COLUMBIA, S.C. – Benedict College head women's volleyball coach Gwendolyn Rouse has announced the signing of four new players for the 2025 season.
 
Benedict opens the 2025 season on Thursday, Sept. 4 against Paine College at 6 p.m. in the HRC Arena.
 
Joining the Lady Tigers are:
 
Aiyo Price, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter junior transfer from Livingstone College.

Price is from Columbia, S.C. and attended W.J. Keenan High School, where she was named Offensive MVP and Team MVP for consecutive years on the volleyball team. She also ran track, and was rookie of the year during her junior year. Price was also a member of the three-time state champion women's basketball team. While at Livingstone, she was a Presidential Scholar during her freshman year, and the Livingstone team received the American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award for our outstanding academic team performance.
 
Akili Jones, a 5-foot-10 freshman outside hitter from Belize City, Belize.
 
Jones played volleyball at Saint Catherine Academy, where she was captain or co-captain from 2022-24 and helped lead the team to three consecutive national championships, continuing a 30-year streak for Saint Catherine Academy.
 
She also played for the Belize National Team.

In 2023, she played for the Under-19 team that won a silver medal at the Central American Championship in Belize. In 2024, she was a member of the Under-24 team that won a bronze medal in the Central American Championship in Honduras. She was also a member of the Under-21 team that won Belize's first-ever gold medal in the Central American Championship in Belize. As a member of the Under-17 national team, she secured a bronze medal in the Central American Championship in Nicaragua. She also played on the Under-18 Codicader Belize national team and won a bronze in the Codicader games in El Salvador. In 2025, she won another gold medal as part of the Under-23 Belize national team in the Central American Championship in Belize.
 
She has also been recognized as the best scorer award at the U17 Championships, the best server award at the U17 championships, the second best attacker award at the U17 championships, regional MVP and best hitter in 2024, and the national MVP in 2023 & 2024
 
Mia Burgess, a 5-foot-7 right-side hitter from Dutch Fork High School in Irmo, S.C.

 
She was named best offensive player from her sophomore through her senior year at Dutch Fork, and was a three-time All-Region performer.

Dove Jackson, a 5-foot-5 defensive specialist and right-side hitter from New Orleans, La., where she played at Warren Easton Charter High School.

 Jackson is a versatile player with experience in every position. She played four years at Warren Easton High School, where she was team captain and earned All-District honors. She also played club volleyball for more than four years with NOLA Elite Volleyball.