KANSAS CITY – The National Association of Intercollege Athletics announced the qualifying teams and Opening Round matchups for the 2024 NAIA Women's Volleyball Championship on Monday afternoon. After winning the HBCUAC regular season crown, Talladega was named as a qualifier for the second consecutive season.
 
24 Opening Rounds will take place at various campuses across the country beginning on Saturday, with the Tornadoes heading to the Midwest to battle defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan. First serve is slated for 6:00 p.m. CT on Saturday evening, with live stats and video available.
 
Talladega enters the Opening Round with a 25-9 record, including a 16-2 mark against HBCUAC opponents. The Tornadoes will look to avenge the Opening Round loss from a year ago, when the Wildcats came away with a four-set victory en route to an umblemished 38-0 campaign.
 
Of Talladega's 25 wins this season, 17 have been sweeps and only one has gone to five sets. Fresh off an appearance in the HBCUAC Championship, Talladega will be led by First Team All-Conference selections Briyith Echeverri, Giovana Costarelli, Franchesca Rivas and Re'na Ashley.
 
Costarelli, the HBCUAC Setter of the Year, paced Talladega's league-leading offense all season, and most recently, she, along with teammate Taquoia Rounds, were named to the HBCUAC All-Tournament Team. The attacking tandem of Rivas and Ashley has combined for 545 kills this season, giving the Tornadoes one of the most lethal duos in the 48-team tournament.  
 
Echeverri took home HBCUAC Defender of the Year honors after a stellar campaign that featured 447 digs and four Defender of the Week awards. The senior has recorded double-digit digs on 25 occasions this fall, and the Tornadoes are 17-8 in those games.
 
To view the full release from the NAIA office, please click here.