DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 2024 edition of Bethune-Cookman Volleyball gets underway Friday, Aug. 30, as the Wildcats welcome three teams to Daytona Beach for the Bash at the Beach being housed at Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. Teams from Manhattan, Portland and Stetson will be joining the Wildcats for the weekend.
 
The action begins Friday at 10 a.m., as Portland and Stetson kick things off. Bethune-Cookman's first match is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Stetson takes on Manhattan at 4 p.m., and B-CU wraps up the opening day against Portland at 6:30 p.m.
 
Saturday consists of two matches – Portland vs. Manhattan (Noon) and B-CU vs. Stetson (1:30 p.m.).
 
MATCH #1: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs. Manhattan Jaspers
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 30, at 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
WATCH LIVE: CatEye Network
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
MATCH #2: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs. Portland
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 30, at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
WATCH LIVE: CatEye Network
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
MATCH #3: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs. Stetson
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 31, at 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Richard V. Moore Gymnasium (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
WATCH LIVE: CatEye Network
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Bethune-Cookman is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Manhattan is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Portland is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
▪ Stetson is not ranked in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll Top 25
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
Keep up with everything Bethune-Cookman Volleyball this year by following the Wildcats on all their social media platforms. You can follow @BCUVolleyball on Instagram and @BCUVolleyball on Twitter.
 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman returns 56.5 percent of its offensive power in the kills area from last year's squad that finished the year 7-21 overall. Elizabeth Phillips was second on the team in kills last year with 134 (1.89 per set), followed by AJ Simmons with 129 (1.37 per set).
▪ Niara Hightower, a 6-foot-2 senior from Wichita Falls, Texas, returns as last season's Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Blocker of the Year. She was named the 2024 Preseason Blocker of the Year, as well as Preseason All-SWAC Second Team at the middle blocker position.
▪ Meanwhile, Alisha Callender, a 5-foot-8 senior setter from Dorado, Puerto Rico, was voted a Preseason All-SWAC Second Team selection at the setter position. During the 2023 campaign, Callender led the Wildcats in assists with 385 under her belt, averaging 4.43 assists per set across the campaign.
▪ As a unit, Bethune-Cookman was voted to finish sixth in the SWAC preseason poll as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
▪ Rylee Davis, a defensive specialist/libero from San Antonio, Texas, finished the 2023 season with a team second-highest 207 digs (2.38 per set).
▪ Head Coach Brittany Williams is set to begin her ninth year at the helm in Daytona Beach. Assistant Coach Rachel Henderson joined the Wildcats in the spring and is set to start her first year on the sidelines for the Maroon and Gold.
▪ A total of nine letterwinners return to the Cats this year, including four starters.
▪ B-CU brought in eight newcomers during the offseason, including transfer Jasmine Robinson from Florida A&M.
▪ Another highly-touted newcomer to the Cats is transfer Tiyanna Preston from Jonesboro, Georgia, coming to B-CU from Enterprise State Community College.
 
BCU VS. MANHATTAN SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman and Manhattan have never faced each other in volleyball.
 
SCOUTING THE JASPERS
▪ Manhattan enters the season coming off a 9-21 record in 2023. The Jaspers won five of their last nine matches to finish the 2023 season.
▪ Senior outside hitter Maike Bertens is back as last season's leader in kills, having accumulated 291 (3.73 per set). Mikalah Curran was second on the team in that department with 272 kills (2.99 per set).
▪ The Jaspers setter from a season ago, Sarah Emmons, is back after leading the team with 757 assists (7.89 per set), and adding 117 digs (1.22 per set) and 11 assisted blocks.
▪ The Jaspers also bring back Laila Glover who was third on the team with 202 kills last season. Additionally, Curran recorded the team's second-most 209 digs (2.30 per set).
 
BCU VS. PORTLAND SERIES
▪ Bethune-Cookman and Portland have never faced each other in volleyball.
 
SCOUTING THE PILOTS
▪ The program welcomes five true freshmen in the form of Sydney Cazimero, Amiyah Eason, Maelle Corbach, Tinoa Woodward-Hart, and Alana Villela, respectively.
▪ Maui Robins was named to 2023 All-WCC Second Team and earned a spot on the 2024 All-WCC Preseason team, spearheaded by her outstanding performances last year. Robins led the conference in services aces (39), second in kills (363) and points (422.5).
▪ Returning players Taina Kaauwai and Elin Larsson will remain key contributors to the Pilots' lineup. Both earned 2023 All-WCC honors, with Kaauwai securing a spot on the Freshman Team and Larsson receiving honorable mention.
▪ The Pilots led the WCC in the 2023 season in service aces (197).
 
BCU VS. STETSON SERIES
▪ Stetson leads the all-time series against Bethune-Cookman by a 59-6 advantage in a series that dates back to 1987.
▪ The Hatters and Wildcats have not met on the hardwood since Sept. 10, 2022, in nearby DeLand.
▪ The Hatters have won the last six meetings in the series, with the last B-CU win coming in 2015, when the Wildcats took two wins from the Hatters, respectfully.
▪ Stetson won the first 28 meetings in the series before Bethune-Cookman grabbed a 3-2 win in Daytona Beach on Nov. 10, 2001.
 
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
▪ Stetson enjoyed a 13-16 record last year under Head Coach Yang Deng, embarking upon her eighth year at the helm in DeLand this season. In league play, Stetson finished an even 8-8 a year ago.
▪ Last season's leader in kills, Anabelle Standish, returns for the Hatters after registering 390 kills across the campaign (3.48 per set). Standish also served up 22 aces and posted a .199 hitting percentage.
▪ Setter Nyah Molina returns to the lineup, after she recorded a team-high 884 assists last year.
▪ Defensive specialist/libero Haruka Sugimoto leads the back line having accumulated 474 digs (4.39 per set) last year. Molina was second on the team in that department with 315 digs (2.81 per set).
 
A QUICK LOOK AT THE CATS
2023 Record – 7-21 (.250) // 2023 SWAC Record – 7-9 (.438) // Last 5 Matches – 2-3 (.400) // Last 10 Matches – 4-6 (.400) // Last 15 Matches – 6-9 (.400) // For the first time in program history, B-CU will be playing against Manhattan and Portland, respectively, in the sport of volleyball over the course of the weekend.
 
UP NEXT
Bethune-Cookman travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to compete as one of four teams in the Oral Roberts Classic hosted by ORU. Joining the Wildcats will be the host Golden Eagles of ORU, along with crosstown foe Tulsa and Sam Houston State, respectfully.
 
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