Hill College volleyball program gears up for challenging 2025 season
Hill College’s volleyball program, donning lots of new faces, is gearing up for an exciting new season of action in one of the most competitive regions in the nation.
Head Volleyball Coach Haley Buard has spent countless hours and days on the recruiting trail this past offseason bringing in what she hopes to be a winning formula for the Rebels this season.
“I’m super excited to officially get started with this new team,” Buard said. “We’ve brought in quite a few incoming transfers who each bring valuable pieces to our squad, both on and off the court, and they fit in really well with our returning players. I’m especially thrilled to have a full roster of 16 this season – it gives us depth, versatility and the ability to truly compete at the highest level in Region 5. The energy, talent, and commitment I’ve seen so far makes me confident this group can do something special.”
Region 5 also just got a little stronger this year – as well as the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference. Besides Weatherford College consistently hovering in the National Top 25 rankings, both McLennan Community College and Collin College will be joining the NTJCAC this season after organizing volleyball programs for the first time.
“MCC is definitely going to be a team to watch this season, and I’m looking forward to competing against a new rival right in our own backyard,” Buard said. “With two very talented coaches leading that program, I know they’ll be well-prepared and competitive from the start. When we face off this season, it’s going to be an exciting matchup – not just for our teams, but for fans in the area as well.”
Buard also said although she’s excited for the welcomed additions to the conference, she’s eager for Hill College to make its own mark and prove it can compete with the best in the country.
“For the 2025 season, our goal is clear – we want to earn our place in the Region 5 Tournament and keep pushing forward from there,” she said. “I believe this team has the heart, work ethic, and talent to make it happen.
“But just as important to me is what happens off the court,” she added, “I want every one of our players to graduate with a GPA they’re proud of and to take that next step toward their dream schools – whether that means playing volleyball at the next level or chasing academic goals. Helping my players grow into strong, confident young women is something I take to heart, and I’m committed to giving them every opportunity to succeed in every area of life.”
This year’s Hill College roster is made up of 11 freshmen and five sophomores.
“When it comes to our incoming freshmen, we have such a talented group overall,” Buard said, “but a couple of standouts would be Addison Ridge and Brooklyn Wilhoite. Both are six-rotation outsides with a strong court presence, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to impact every aspect of the game. I’m also eager to see what our setters, Britney Hoover and Melanie Gasca, can do this year – as they’ve already shown great potential to run our offense at a high level.”
Buard is equally proud of the talent she has boasted at the sophomore level.
”Some essential players I’m especially excited about – and that our supporters should keep an eye on – are Nikola and Oliwia Jaroszewicz from Warsaw, Poland,” Buard added. “These returning sophomore twin sisters are a pivotal part of our program bringing experience, skill, and great chemistry to the court. I’m also thrilled to have Kayli Vickery, a sophomore middle blocker from Lindale, transferring in from Odessa College – she’s going to be a big presence at the net for us.”
Although Hill College officially begins its 2025 volleyball season Aug. 21 hosting Lee College (4 p.m. in the Bob Bullock Sports Center), the Rebels also have a rigorous non-conference schedule which consists of tournaments that include some of the best teams in the country.
“With our 2025 schedule, we have some great opportunities to test ourselves early,” Buard said. “We’ll open with the New Mexico Tournament Aug. 22-23, which will give us the chance to compete against strong junior colleges outside of our region and help prepare us for conference play. It’s a challenging schedule, but one that I believe will make us sharper and ready for postseason play.”
Besides the arduous schedule, Hill College will also be hosting some key home matches within the next several weeks including Navarro College (Aug. 26), Weatherford College (Sept. 13) and MCC (Sept. 27) in the Bob Bullock Sports Center.
“These are going to be some of our most exciting home matchups of the season,” Buard added. “Facing Navarro College will be a great early test against a well-respected program. Weatherford College is always a big game, especially with the level of talent they bring year after year. And then MCC should bring a brand-new rivalry right in our backyard that’s sure to bring some energy to the gym. I’m also looking forward to our matchup with North Central Texas College, especially after we split one-and-one with them last year.”
Despite the level of competition, the Rebels will be facing this season, Buard is optimistic about the team she has put together – and she is ready to showcase her student-athletes so others can see what Hill College will be bringing to the table this season.
“With the talent and depth, we’ve built, I believe we can put together a strong winning record and position ourselves to earn a spot in the Region 5 Tournament,” she added. “That would be a huge step forward for our program and something I know this group can achieve. I’m genuinely excited and eager to compete with this team...and I believe in them 100 percent. It’s a new team, a new era, and with me entering my first full season at the helm, I’m ready to see just how far we can go.”
2025 Hill College Volleyball Roster
2 Kayli Vickery, sophomore, MB
3 Zuzanna Gizicka, freshman, OH/OPP
4 Brooklyn Wilhoite, freshman, OH/DS
6 Callie Schmidt, freshman, DS/L
7 Addison Ridge, freshman, OH/DS
8 Kemani Washington, freshman, MB
9 Kyari Denson, freshman, OPP
11 Zamariya Lyons, sophomore, MB
12 Lizeth Cordoba, freshman, DS/L
13 Nikola Jaroszewicz, sophomore, OH/OPP
14 Melanie Gasca, freshman, S
15 Naima LaBlanc, sophomore, OH/DS
16 Marija Visnjic, freshman, OH/OPP
18 Zoe Zieser, freshman, OH/OPP
23 Britney Hoover, freshman, S
32 Oliwia Jaroszewicz, sophomore, OH/DS
Head Coach: Haley Buard
For more information on the Hill College volleyball program, please visit https://hillcollegeathletics.com.