Charlotte 49ers Volleyball Looking to be Competitive Under New Coach

Photo Courtesy of Charlotte Athletics

Charlotte 49ers volleyball looks to turn the page into a new chapter under new Head Coach Benavia Jenkins, who brings her winning experiences to hopefully build a championship-caliber program here in the Queen City.

"I want competitors, because I'm a competitive coach," said Jenkins. "I want players who are good people in life who care about others more than they care about themselves. So very selfless student athletes. I want someone who understands that this is bigger than them. They wanna win, they want championships. I want them to have that mentality going into this."

Foundational Goals

Jenkins takes over a program that went 5-24 last year and is looking to turn it back in the right direction. Year one's roster features seven freshmen and three sophomores, so a lot of youth on the team, which, if developed properly, could establish a bright future for the program.

Step one in the rebuilding process is to see growth.

"Watching these girls grow, and they've had such a tough spring, and this preseason has been tough for them as well, so growth is huge," said Jenkins. "I wanna be able to see the growth, their knowledge of the game, the love of the game to come back to them."

Just because the team has a lot of youth and is focused on growing does not mean they plan on not competing this year, as the other seven roster spots feature four seniors and three graduate students looking to leave their mark in Charlotte history.

"Success for me is always probably to win, and to be in that conference tournament will be huge," said Jenkins. "I think for the team speaking with them and we're going over goals for the season, that's big for them as well. They want that to be something that we're always in, and so the conference tournament, eventually winning a conference championship, will be great as well."

Coaching Staff Strong Bonds

Coach Jenkins built a staff she knows well and trusts to be the right people to help lay the foundation the right way in her first year in charge of the program.

"My two associate head coaches, Gio [Delevry] and Jenna [Orner], they are both my son's godparents, so we've been friends for many years," said Jenkins. "I think we'll be a great team. I love how hard they both work. I worked with Gio before at ETSU, and we won a championship there, and I'm like, let's run it back. With Jenna, how hard she works as a recruiting coordinator, I know that she can help get some good players here."

Delevry was an assistant coach with the Niners before in the 2023-24 season and brings some familiarity with the program and the city. Another member of the coaching staff is Cole Rouse, the Director of Volleyball Operations, who worked with the program during his time as a student until his graduation in 2024.

"Cole, he was here with the previous staff and got a chance to interview him and get to know him a little bit better, and I think he brings that fun personality that we need on this program," said Jenkins. "I have a lot of personality as well, but just also having that fresh face. He's young, he's excited. He wants to grow and learn, so those are the type of people you want to keep here."

Players to Watch for

The 49ers have assembled a talented group and are hoping to blend youth with seasoned veterans to achieve the competitive status Jenkins is seeking for her squad.

One of the new faces that has shone as the season gears up has been senior transfer Jaylen Jordan, who comes to Charlotte from Long Beach State. Last season she played in 29 sets and posted 49 kills, 14 digs and 11 blocks.

"I am very impressed with Jaylen Jordan," said Jenkins. "She's competitive. She comes from a volleyball family, and Olympians and all that good stuff. So she gets it. I think she'll be fun to watch."

The 49ers' lone Preseason All-Conference Team member is Graduate Student Kristen Birmingham, who led the team last year with 49 kills and 270 digs. She plans to build off that in her last year of collegiate volleyball.

"I've been working really hard," said Birmingham. "I transferred here my senior year from Oklahoma, so I've been putting in a lot of work over the past year to get to this point. So I'm really happy about the recognition, but then also trying to work hard throughout the season to keep that going."

Another returner who has been an impact player for Charlotte for years is graduate student Jessica Ricks. Last year with the 49ers, Ricks posted 264 kills, 160 digs and 44 blocks and has made a strong impression on her new coach.

"Jessica Ricks, she is gonna be fun to watch," said Jenkins. "Hopefully we can keep her in a six rotation as an opposite because when I tell you she has a fast and heavy arm and is just such a competitor."

Return of a Familiar Face 

Charlotte's roster had a familiar face in Annika Thompson, who transferred back to the Niners after spending a year playing beach volleyball at UNCW. While she was a Seahawk, she was integral in the team's Sun Belt Championship appearance, where they ultimately lost to Georgia State. 

She is back in the Green & White and transitioning back to traditional volleyball with Charlotte, but switching from a setter to a libero, making the most of the skills beach volleyball implements.

"It's been, I think, a big help to have played a year of Beach, especially coming back now I'm training as a libero instead of a setter, so that year of beach just playing a lot more defense, a lot of servicing has made the transition possible to be a libero here," said Thompson.

During her first tenure with the 49ers from 2020 to 2023, she reached 1,108 career assists and 561 digs in 318 sets played. As a part of the team's leadership committee, she looks to be an integral part of the team both on the court and off the court.

'I already missed playing, so being able to come back here and then play with Jess [Ricks] and Lauren [Nixon] again, then be under Coach Benavia has been really great, and those are three main factors of why I wanted to come back," said Thompson.

International Experience 

Charlotte has a few players on the roster with international experience in their play, including freshman Jovana Antic and Elena Kovacevic, both from Serbia, who have played overseas at a high level and could make a substantial impact early in their young careers.​​

"Jovana Antic has been impressive during workouts thus far," said Jenkins. "Her work ethic is outstanding in the middle, and we will have to find her the ball more this season."

Senior Selanny Puente had the opportunity to play with the Dominican Republic team in the Volleyball Nations League this summer, gaining valuable international experience to add to her successful first year with the Niners, where she recorded 88 blocks in 27 games. 

Sister Duo

The 49ers roster also features a pair of sisters with senior Lauren Nixon and freshman Lily Howell getting to share the court for the first time since their high school days at Burris School in Middletown, Indiana.

"It's really amazing," said Howell. "We haven't been able to play with each other since high school. It's just like a whole new experience at a super high level. So I'm very excited."

Howell's older sister is excited to have her younger sister around the program, even if their height difference has people calling her the younger sister. 

"I'm so excited," said Nixon. "Going into it over the summer, I was just talking to her about all the things we do outside of just practice or outside of the weight room. We do make memories in practice and in the weight room, but a lot of the funnier memories and things that will last forever."

Beginning the Year

Charlotte volleyball begins the season in Rock Hill, SC, where they will take on William & Mary at 2 pm on Friday, Aug. 29.

The Niners' first home match is scheduled for Sunday, August 31, when they host the Davidson Wildcats on the new volleyball court at Halton Arena.