Savannah State University Athletics

For The Love Of The Game

8/30/2022 6:22:00 PM | By: By Donald Heath

Kloe Ludy Named All-SIAC Preseason Second Team

Roselidah Obunaga remembers playing volleyball for the love of the game as a youth. Now the fourth-year coach has a group like that this season at Savannah State University.

"You always get different players and people have different mindsets," Obunaga said. "We have some who have a hunger for the sport and want to stay longer (after practice). It's a lot of hard work and they're not doing it because of the scholarship, they're enjoying it."

A positive mindset might just keep the program rising. The Tigers won nine matches in 2019, then skipped 2020 because of the threat of COVID, before winning 10 matches in 2021.

The 10 victories were the most at the school since getting 11 in 2009. And the Lady Tigers, laced with energetic freshmen a year ago, showed improvement all the way to the final day of the season.

Into the 2021 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Championship, The Tigers—the No. 4 seed from the SIAC East Division—gave No. 2 Benedict College a scare before falling 3-2 in the conference tournament. Benedict beat Savannah State 3-0 twice during the regular season.

It was an encouraging sign for Obunaga.

"Every season has its uncertainties, but this year we're hoping to have big numbers," said Obunaga, who knows about high caliber volleyball after playing as a 5-foot-11 middle hitter with the Kenya women's national team and competing in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Gallery: (8-10-2022) 2022 Volleyball Fall Camp

Obunaga also helps coach Upward Stars, a highly regarded club volleyball team in Savannah, in the summer.

Now she has her own upward stars at Savannah State.

Sophomore libero Kloe Ludy returns as the SIAC's leader in digs last season, averaging 4.46 a set. She was the conference's Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 7.0 digs a set in wins over Allen and Fort Valley State.

In a preseason poll, Ludy was named to the All-SIAC Second Team.

Sophomore Jasmine Nettles and junior Destinee Langston are back to strengthen the frontline. Nettles is the team's returning leader with 123 kills. Langston had 120.

Sophomore Destiny Gaines and freshman Allena Norton, both 6-1, add size in the middle.

Junior setter Sydney Harville, who is a team captain along with Langston, dished out a team-leading 379 assists a year ago. Harville will be pushed by Jessee Grubesic, who originally started her collegiate career at St. Peter's University. Versatile sophomore Caylen Samuels, who can also play on the back line, had 295 assists and was eighth in the SIAC with 0.50 service aces.

Sophomore returnee Amariah Wynne (libero) will compete for playing time along with transfers Tori Lasley (return specialist), Mariah Souza (setter), Serteria Butler (middle/outside hitter) and Dorothea Ruffin (outside hitter).

"There's a group on this team that puts in 110 percent in everything they do," Obunaga said. "And when you really like the sport, you will play (in games) with everything you have out there."

Print Friendly Version