Marshall University Athletics
Volleyball
Jones, Bijonae
Bijonae Jones
- Title:
- Assistant Coach, 2nd Season
- Email:
- jonesbi@marshall.edu
- Phone:
- 4658
Marshall volleyball head coach Ari Aganus announced the addition of Bijonae Jones to the Herd Family as an assistant coach on Friday, May 21, 2021.
During Jones' first season with the Herd, Marshall saw several players reach career milestones. Ciara DeBell joined the 1,000 Kills/1,000 Digs Club in her career and ended the year named First Team All-Conference USA for the third-straight season. Sydney Lostumo tallied her 2,000th career assist, Sarah Schank recorded her 1,000th career dig and Destiny Leon became the first player in team history to tally at least 1.00 block per set in a season three times.
Jones was a star player for the Wofford Terriers, where she was recruited to play by coach Aganus, and spent the last year as a graduate assistant at Lamar University.
“I am so excited for Bijonae to officially be part of Marshall volleyball,” coach Aganus said. “When I first began coaching, I recruited Bijonae to the university where I was, and she was my first ever commitment. It has all come full circle. She’s a driven, hardworking, loyal mentor and advocate for our student-athletes. I know she’s going to do great things and make a huge impact in our program and community.”
Jones was an outside hitter for the Terriers and finished her four-year career with 558 kills, 782 digs, 71 total blocks, 71 service aces and 58 assists. Along with her success on the court, Jones was an ace in the classroom as well as a four-time member of the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and was named to the SoCon Fall All-Academic Team as a senior in 2018.
“I am so honored to be joining the Herd volleyball program,” Jones said. “There are no words to describe my excitement to begin my journey at Marshall. I wholeheartedly believe in what Ari has created for young women to be able to succeed not only on the court but off the court as well. Marshall comes with a lot of rich history and the program has the morals and values that are completely in line with my beliefs.
“Herd volleyball truly means family and I believe that is the most exciting part of the program. I am eager to get on the court with these women and work with them to continue to strive toward success.”
She appeared in 106 matches and 362 sets for the Terriers and helped lead the team to 69 wins including a 22-11 campaign in 2017. That season, Jones tallied a career-high 234 kills and 287 digs, both were good for third on the team. She recorded over 200 digs in three of her four years as well as 20-plus aces in those same seasons. Jones was a leader for Wofford as a three-time team captain. She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish in the spring of 2019.
Following her collegiate playing career, Jones moved on to LaGrange College (Ga.) as a graduate assistant for the 2019 season and helped take the Panthers to the USA South Tournament. The Irwin, Calif., native had a wealth of responsibilities at LaGrange working with the pin hitters and defense while handling recruiting, collecting data and stats and serving as the lead role for the varsity reserve program.
After her season at LaGrange, Jones made the move to Lamar University. Jordan Lay, who was the associate head coach at Wofford during Jones’ time with the Terriers, was hired as the head coach at Lamar and then brought Jones on board two months later. During her time as a graduate assistant, Jones also worked on her Master of Education in Teacher Leadership and will graduate with her degree in July.
During Jones' first season with the Herd, Marshall saw several players reach career milestones. Ciara DeBell joined the 1,000 Kills/1,000 Digs Club in her career and ended the year named First Team All-Conference USA for the third-straight season. Sydney Lostumo tallied her 2,000th career assist, Sarah Schank recorded her 1,000th career dig and Destiny Leon became the first player in team history to tally at least 1.00 block per set in a season three times.
Jones was a star player for the Wofford Terriers, where she was recruited to play by coach Aganus, and spent the last year as a graduate assistant at Lamar University.
“I am so excited for Bijonae to officially be part of Marshall volleyball,” coach Aganus said. “When I first began coaching, I recruited Bijonae to the university where I was, and she was my first ever commitment. It has all come full circle. She’s a driven, hardworking, loyal mentor and advocate for our student-athletes. I know she’s going to do great things and make a huge impact in our program and community.”
Jones was an outside hitter for the Terriers and finished her four-year career with 558 kills, 782 digs, 71 total blocks, 71 service aces and 58 assists. Along with her success on the court, Jones was an ace in the classroom as well as a four-time member of the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and was named to the SoCon Fall All-Academic Team as a senior in 2018.
“I am so honored to be joining the Herd volleyball program,” Jones said. “There are no words to describe my excitement to begin my journey at Marshall. I wholeheartedly believe in what Ari has created for young women to be able to succeed not only on the court but off the court as well. Marshall comes with a lot of rich history and the program has the morals and values that are completely in line with my beliefs.
“Herd volleyball truly means family and I believe that is the most exciting part of the program. I am eager to get on the court with these women and work with them to continue to strive toward success.”
She appeared in 106 matches and 362 sets for the Terriers and helped lead the team to 69 wins including a 22-11 campaign in 2017. That season, Jones tallied a career-high 234 kills and 287 digs, both were good for third on the team. She recorded over 200 digs in three of her four years as well as 20-plus aces in those same seasons. Jones was a leader for Wofford as a three-time team captain. She graduated with her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish in the spring of 2019.
Following her collegiate playing career, Jones moved on to LaGrange College (Ga.) as a graduate assistant for the 2019 season and helped take the Panthers to the USA South Tournament. The Irwin, Calif., native had a wealth of responsibilities at LaGrange working with the pin hitters and defense while handling recruiting, collecting data and stats and serving as the lead role for the varsity reserve program.
After her season at LaGrange, Jones made the move to Lamar University. Jordan Lay, who was the associate head coach at Wofford during Jones’ time with the Terriers, was hired as the head coach at Lamar and then brought Jones on board two months later. During her time as a graduate assistant, Jones also worked on her Master of Education in Teacher Leadership and will graduate with her degree in July.
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