Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

ATLANTA, GA (August 11, 2023) - The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) has announced their All-SIAC women’s volleyball preseason team featuring 11 returning players from the 2022 SIAC Women’s Volleyball All-Conference team. 

This year's preseason team is led by Edward Waters’ Fatima Ramirez, who was selected as this year's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year alongside Mikayla Boyer, Spring Hill College, who was tabbed as the 2023 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, announced Friday by the league office.

All nominations and votes are submitted by head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Fatima Ramirez
Edward Waters University
Outside Hitter | Sophomore | Belmopan, Belize

Ramirez, a native of Belize, led the conference in kills with 381 last season and led Edward Waters to its first East Division Championship title. Additionally, the outside hitter has collected 3.49 kills per set, 295 digs (2.71 digs per set), 37.0 blocks, 36 service aces, and 14 assists in 109 sets played. Last season, Ramirez earned the Tigers’ first Player of the Year honor since EWU’s transition into the SIAC.
 
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Mikayla Boyer
Spring Hill College
Outside Hitter/Libero | Graduate Student | Covington, LA 
For the second consecutive season, Mikayla Boyer has been recognized as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. This is the fifth year that the Badgers have been represented in this award. In the 2022 season, Boyer was awarded SIAC Libero of the Year and First-Team All-Conference selection and earned a spot on the 2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. Last season, the Louisiana native surpassed 1,000 career digs (1,424) and tallied 586 digs on the court in 2022. 
 
2023 SIAC Women’s Volleyball Preseason Awards
 

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year	Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Fatima Ramirez, Edward Waters	Mikayla Boyer, Spring Hill

 

First Team
Name	Position	Classification	School	Hometown
Kyra Gaston	Outside Hitter	Sophomore	Lane	Detroit, MI
Destinee Langston	Outside Hitter	Senior	Savannah State	Fayetteville, GA
Fatima Ramirez	Outside Hitter	Junior	Edward Waters	Belmopan, Belize
Khamari Trotter	Middle Hitter	Sophomore	Albany State	Kathleen, GA
Airyonna Weaver	Middle Hitter	Junior	Spring Hill	Mobile, AL
Mikayla Boyer	Libero	Graduate Student	Spring Hill	Covington, LA
Mataiya Barber	Setter	Freshman	Edward Waters	Denton, TX

 

Second Team
Name	Position	Classification	School	Hometown
Shynique McGee	Outside Hitter	Junior	Clark Atlanta	Atlanta, GA
Raven Edwards	Outside Hitter	Junior	Fort Valley State	Merrillville, IN
Sydney Melton	Outside Hitter	Junior	Albany State	Hoover, AL
Allena Norton	Middle Hitter	Sophomore	Savannah State	Chapin, S.C.
Kaiah Green	Middle Hitter	Senior	Benedict	Albuquerque, NM
Kloe Ludy	Libero	Junior	Savannah State	Lafayette, Ga.
Jessica Fairly	Setter	Junior	Spring Hill	Ft. Walton Beach, FL

 
 
2023 SIAC Women’s Volleyball Preseason Rankings (by Division)
East Division

1. Edward Waters
2. Albany State
3. Benedict
4. Savannah State
5. Clark Atlanta
6. Allen
7. Fort Valley State

 
West Division

1. Spring Hill
2. Lane
3. Kentucky State
4. Central State
5. Miles
6. Tuskegee
7. LeMoyne-Owen

About the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.