FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Fayetteville Tech volleyball will field an 11-player roster for the 2021 fall season, welcoming back all but one of its players from the spring.
The Trojans are coming off their most successful season to date, reaching the NJCAA Southeast District Championship in the spring despite fielding a team of just eight players.
They’ll take to the court this season with seven returners, each of whom played every set last season, and four newcomers.
“We only lost one player from last year, and we’ve picked up three dynamic freshmen,” Trojans’ coach Moe Licardo said. “We’ve gotten even faster. Where we struggled last year was with handling big middles, and our speed will help with that part of the game.”
Leading the returners are four All-Region 10 honorees — right side Lauren Adams and setter Jacqueline Woosley, who were first-team selections, and libero Kristen Woods and outside hitter Alyssa Wrench, who were second-team picks.
Adams was a top producer for the Trojans last season, averaging 3.34 kills and 2.66 digs per set while totaling a team-high 25 aces.
As a freshman, Woosley led all of Division II in assists per set late in the regular season before finishing the season with a 10.45 per-set average.
Woods, who will return for a third season with the Trojans thanks to an extra year of eligibility granted to all athletes by the NJCAA during the Covid-19 pandemic, moved from a utility role as a freshman to become the team’s fulltime libero last season. She averaged 4.30 digs per set, notching 189 on the year.
Wrench will be back at outside hitter, where she tallied a team-high 150 kills and 141 digs last season.
The team also returns the heart of its middle defense, with 5-foot-11 Sonjai Guiles and 5-foot-10 Nytiara Brothers back to man the middle, as well as defensive specialist Taylor Melvin returning to the back line.
Guiles led the team with 37 total blocks, including 13 solo efforts. Brothers tallied 29.
Melvin recorded 114 digs on the year and served 24 aces.
The Trojans add Emony Johnson, who becomes active this season after red-shirting last year. A versatile athlete, Johnson is expected to play outside hitter but can step into multiple roles as needed.
Three freshmen, all from local high schools, join the squad.
Defensive specialist Aliyah Brown and middle Morgan Brady, both Gray’s Creek High School graduates and All-Patriot Athletic Conference selections, are on the roster.
Sydney Conklin, who was an All-Sandhills Athletic Conference pick for Jack Britt, adds another option at outside hitter.
Licardo said the expanded roster — grown from eight players last year to 11 this season — allowed the Trojans to tackle a more aggressive schedule. The fall campaign starts at home Aug. 24 with a 6 p.m. match against Sandhills CC, which earned the No 8 spot in the NJCAA Division III preseason rankings.
“This is the most matches we’ve played in a season, and we’re playing some tough opponents,” the coach said. “We’ll be able to go deeper into the roster and be ready for the long haul.”
