UPDATE – Please follow the link below for the updated schedule for VGCC women’s volleyball. A home match that originally was scheduled for Oct. 18 has been moved to Oct. 4.
The Vance-Granville Community College women’s volleyball team is scheduled to play 18 matches, including seven home matches, during the 2017 season. The Vanguards compete in Region X of National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III, which includes a number of community colleges in North Carolina and Virginia.
The Vanguards will begin this year’s campaign on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at Guilford Technical Community College. VGCC’s first contest at home is set for Friday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m., when the Vanguards host Walters State Community College (Tennessee) at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson.
For more information on VGCC athletics, contact Jermiel Hargrove at hargrovej@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3246.
Vance-Granville Community College celebrated Vanguard student-athletes at its annual Athletics Banquet, held on March 31 in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus.
VGCC Coordinator of Student Activities & Athletics Jermiel Hargrove started the event by praising the students for their hard work, both on the court and in the classroom. He noted that the VGCC athletics program is growing, with the 2016 addition of the “Vanguard Spirit” cheerleading squad, while the men’s basketball and women’s volleyball teams have celebrated historic successes.
Serving as guest speaker for the event was Carlos Fields, a football standout at Northern Vance High School and Winston-Salem State University who is currently a linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers. Fields spoke about his “idol,” his mother, Sheila Kearney, who was also an outstanding student-athlete and became an educator. “She motivated me to be a great athlete, but most of all, to give back to my community,” he said. Fields plans to go into coaching and teaching once his professional playing days come to an end. To the VGCC athletes, he emphasized the importance of character, “being coachable,” and working hard “while you wait to get your opportunity to excel.”
Hargrove started the presentations of awards by recognizing VGCC women’s volleyball players. He presented the award for Most Valuable Player to Kiyanna Kearney of Henderson, the Team Captain award to Jesse Edwards of Henderson and co-Freshman of the Year awards to Stormi Abernathy of Yanceyville and Hannah Arneth of Oxford.
Other volleyball team members recognized included Nicole Bowman of Oxford, Allyson Cash of Grassy Creek, Ashley Parker of Henderson, Katelynn Ray of Henderson, Madison Waddle of Kittrell and Hanna Williams of Oxford, along with assistant coach Rachel Thomas, a former VGCC student-athlete.
VGCC staff member Tina Ragland, who coaches the cheerleading squad, presented the Most Valuable Cheerleader Award to Latessa Wilkerson of Henderson, the Most Spirited Cheerleader award to Seniqua Turner of Henderson and the Most Versatile Cheerleader award to Stackia Burwell of Henderson.
Other cheerleaders recognized included Anaya Brown of Henderson, Sequoyah Jones of Oxford, Latia Thomas of Henderson, Chiatyra Turner of Ebony, Va., and Kaela Williams of Henderson.
Vanguards men’s basketball head coach DeMarcus Oliver presented awards to members of his team. He named TyQuon Reid of Goldsboro as MVP, Christopher Pernell of Raleigh as Teammate of the Year, and NiQuan Cousins of Raleigh as Freshman of the Year. In a first for the program, the coach also presented commemorative basketballs to Reid, for scoring the 1,000th point of his VGCC career on Feb. 22 and to Pernell for scoring his 100th career three-pointer on Feb. 9. Both set new records for the Vanguards program, the coach noted.
Other basketball players recognized included Antonio Adams of Raleigh, William Beck of Raleigh, Darius Buford of Cary, Kenneth Finley, Jr., of Raleigh, Lynn Henderson of Henderson, Jaylen Jones of Warrenton, Calvin Manley of Louisburg and Thomas McCaffity of Warrenton, along with assistant coach William Clements and team manager Mycal Elam, another former VGCC student-athlete.
Hargrove also recognized four students for their service as support staff for the VGCC athletics program this year: Micah Roberts of Stem, Daniel Reece of Henderson, Alana Towles of Oxford and Angelique Taylor of Macon.
In closing remarks, Stacey Carter-Coley, VGCC’s vice president of employee and public relations, congratulated the student-athletes on the past year and thanked their family members for their support.
Current or prospective students interested in participating in VGCC athletics during the 2017-18 year should contact Jermiel Hargrove at hargrovej@vgcc.edu or (252) 738-3246.
–VGCC–
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/VGCC-holds-Banquet-to-honor-Student-Athletes.jpg280453WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-04-17 16:43:552017-04-17 16:43:55VGCC holds Banquet to honor Student-Athletes
The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team recently closed out the season at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Region X tournament, the first two rounds of which were held at Richard Bland College in Petersburg, Va.
