SMCC Women's Volleyball Releases 2024 Schedule
2024 SMCC Women's Volleyball Schedule
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College women's volleyball team and head coach Melissa Joseph released the Cougars' 2024 schedule, highlighted by 14 home matches and a trip to Illinois to compete in the Opening Week Tournament. Joseph returns six letterwinners from the 2023 squad, including Second Team All-ACCAC and All-Region I Division II middle blocker Rylea Simonich.
SMCC opens the 2024 season on the road, traveling to Illinois to compete in a prestigious preseason tournament. On Thursday, Aug. 23, the Cougars officially open the season with a non-conference match at Rock Valley College (IL) at 5 p.m. The next day, SMCC begins competition at the Opening Week Tournament from Aug. 22-24 in Rockford, Ill. The Cougars start the competition with contests against Grand Rapids CC, Gulf Coast State College, and Parkland College on Friday, Aug. 23. The team wraps up the weekend with matches against Heartland CC and Kirkwood CC on Saturday, Aug. 24.
The Cougars return to Arizona to open their 2024 ACCAC campaign with a home contest against Mesa CC on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. The following day, SMCC faces Williston State College (10 a.m.) and Highland CC (2 p.m.) in home matches.
September brings a host of ACCAC contests with the Cougars traveling to Scottsdale CC (Sept. 4), Glendale CC (Sept. 11), Chandler-Gilbert CC (Sept. 13), Mesa CC (Sept. 19), and Phoenix College (Sept. 25). SMCC will host Pima CC (Sept. 6), Phoenix College (Sept. 17), and Scottsdale CC (Sept. 27) during the month in league action and will also travel to Central Arizona on Sept. 24.
October presents another series of conference challenges for the Cougars as they battle for a berth in the Region I Division II Tournament. SMCC hosts GCC (Oct. 4), CGCC (Oct. 9), MCC (Oct. 16), Phoenix College (Oct. 18), and Pima CC (Oct. 25 -- Sophomore Day), while traveling to Pima CC (Oct. 2), SCC (Oct. 23), GCC (Oct. 30), and CGCC (Nov. 1).
Simonich earned all-conference and all-region honors after she led all conference players with 66 solo blocks and added 212 kills (.331 hitting percentage in 532 attacks), 22 service aces, and 71 digs. She recorded a season-high 10 solo blocks in a home victory over Ottawa (AZ) on Sept. 26 and had nine other matches with at least three solo blocks.
Also returning is sophomore libero Mikelle McAfee. As a freshman, McAfee led SMCC with 490 digs and 41 service aces and added 16 assists. She finished second in ACCAC in the regular season in digs and tied for fourth in service aces. Sophomores Ayanna Rae LeBlanc (73 kills, 40 blocks), Hope Williamson (103 kills, 170 digs, 98 assists), Helen Altagaracia (75 digs, 10 service aces), and Lesjune Florance-Littles (38 kills, 34 digs) also return to the squad.