by Charles Gladden
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Nov. 9, 2023
One of Belize’s talented student-athletes, Khaya Gordon, attending Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, has been recognized for her outstanding performance in the XIV Region.
Amandala has been following Gordon’s collegiate career since she gained the attention of the local media through her outstanding performances in the AFECAVOL Women’s U19 Female Volleyball Championship in July of this year at the Belize City Civic Centre.
During that tournament, she was awarded Best Scorer and Best Hitter, and now, in her first full season as a member of the Navarro College Bulldogs, Gordon has made a name for herself in a competitive NJCAA Region XIV and was named in the All-Conference Second Team.
Gordon, who has scored 227.0 points in 30 matches (3rd on her team) with 194 kills from 416 attacks (also 3rd), while playing in 84 sets, is ranked 15th in the nation with a .332 hitting percentage, which is the highest among the Bulldogs. She is also tied for the team’s lead in total blocks, with 63, 3 individually, and 60 assisted, with no block errors.
In last week Friday’s issue of Amandala, it was mentioned that Navarro College is ranked 5th in the Top 20 in the NJCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Ranking. Their 1,411 team kills are the 11th most nationally, but their 13.06 avg. per set is the third highest, while their .274% team hitting percentage is the seventh highest of all Division 1 volleyball programs. The Bulldogs are second nationally with an 18.5 average points per set.
Currently, Navarro College holds a record of 31 – 3 for the season and 15 – 1 in their conference.