Women's Volleyball | 8/18/2026 10:23:00 AM

The Cloud County Community College volleyball team will host its annual Black v. Gold Scrimmage at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, August 19 at Arley Bryant Gymnasium in Concordia, Kansas. Admission is free and the match is open to the public. Fans can also stream the scrimmage on the T-Bird Sports Network at cloudtbirds.com.

Prior to the scrimmage, the Cloud County Athletics Department will partner with Farm Country Ford on their Drive 4 UR Community event from 3 pm to 6 pm in front of entrance two on the college's campus. For every person who takes the wheel and test-drives a new Ford vehicle, Ford Motor Company will donate $30 to the Cloud County Athletics Department, up to a maximum of $6,000.

Cloud County volleyball begins the season under first-year head coach Maria Aikins. A former All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC)/NJCAA Region 6 volleyball player, Aikins was a middle hitter at Cloud County from 2010-2011. Aikins arrives at Cloud County following an exceptional tenure at Allen Community College, where she compiled a 64-32 overall record in three seasons as head coach and twice led the Red Devils to the Plains District A championship game.

The T-Birds return four members of the 2025 team. Sophomore right side Kenadie Casanova is Cloud County's returning kills leader. Casanova, a native of Derby, Kansas, tallied 126 kills while also contributing 80 digs and 45 total blocks last year. Sophomore middle hitter Julieanne Sandoval, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, recorded 43 kills and 32 total blocks while starting 12 matches in 2025. Sophomore libero Brooke Lougheed accumulated 128 assists (1.42 assists per set) to finish third on the team to go with 238 digs (2.64 digs per set) and 29 service aces. Lougheed, a native of Spruce View, Alberta, Canada, posted a season-high 20 digs against Neosho County Community College, and reached double-figure digs 11 times. Sophomore defensive specialist Addyson Ogle, a native of Claflin, Kansas, was second on the team with 348 assists (4.09 assists per set) and reached double-digit digs five times, ending the year with 148 digs (1.74 digs per set).

The T-Birds take a youthful approach to the season with nine freshman, including Concordia, Kansas natives Baylen Arnold and Kynlee Hamel, who in 2024 helped lead the Concordia High School volleyball team to its first state tournament appearance in eight years. Cloud County also welcomes defensive specialist Addison Allen of Arvada, Colorado, middle hitter Bella Ikard of El Campo, Texas, and defensive specialist Kelli Rodriguez of Ellsworth, Kansas.

Cloud County will also have a new look to the squad, as it added a more international flavor to the depth charts. The T-Birds will now host five players from five different countries. Joining Lougheed on the roster this fall are setter Giulia Todesco (Ivrea, Turin, Italy) and outside hitters Dora Kuburovic (Belgrade, Serbia), Samira Bousri (Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany), and Yasmim Ramos (Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia).

Cloud County opens its 2026 season in North Platte, Nebraska at the North Platte Community College Tournament on August 21 and 22. The T-Birds will also travel to Ranger, Texas for the Wrangler Ranger Round Up August 28 and 29.

The team's home opener is Wednesday, August 26 at 6:30 pm against Bethany College JV. KJCCC play opens on September 2 against Garden City Community College.

The 2026 NJCAA Division I Plains District Volleyball Championships will be held November 4-8. The opening round will be hosted by the highest seed on November 4, while the semifinals and finals will be hosted at the Student Activity Center in Dodge City, Kansas November 7 and 8.

For all the latest information on Cloud County volleyball, please visit coudtbirds.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cloud County Athletics on Facebook and Instagram and CCCCSports on X.