAC Second Team; ranked 11th in NAIA with 1.3 blocks per set
Zarea Winn, Philander Smith: 2024 All-HBCUAC First Team; averaged 3.09 kills per set
The conference also released its Preseason Rankings which were also voted on by the head coaches. Points were derived by the order they ranked the teams. The defending HBCUAC postseason champion Dillard University finished atop the rankings with 155 points and 10 of 13 first-place votes. It went 20-9 last season. Fisk University, which advanced to the semifinals followed at 142 points and a first-place vote. It went 23-16. Philander Smith University and the two-time defending regular season champion Talladega College tied for third. Newcomers Paul Quinn College and Huston-Tillotson University, which competed in the Red River Athletic Conference last season, finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Below are the complete rankings:
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Dillard University 155 (10)
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Fisk University 142 (1)
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Philander Smith 127
3. Talladega College 127
5. Paul Quinn College 103
6. Huston-Tillotson 91 (1)
6. Stillman College 91
8. Oakwood University 90
9. Tougaloo College 78
10. Southern University at New Orleans 67
11. Wiley University 43
12. Wilberforce University 41
13. Rust College 28 (1)
Fans can catch all the action of the HBCU Athletic Conference on the Urban Edge Network. The 2025 season will culminate in the 2025 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship hosted by Bossier Parish Community College for the third straight season. The top four teams from each division will qualify.
About the 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), Huston-Tillotson University (TX), Oakwood University (AL), Paul Quinn College (TX), 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 soccer, 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.