Volley Dogs Take Winning Streak into Conference Play

NASHVILLE (September 5, 2024) – After being away from home the whole month of August, the Fisk University Lady Bulldog volleyball team (5-8) will finally get to wake up from their own beds and play in the friendly confines of Henderson A. Johnson Arena.

The tri-match format will feature an HBCU Athletic Conference match against the Stillman College Tigers (0-5) at 11 a.m., and a non-conference matchup against the Brescia University Bearcats (1-9) at 3 p.m. Stillman and Brescia will play at 1 p.m.

For Fisk and Stillman, this will be their first HBCU Athletic Conference contest since the re-branding of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference this summer. Stillman is joining the conference for the first time. Brescia will be looking to get on track before starting conference play in two weeks.

The Lady Bulldogs are on a high after winning four of the last five matches. They have received consistent play from their front wall of Reagan Jones (172 kills) and Sydney Willis (116 kills). Trinity Britt has set them both up nicely, helping her to three straight conference Setter of the Week awards. Nialah Gupton has been a steady force on the backline, scooping up 190 digs on the season.

The Wallace Media Group "Pick2Click" is La'Niyah Lumpkin. Lumpkin's serving and work on the front wall has been a welcomed surprise for the Lady Bulldogs.

Game 14: Stillman (AL.) College (0-5) at Fisk University (5-8)

Date/Time: Saturday, September 7 | 11:00 a.m. (CST)

Watch: Fisk YouTube Page

Location: Henderson A. Johnson Arena – Fisk University

Game 15: Brescia (KY) University (1-9) at Fisk University (5-8)

Date/Time: Saturday, September 7 | 11:00 a.m. (CST)

Watch: Fisk YouTube Page

Location: Henderson A. Johnson Arena – Fisk University

Stillman At a Glance (Before the 9/5 game against Miles College)

Stillman is looking for their first win since October 29, 2022, after going 0-22 last season and starting out the 2024 campaign 0-5. The Tigers boast a balanced attack with three players (Katelyn Lawson 27, Paige Eason 26, and Raine Patterson 25) will at least 20 kills.

Common opponents: (none)

Brescia At a Glance

Brescia relies heavily on senior MB Jasmin Jones. Jones comes into the weekend with 67 kills on the season. On the defensive end, junior libero, Campbell McBride comes in as the reigning River States Conference Defender of the Week. The transfer libero racked up 92 digs on the week with 89 coming in the BU Classic hosted by the Bearcats. She also added 118 receptions with just four errors along with four service aces. She added her name to the top 15 list in total digs in a single match in program history following her 32-dig performance against Bethel (TN) (since digital stats started in 2003).

Common opponent: Bethel- Fisk won 3-0, Brescia lost 3-1.

 Enderle Of the Road

Head coach Jessica Enderle and assistant coach Laikin Ramirez were on the road perfecting the team's roster. This year's team has added three former NCAA players in Aaliyah Bethea (Virginia State University), Laila Esters (Miles College) and Sydney Willis (Belmont University). Reagan Jones was added from Berry College and Anayah Duncan comes to Fisk from conference foe Dillard University. Sahnee Dillahunt-Nedd redshirted last season. She played at Tennessee State University.  

Britt Snags Third Setter of the Week Award

Trinity Britt has won the HBCU Athletic Conference Setter of the Week award for the third time in as many weeks this season. Trinity Britt quarterbacked the offense superbly this past week, finishing one assist shy of registering at least 20 in all five games. Britt had two double-double performances this week, with a 33 assist, ten dig performance against Tougaloo, and a career high 42 assist, 11 dig effort against UT Southern.

The Gainesville, Florida native's 378 assists rank her 13th in the country in the NAIA Britt is currently the top setter in the conference in total assists and is second behind teammate Nialah Gupton in total digs.

Re of Light

Sophomore Nebthet Re will look to cash in on an outstanding freshman year. She is the reigning Setter and Freshman of the Year in the conference. She also was named to the First Team. Re had a banner first campaign, finishing with 388 assists, which gave her 7.76 assists per set in conference play. The versatile Marietta, Georgia native also had 100 points on 67 kills, 27 aces and 11 blocks. Defensively, she had 130 digs, which gave her 2.60 digs per set in conference play.

Ramirez In the Bush

Assistant Coach Laikin Ramirez has been a steady contributor to Fisk Volleyball and the Athletic Department. Ramirez won the conference's Assistant Coach of the Year. Her knowledge of volleyball and organization skills have been a welcomed sight at Fisk.

Capping Off a Great Career

Seniors Aja Coffey and Trinity Crawford have both been great ambassadors for Fisk Volleyball. On the court, their leadership can be seen and heard. As freshmen, they were part of a team that won 12 games. The past two seasons, the team has enjoyed 20-win seasons, with last year's team being the first to compete in the GCAC Championship game. This year, they were both named captains of the team.

Next Up: The Lady Bulldogs will travel to Pulaski, Tennessee for a tri-match against Mobile University and host UT Southern,