- Posted in All University
- Category: AthleticsCampus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. -The Lincoln University volleyball program is under new management. With Lincoln alum Charity Hart at the helm, the Lions are expecting to push for a spot in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament.
While this will technically be Hart’s first season, Lincoln was able to get an opportunity to play some in the spring.
“It was nice to just be able to get back in the gym for both myself and the girls,” said Hart. “Being able to put faces to names and evaluate for recruiting purposes was a big help for me coming into my first year with this team. It was also nice to be able to begin to shape the culture and communicate my expectations with some of the new and returning players.”
Lincoln returns three players – sophomore Jasmin Lewis (Baltimore, Md./Western), Sage Polee (Pikeville, Md./Milford Mill Academy), and junior Sequoia Rantin (Baltimore, Md./Eastern Tech) that was on the roster the last time volleyball played in a regular-season match.
Two other players – junior Janae Stackhouse (Baltimore, Md./Poly Tech) and junior Tatyana Charles (Easton, Pa./Easton Area) – return to the team after sitting out the 2019 season.
Twin freshmen Erica Taylor (Romulus, Mich./Summit Academy) and Erinn Taylor (Romulus, Mich./Summit Academy) got the opportunity to get a taste of collegiate volleyball during the 2021 spring season and will be looked upon to provide scoring and defense at the net.
They highlight a class of newcomers which includes true freshmen Jaida Lumpkin (Middletown, Del./Middletown), Haley Loper (Middletown, Del./St. Georges Technical), and Mariah Webster (Detroit, Mich.) that will be tasked with leading the Lions into a new era.
Lumpkin is slated to compete with Charles for the setter position, while Webster is primed to compete with Polee as the team’s libero. Lewis will also find herself aiding the team's efforts in the back row. Loper will find plenty of scoring opportunities as an outside hitter.
“I anticipate all of our incoming freshmen being able to come in and make an immediate impact on the court for us,” said Hart.
With the Taylor twins, Loper, Stackhouse, Rantin and junior Kaiya Lewis (Woodhaven, N.Y./Queens Prep Academy) Lincoln won’t lack offensive weapons.
“A big strength for us this year will be the number of offensive options we will have available to set,” said Hart. “It seemed in the past, this had been an issue for this team so I wanted to do what I could to ensure that would not be a problem for us.”
Lincoln opens the season 7 p.m. September 8 against Georgian Court.
