Charlotte, NC (November 11, 2025) – The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) announces its Week Ten Volleyball Players of the Week, recognizing four student-athletes who closed out the 2025 regular season with standout performances ahead of the upcoming CIAA Volleyball Championship.
This week’s honors feature representatives from Fayetteville State, Winston-Salem State, and Bowie State, each capping the regular season with impressive individual efforts and program milestones.
WEEK TEN CIAA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Offensive Player of the Week
Symone Morris, Fayetteville State
Morris delivered back-to-back dominant performances to lead Fayetteville State to a 2–0 week in CIAA play. Against Johnson C. Smith, she was nearly unstoppable, tallying seven kills on 11 swings with a blistering .636 hitting percentage. She followed with a career-best outing against Shaw, hammering 20 kills. Across the two matches, Morris totaled 27 kills, 14 digs, three service aces, and 30.0 total points as the Broncos enter the postseason on a high note.
Match Results:
at Johnson C. Smith – W 3-0 (Nov. 3, 2025)
vs Shaw – W 3-1 (Nov. 6, 2025)
Setter of the Week
Mekenna Scott, Bowie State
Scott surpassed the 1,000 career assists milestone and continued her steady play, averaging 6.0 assists per set over two matches. She tallied 24 total assists and nine digs while guiding Bowie State’s offense to a .195 team hitting percentage to close the regular season.
Match Results:
at Bluefield State – L 3-0 (Nov. 3, 2025)
vs Lincoln (PA) – W 3-0 (Nov. 6, 2025)
Defensive Player of the Week
Kalyn Cuthbertson, Winston-Salem State
Cuthbertson anchored the Rams’ defense with a combined 30 digs over two matches. Her best performance came against Claflin, where she tallied one kill, five assists, and 13 digs in a 3–0 victory. Earlier in the week, she recorded 17 digs in a sweep over Livingstone, helping WSSU finish the regular season on a perfect 2–0 run.
Match Results:
at Livingstone – W 3-0 (Nov. 3, 2025)
at Claflin – W 3-0 (Nov. 6, 2025)
Rookie of the Week
Celina Johnson, Winston-Salem State
Freshman setter Celina Johnson capped her debut regular season with another well-rounded performance for the Rams. Johnson finished the week with six kills, 24 assists, one ace, and 12 digs. Her best outing came against Livingstone with 13 assists and nine digs in a 3–0 sweep, followed by 11 assists and one ace in another 3–0 victory over Claflin.
Match Results:
at Livingstone – W 3-0 (Nov. 3, 2025)
at Claflin – W 3-0 (Nov. 6, 2025)
Postseason on the Horizon
The 2025 CIAA Volleyball Championship is set for November 20–23, hosted by Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. The top eight teams in the conference will advance to the championship field, competing for the CIAA title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championship.
All matches will be played inside A.C. Jordan Arena on the campus of Bowie State University, located at 14000 Jericho Park Road, Bowie, MD 20715. Admission to the championship is free, and fans are encouraged to attend and support CIAA volleyball throughout the weekend.
Media Contact:
Anna M. Butzlaff
ssociate Commissioner, Strategic Communications
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)
abutzlaff@theciaa.com
About the CIAA
Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association is the first and longest running African American athletic conference in the United States and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, for both 2018 and 2019.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member institutions: Bowie State University, Bluefield State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston Salem State University.
For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.