By Alan Wiederhold
HT Athletic Communications
AUSTIN – The new era of Huston-Tillotson volleyball opened this week as the Rams were picked to finish sixth out of 13 teams in the HBCU Athletic Conference's coaches poll.
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HT, which formally joined the HBCUAC in July after more than a quarter-century in the Red River Athletic Conference, received one first-place vote in the poll. The Rams were predicted to finish fourth among the seven teams in the HBCU's West Division.
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Paul Quinn College, which also made the move to the HBCUAC from the RRAC alongside HT, was picked fifth out of the league's 13 volleyball squads. The Rams split their two-match series at Paul Quinn College in 2024, winning a five-set match on Sept. 21 in Dallas.
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In her third year as the head coach of HT's volleyball team,
LaTonya Washington brings in her biggest class of her HT tenure. Though young, her squad should bring excitement to Bluebonnet Hill and Mary E. Gymnasium, with a pair of seniors leading the way.
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Outside hitter
Chloe Gaytan led the Rams with 278 kills as a junior in 2024, averaging 3.35 kills per set; she also recorded 10 or more digs in a match six times during the season. Gaytan was named to the All-RRAC Second Team at the conclusion of last season.
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The Rams also reloaded their defense with the addition of senior transfer
Taylor Fisher. A product of Del Valle, Texas, and a transfer from NCAA Division II institution Henderson State (Ark.), Fisher will be among Washington's talented back-row players who will fill the void left by
Danelle McCullough, who graduated this spring after earning All-RRAC honors.
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HT hosts Schreiner in a scrimmage match Thursday, Aug. 21, at 6 p.m. at the campus' Branch Gymnasium. The Rams open the regular season Friday, Aug. 29, at the Texas Two Step Volleyball Invitational cohosted by Nelson University (Waxahachie, Texas) and Texas Wesleyan University (Fort Worth, Texas).
– HT –
Information from the HBCU Athletic Conference was used in this story.
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