Vanderbilt’s newest sport has finally arrived. Volleyball, which will be Vanderbilt’s 17th varsity team, has represented a huge gap in the Athletics Department’s repertoire since it was dissolved after only one season in 1980. First announced back in April of 2022, the team held its first practice Tuesday, marking the return of volleyball to West End.
Vanderbilt was the only SEC member without a volleyball program and one of only two Power Four schools without a varsity squad. Inspired by the late David Williams, current athletic director Candice Storey Lee worked diligently to form an SEC-caliber volleyball team at Vanderbilt.
Lee announced the hiring of head coach Anders Nelson in December of 2022, and the rest of the team has gradually materialized around him since. Through transfer additions and first-year recruits, Nelson rounded up a squad of 10 players, all of whom were present for Tuesday’s practice. Middle hitter Maddy Bowser was the only student-athlete not to participate, spending practice in a boot. New NCAA rules allow for a roster of 18 players, so Nelson and Co. will have some recruiting to do before the Commodores play their first game next fall. The 10 currently on Vanderbilt’s roster — six first-years and four transfers, will redshirt a year in 2024 to preserve their eligibility.
The morning started with light peppering and stretching. The liberos, sporting gold, could be seen showing off their passing abilities on the second court. The rest of the team, dressed in black, stretched and practiced hitting against a wall.
The team then broke off to separate courts for position-specific drills. Loyola Marymount transfer Jacquelyn Moore stood out during a middle-hitting drill, displaying excellent lateral movement while operating as a stalwart above the net. Beyond an excellent intuition on the defensive side of the ball, Moore showed great chemistry with first-year setter Taryn DeWese. The duo showed off a game-ready slide attack multiple times during the drill. Vanderbilt’s other setter is fellow Loyola transfer Isabella Bareford. Moore spoke after practice on the role that Bareford played in her recruitment.
“[Bareford] had encouraged me to look into Vanderbilt,” Moore said. “Her coming is a piece of why I came, but the majority is that I love this school, and the campus feels like a home.”
Eventually, the team gathered together on one court, gelling all units. Defensive coordinator Russell Corbelli worked with the liberos setting out of system. Corbelli has over a decade of coaching experience under his belt, including back-to-back NCAA championships as a volunteer assistant coach at Stanford. In Palo Alto, Calif., Corbelli led scouting of opponent attacking, serving and passing — making him a great mentor for this budding Vanderbilt defense.
While Corbelli worked with the liberos, the rest of the team moved through hitting lines. Opposite hitter Sydney Conley had some emphatic slams from the right side, and Reese Animashaun showed off a fluid swing on both sides of the court. Animashaun has flashed promise, but she is the only outside on the roster as a first-year. Nelson may benefit from adding another veteran or two at the position prior to the 2025-26 season.
Later in practice, assistant coach Azhani Tealer participated in the hitting lines alongside her players. Tealer was a national champion and All-American as a middle hitter at Kentucky when Nelson was the associate head coach there. During the practice, Nelson used Tealer’s hitting approach as an example for the rest of the team. Tealer’s success as a player, along with her volleyball IQ, made her a main target for Nelson when he was building his coaching staff.
“Hiring Azhani was something I wanted to do the second I took the job,” Nelson said. “The thing that [Azhani] and I have talked about a lot is that she almost has to be my thermostat — she knows me better than anyone else in the program.”
Despite how impressive Nelson’s troupe was in its first practice, it still had some struggles. Many of the hitters had issues swinging from the back row, whether they were sending the ball into the net or far out of bounds. Additionally, the setters and right-side hitters had trouble establishing consistent connections.
The practice finished with a six-on-six scrimmage, with Tealer, Corbelli and Aakash Venumuddala (undergraduate assistant) filling out the remaining three spots. Middle hitter Rachel Ogunleye ran multiple successful slides with Bareford, establishing herself as a solid complement to Moore.
After the practice, libero Hailee Mack spoke on one of Nelson’s goals for the team: building relationships.
“We have a really good group of girls that click naturally, which is really important in volleyball,” Mack said. “Volleyball is one of the biggest team sports.”
Mack and the rest of Vanderbilt Volleyball will have another year to prepare for 2025 SEC competition. Until then, they will keep practicing and building their off-court chemistry in their new home on West End.
