With Head Coach: Brandon Stephenson
By Rylan Stiles
Staff Writer
Cameron Aggies Volleyball team looks to bounce back from a two- win season in 2021 with a roster that features six upperclassmen and seven new Aggies.
Brandon Stephenson was named head coach of the Cameron Aggies Volleyball program in July of 2019, on the back of a successful stint at Barton Community College, Stephenson was ready for the challenge of Division II Volleyball. In 2019, the Aggies found their most successful season to date under Stephenson as they turned in a six-win with two of them coming in conference play.
The COVID-19 Pandemic impacted coach Stephenson and the Volleyball program in a big way, he told Collegian Sports Editor Jimm Alley “That was something that no coach had ever experienced, trying to get players to come [to Lawton], then with the transfer portal coming about, those made it hard.” Stephenson went on to say it has been a grueling process to lay the foundation of his culture and what it means to be an Aggie “We work harder, there are a lot of things we have to grind out, sometimes for some athletes, they can’t handle that.”
When looking back at last season, a year in which the Aggies won just two games, Stephenson cited health “we had a lot of injuries last year, we are trying to stay healthy, get team chemistry, and get players to buy in.” A big reason the Aggies suffered through a 2-27 season was the lack of games played by senior standout Desiree Marmolejo who could only participate in 12 matches due to injury.
With a new look roster and a healthy offseason, Brandon Stephenson made the goals for the season clear saying “every year our goal is to make the conference tournament, we have players that are very quick, scrappy, there will be growing pains with young players, but they have that mindset that they understand they are not perfect but want to work hard to get there… When we get into a louder crowd we want to stay composed.”
Despite that expectation from the head ball coach, the Lone Star Conference released Pre-season rankings that had the Aggies closer to being not ranked than second to last on the list. When discussing that LSC preseason poll “A lot of those rankings are looking at past seasons, so they do not know what to expect yet. We know it will be a tough road and teams will overlook us. We know we will scare some people, and you will see much more intensity.”
So far, Stephenson has proven to be right. His Black and Gold squad is already at the five-win mark before their home opener. Cameron is just two games below .500, with wins over LeMoyne-Owen College, New Mexico Highlands, Arkansas-Monticello, Mary, and Western New Mexico.
One of the players Brandon Stephenson tabbed as a breakout star was Arianna Navarrete who leads the
team with 4.20 points per set, while also leading the squad in Kills (146), Kills per Set (3.46), and Serve Assists (19).
Arianna Navarrete and her sister Araujo helped lead the way for the Black and Gold a year ago, and have picked up right where they left off as both were tabbed as members of the Gorilla Classic All-Tournament team.
Along with the Navarrete sisters, Caitlyn Henderson was a big part of last year’s team and currently leads the Black and Gold with a team-high 49 blocks this year defensively, averaging 1.26 blocks per set which is also a team- high. Henderson, a Business Marketing Major, is a fourth-year member of the Aggies Volleyball team with clear goals for this season.
Caitlyn Henderson told Jim Alley “This year I expect to make the Lone Star Conference Tournament, win more games than last year, and be a leader on and off the court by getting my team going.”
A year ago, Henderson led the Aggies in receive percentage, was second on the team in Block sets, second on the team in Block Assists, and only trailed Jessica Lipkit for the team lead in blocks as she turned in 53 on the season.
The Aggies have already accomplished one of their goals by more than doubling their win total from a year ago, but the road ahead to make the Conference Tournament will be a tough one. A challenge Stephenson’s squad is ready for.
One of the key newcomers for Cameron is Paris Patterson, who joined the Navarrete sisters on the Gorilla Classic All-Tournament squad Patterson posted a double-double in all four matches, her best game came against Mary as she posted 17 kills and 33 digs. Throughout the entire tournament, the freshman from Amarillo, Texas compiled 59 kills, 82 digs, eight blocks, and a trio of aces.
During the Gorilla Classic hosted by the Pittsburg State Gorillas in Pittsburg, Kansas the Aggies boasted a 3-1 record.
After 12 matches on the road, the Black and Gold are finally opening up their home slate with a pair of Lone Star Conference foes. It will be vital for the program to feed off the electric Aggie gym crowd.
Coach Stephenson wants the study body to come and support the Aggies at the Aggie Gym “we are looking to get as many people here as possible in the stands, having that will not only help us as a team but the entire University.”
The Aggies play ten home games this season, four on Friday nights, four on Saturday nights, and two Tuesday night tilts.
The Cameron Aggies open up conference play at home in the Aggies Gym against UT-Tyler and Dallas Baptist University which will kick off a stretch that features five home games in a seven-game stretch.