Radford University Women's Volleyball

Following her successful time as a player for the Radford volleyball team from 2012-2016, Savanna Hammond was named the 13th head coach in Radford volleyball history in October of 2024. The 2026 Fall campaign will mark Hammond’s second full season and third overall guiding the Highlanders.   Hammond helmed the program for her first full season in 2025 and helped continue the gains the Highlanders achieved in 2024. The Highlanders earned a key victory early in the season at Virginia Tech, their first victory over a power conference foe in three years and their first sweep of a power foe in seven years. The Highlanders would go on to post five victories in Big South play, most notably picking up a win over eventual regular season champions Winthrop, to earn their second straight bid to the Big South Tournament. In the conference quarterfinals, Radford upset third-seed Charleston Southern before ultimately falling in the semifinals.   Radford picked up two all-conference nods for Olivia Ryno and Rylee Sloss while Miranda Howard was tabbed to the All-Tournament squad. Howard, Aubrey Hatch, Sierra Moore and Lea Gage were all also tabbed to CSC Academic All-District team awards for their incredible achievements on and off the court. Ryno earned a Big South Freshman of the Week nod, Radford’s first in six seasons. As a team, Radford ranked among the top-half of Division I for aces while Howard ranked top-100 among all Division I players for digs (462) and digs per set (4.24).   Taking over the head coaching duties of the program in final weeks of the 2024 season, Hammond helped guide Radford to a pair of key victories down the stretch that clinched the team’s first Big South postseason berth since 2018. Competing as the #4 seed, Radford swept UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals for their first Big South tournament victory since 2018 before ultimately falling in the semifinals. At the season’s end, Highlanders Aubrey Hatch and Sophie Paspal earned all-conference recognition while Sydney Mundkowsky was named to the All-Tournament squad. Radford also earned the AVCA Team Academic award for outstanding classroom performance.   Hammond joined the Highlanders after spending four seasons with Division II Bluefield State where the Big Blue earned a 53-57 record including Bluefield State's first-ever national championship title in 2022 at the USCAA National Tournament. In 2023, Bluefield State joined the CIAA where Hammond guided the Big Blue to a CIAA tournament berth in their first season competing at the Division II level.   Hammond turned women's volleyball at Bluefield State into a sought-after program during her tenure. When Hammond took over as head coach, Bluefield State had not won a set or a match in over three years. In year one and in just her second match as head coach, the Big Blue swept St. Augustine's 3-0 to set a new tone and would go on to earn 12 wins towards a USCAA Championship runner-up finish. In 2023, Bluefield State faced a tougher schedule now at the Division II level and managed 16 wins.   Prior to her time at Bluefield State, Hammond was a student-athlete with the Radford volleyball program. In 2012, Hammond was a walk-on to the team and worked her way towards a full-ride scholarship for the final three years of her career earning the Big South's all-academic award in her 2015 senior campaign.   In 2013, she was a member of the Big South Regular Season and Tournament Championship team competing in 39 sets primarily in conference play. In 2014 as a junior, she saw action in all 32 matches as a part of the Big South Regular Season Championship squad. In the 2014 tournament semifinals and championship, Hammond earned double-digit kills in both matches. Hammond would finish her career in 2015 with 753 digs and 1,152 attack attempts which both ranked top 10 in program history at the time.   BY THE NUMBERS Big South All-Conference Members: 2 Big South All-Tournament Players: 2 Big South All-Academic Members: 2 AVCA Team Academic Awards: 1 CSC Academic All-District Awards: 4 Big South Players of the Week: 1 Year Overall Big South Postseason Notes 2024 3-7 2-6 Big South Semifinals 2025 10-20 5-9 Big South Semifinals Overall 13-27 7-16  

Nicole Kessner Taylor is an accomplished volleyball coach and former collegiate standout, currently serving as an Assistant Volleyball Coach at Radford University. She brings a wealth of experience from various levels of the sport, including high school, club, and collegiate coaching, as well as a distinguished playing career. Before joining Radford, Kessner Taylor made significant contributions to volleyball in the New River Valley. She served as the head coach at Blacksburg High School for 9 years, leading the team to impressive records, including a 25-5 overall record in the 2019-20 season and a 24-1 record in the 2020-21 season. The program had multiple regional championships and state quarterfinal runs. Her leadership helped elevate the program's competitiveness within the region. She also was an assistant coach at Bluefield State University for 3 years, where she contributed to the growth and competitiveness of the women's volleyball program. In addition to her high school coaching, Kessner Taylor is the Club Director of River Valley Juniors Volleyball, a nonprofit organization based in Radford, Virginia. Under her guidance, the club has provided young athletes in the New River Valley with opportunities to develop their skills and compete at higher levels. Nicole has assisted more than 30 athletes of the NRV to play at the next level.  Kessner Taylor's volleyball journey began as a standout setter at Norfolk State University. During her collegiate career, she led the Spartans and ranked seventh in the MEAC with 767 assists (7.3 per set) in the 2009 season. She also contributed 186 digs, 130 kills, 21 aces, and 20 blocks that season. Her exceptional performance earned her a second-team All-MEAC selection, making her NSU's first All-MEAC volleyball player under head coach Jennifer Fry. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to Norfolk State athletics, Kessner Taylor was honored as the university's Female Athlete of the Year in 2009. Nicole holds multiple records at Norfolk State currently, and also served as SAAC president for 4 years.  Kessner Taylor is known for her dynamic coaching style and her ability to foster both skill development and personal growth among her players. Her dedication to the sport and her athletes continues to make a positive impact on the Radford University volleyball program.

Radford University Volleyball, Assistant Coach.