SUNO’s Armoni Harris Named HBCUAC Defender of the Year; Three Knights Earn All-Conference Honors

Harris, Taszia Adkinson and Sa’Maria Berry lead a growing SUNO program into the conference championship.

BOSSIER CITY, La. — Southern University at New Orleans volleyball heads into the postseason with three all-conference selections, led by senior libero Armoni Harris, the 2026 HBCUAC Defender of the Year.

Harris also earned First Team All-HBCUAC recognition for the second consecutive season. Junior Taszia Adkinson and sophomore Sa’Maria Berry were named to the second team, giving the Knights three honorees ahead of their conference tournament opener.

The awards were announced Wednesday night during a joint reception and awards ceremony for men’s soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball in Shreveport-Bossier City.

Each player reached a new milestone this season. Harris added the conference’s top defensive award to her repeat first-team selection. Berry advanced from honorable mention to the second team, while Adkinson earned her first all-conference recognition.

Harris Sets the Standard on Defense

Harris finished the regular season leading the HBCUAC with 4.91 digs per set, appearing in all 24 matches and all 90 sets for SUNO.

She recorded team highs of 442 digs and 528 receptions, along with 97 assists and 15 service aces. Her digs, assists and aces marked career bests. She also received HBCUAC Defender of the Week honors in October after collecting 56 digs across three matches.

Her senior season builds on three years of steady production. Since joining the Knights as a sophomore in 2024, Harris has totaled 1,164 digs and 1,612 receptions in 69 matches and 241 sets, averaging 4.83 digs per set.

Her dig total increased each season, rising from 352 to 370 and then 442. She also surpassed 500 receptions in each of those three seasons.

“Armoni has been the heartbeat of our defense since the day she walked into this program,” SUNO head coach Zipporah Washington said. “She was already a first-team player last year, and she still came back and found ways to get better.”

Adkinson Delivers in Multiple Roles

Adkinson’s ability to contribute as both a setter and an attacker helped power the Knights throughout the regular season.

She led SUNO with 234 kills and 34 service aces, ranking sixth in the conference with 2.75 kills per set. She also contributed 322 assists, averaging 3.79 per set, alongside 239 digs and 29 blocks.

“What Taszia has done this year is rare,” Washington said. “She’s setting for us and she’s attacking for us, sometimes in the same rotation, and she’s leading our team in kills while doing it.”

Her first all-conference selection recognizes the range of responsibilities she has handled for a SUNO team entering the tournament with momentum.

Berry Makes Her Presence Felt at the Net

Berry earned second-team recognition after strengthening the Knights’ front row during her sophomore season.

The middle blocker finished the regular season second on the team with 156 kills and led SUNO with a .232 hitting percentage and 70 total blocks.

Her move from honorable mention last season to the second team reflects her growing impact at the net.

“Sa’Maria took a big step from last season,” Washington said. “She went from honorable mention to second team because she put in the work at the net, and now teams have to game plan for her.”

SUNO’s Rebuild Produces Results

The postseason honors mark another step forward for a program that returned to competition in 2023.

SUNO finished 0-16 in its first season back. Three years later, the Knights enter the HBCUAC Championship at 15-9 overall and 8-4 in conference play, carrying a four-match winning streak.

“These honors are proof that this program is growing,” SUNO Director of Athletics James A. Matthews, III said. “Every one of these young women was recognized at a higher level this year than last year, and that doesn’t happen by accident.”

Matthews credited Washington and her staff for developing the players and helping the program progress from its rebuilding stage to conference recognition.

Knights Open Championship Play Against Talladega

SUNO enters the 2026 HBCUAC Volleyball Championship as the West Division’s No. 3 seed and will face East Division No. 2 seed Talladega College in the quarterfinals.

The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, November 6, at Bossier Parish Community College’s Billy Montgomery Gymnasium in Bossier City, Louisiana.

The winner advances to Saturday’s semifinal against the winner of the quarterfinal between West No. 1 Dillard University and East No. 4 Stillman College.

The championship match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday, November 8. Fans can watch tournament coverage through the Urban Edge Network online or on its free app.

Source: SUNO Athletics.