Women's Volleyball | 11/28/2023 4:45:00 PM
GREENSBORO – Fresh off a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Volleyball Rookie of the Year showing from Kaili Doctor that also included three CAA rookie of the week honors from Doctor and another from freshman middle blocker Samaya Wesson, the North Carolina A&T volleyball program continued to build toward the future on Tuesday with the announcement of two players to its latest recruiting class.
Head coach Hal Clifton announced the signing of Lilia Bannister (6-foot-4, right side, Middletown, Pa., Middletown Area High School, Spooky Nook Volleyball Club) and Tyne Ross (5-10, outside hitter, Cameron, N.C., Union Pines High School, NC Volleyball Academy) to become a part of the A&T Aggies family.
Bannister will come to Aggieland after leading the Middletown Blue Raiders to the Class 3A Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Athletic Association (PIAA) District III championship with a five-set win over Spring Grove. The Blue Raiders then advanced to the 2023 PIAA Girls Volleyball Championships, where they advanced to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Pope John Paul II.
Bannister led the Blue Raiders to a 21-3 overall mark, earning 2023 Mid-Penn – Capital Conference Player of the Year honors. She also earned first-team all-conference and first-team All-Star accolades. Bannister also considered Southern Utah and Campbell before deciding to play on the east side of Greensboro. She plans to major in exercise science/kinesiology.
"We knew, and Lily knew that Aggieland was the place for her as soon as she stepped foot on campus," said Clifton. "Lily will bring some size to our right-side position and a tremendous work ethic to the gym. She is a driven young lady and has already laid out a number of goals she wants to accomplish as an Aggie, both personally and as a team."
Ross will also arrive at A&T after winning conference player of the year. Ross won the top honor in the Class 3A/4A Sandhills Athletic Conference (SAC). She advanced the Union Pines Vikings to the East Regional quarterfinals before the Vikings' season ended at 20-7. 
In 2023, Ross earned a spot on the Five Star Junior Volleyball Association (JVA) Watch List as an NC Volleyball Academy 17 Diamond team member. Also, as a 17 Diamond member, she secured 2022 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Watch List honors. During her freshman season, she earned MaxPreps player of the match after an outstanding performance against Lee County on Nov. 23, 2020.
Ross is also an accomplished tennis player, earning SAC player of the year not only on the volleyball court but the tennis court as well. Ross is a three-time All-SAC tennis player, winning the conference singles championship three straight seasons, and was also a regional qualifier for three consecutive seasons. In 2022-23, she earned the Union Pines High School Sportsmanship Award.
Academically, she has had perfect attendance since kindergarten and is a member of the National Society of High School Scholars.
"We are very excited to announce the addition of Tyne to the Aggie volleyball program," said Clifton. "Tyne is a dynamic young lady both on and off the court. She continues to improve her volleyball skills and will add to our offense. She has a really quick arm and nice range. She brings an amazing amount of energy to the court and plays all out."
