****Bethel Preview****Volleyball Looks to Get Back to Their Winning Ways with Trip to Bethel
A tough showing at the Onset Invitational has Fisk refocused.
MCKENZIE, Tenn. (August 26, 2024) - When Fisk Lady Bulldog head coach Jessica Enderle put her 2024 schedule together, she had the conference season in mind. After playing five teams that are at least receiving ranking votes and an exhibition against NCAA D1 Tennessee State University, Fisk finds themselves with a 1-7 record. Something that Enderle is not too pleased about.
"We have lost focus in some of these early matches, which has been concerning," said Enderle. "We jumped out on TSU and St. Francis (Indiana), winning the first set, but couldn't stay the course. We will be working on our serving and serve-receive a lot this week. We will be fine."
Senior co-captain Trinity Crawford has shown improvement after suffering an injury last season. The two-way player has given Fisk consistency around the net and on the ball line. Her high in kills this season is eight in a three-set match against Ave Maria (FL) University. The Lady Bulldogs will need her leadership to get them over the hump.
"We see that we can perform a lot better. Some things we see now that we couldn't see in practice. This has allowed us to figure out how to play against different styles of teams. It challenges us to think differently. I feel like it is building our discipline and IQ of the game."
The Wallace Media Group "Pick2Click" is Trinity Crawford.
Game 8: Fisk University (1-7) at Bethel (TN)University (1-0)
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 27 | 7:00 p.m. (CST)
Watch: BoxcastTV
Location: McKenzie, Tennessee – Bethel University
Bethel At a Glance
The 2023 Bethel University Volleyball squad finished 11-16 overall and 4-8 in the Mid-South Conference.
Bethel reached the MSC Championship Tournament as the No. 5 seed, falling to Lindsey Wilson in the first round.
The Cats return key players who were named all-conference selections last season.
Bethel's Dominika Skoneczna and Setareh Valibeygi were named to the MSC All-Conference 1st team. Gabriela Domingez was named to the all-conference second team. With 945 attacks, Skoneczna was also named MSC Player of the Week and Attacker of the Week during the season.
Key returners Skoneczna, Valibeygi, Gabriela Dominguez, Sami Parker, and Alexa Mclaren will be counted on to contribute to a successful 2024 season. Skoneczna led Bethel in kills last year with 316. Parker led the team in digs (352) this past season.
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 came to Fisk from conference foe Dillard University. Sahnee Dillahunt-Nedd redshirted last season. She played at Tennessee State University.
Lady Bulldogs Sweep HBCU Athletic Conference Players of the Week
Fisk swept the very first player of the week, voting for the HBCU Athletic Conference. Reagan Jones was named Attacker of the Week, Trinity Britt won the Setter of the Week honor, and junior Nailah Gupton took home the Defender of the Week trophy.
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 was also named on 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 award. Her knowledge of volleyball and organizational 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. Their leadership on the court can be seen and heard. As freshmen, they were part of a team that won 12 games. In 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 Henderson, Tennessee to play three games in the Freed-Hardeman Invitational.