On March 4, VGCC, the tenth seed in the tournament, defeated the seventh-seeded Titans of Guilford Technical Community College in the opening round, 90-87, recording the program’s first postseason win since 2015. The victory came just one week after the Vanguards lost to the Titans, 108-102, to wrap up the regular season.
This time, VGCC came out strong from the start, leading by as many as eight points in the first five minutes of play. GTCC came back in the middle of the first half but the Vanguards responded and built up a 44-39 lead at halftime. VGCC led for practically the entire second half, beating back a late rally by the Titans to secure the narrow win, in part on the strength of shooting 100% (14 for 14) from the free-throw line. According to the staff at tournament host Richard Bland College, the Vanguards were the only team to make 100% of their free throws all season in that arena, and may be the only team to be perfect from the line in a Region X tournament game.
“The NJCAA Region X Conference tournament was an amazing experience for both the players and myself,” said VGCC head coach DeMarcus Oliver. “The atmosphere was electric! For the first time, players had the opportunity to play in front of NCAA Division I and II college coaches sitting court-side to recruit. This is the place where everything mattered, from the pre-game warm-up to the post-game hand shake.” The coach said that the tournament, his first since taking the reins of the program, will always be “an unforgettable moment” in his life. “Being defeated by Guilford Tech twice in the regular season, and then coming out victorious when it mattered most, brought tears to my eyes as I left the court,” Oliver added.
The Vanguards were led in scoring by sophomore TyQuon Reid of Goldsboro, who posted 26 points to go along with four steals. Freshman NiQuan Cousins of Raleigh was also key, contributing 24 points as well as a team-high 14 rebounds. Freshman Kenneth Finley, Jr., of Raleigh led in assists (6), while also scoring 11 points. Sophomore Chris Pernell of Raleigh put up 14 points.
With the win, VGCC advanced to the second (quarter-final) round on March 5, but lost to the number-two seed, Richard Bland College, on March 5. The Statesmen were ranked as the eighth-best team in the nation in the most recent NJCAA Division II poll.
Cousins scored a game-high 25 points for VGCC and also led in rebounding (8). Reid put up 14 points and 3 assists in his final game as a Vanguard. His fellow sophomores were Pernell, who had 6 points, 2 rebounds, one assist and one steal; Antonio Adams of Oxford, who had 4 rebounds and a steal; and Michael Henderson of Henderson, with 3 rebounds.
The 2016-17 season saw the emergence of two Vanguards as national leaders. Cousins was the top rebounder in the nation this year for Division II, recording 432 total rebounds and 14.9 rebounds per game while also ranking first in both offensive rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game. He is VGCC’s all-time leader in rebounds during a single season and in a single game (28). Reid, meanwhile, ended the season ranked third in the nation for free-throw shooting (195-256) and fifth in steals (95). Reid was also VGCC’s team leader in points per game (23.3), assists per game (6.1) and steals per game (3.3) for the season.
Before the opening of the conference tournament, Reid was named to the All-Region X Second Team, becoming just the third Vanguard to receive that honor in program history. He is also the first player in VGCC history to score 1,000 points.
Coach Oliver said that among the many highlights of the season, the Vanguards defeated the UNC Tar Heels JV team for the first time, and at one point had three players ranked on the NJCAA national leader boards at the same time: Cousins, Reid and Finley. He added that Pernell became the first player in Vanguards history to make more than 100 career three-pointers, with nine of those coming in a single game.
“I can assure our VGCC fans that we will be back in the 2017-2018 season, playing some exciting basketball,” Coach Oliver said. “I am committed to building a much stronger, better, and more equipped men’s basketball program that will aid us in continuing to pursue making history! Thanks to sophomore players such as TyQuon Reid (Team Captain), Chris Pernell (Team Co-Captain), Antonio Adams, and Michael Henderson, for being four solid pillars that I have used to start construction on the rebuilding of VGCC men’s basketball.”
–VGCC–
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.png00WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-03-09 16:59:522017-03-09 16:59:52VGCC basketball season ends in second round of conference tourney
For the second year in a row, the Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team will soon travel to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels junior varsity team.
The JV game is set for Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m.
Henderson-based radio station WIZS 1450 AM will once again provide live coverage of the game starting at 7:15 p.m. Even for those outside the range of the radio station, the broadcast can be streamed online at wizs.com or on a smart phone with the free “TuneIn Radio” app. When WIZS covered the first contest between the two basketball programs in 2016, it was the first time in history that a UNC JV basketball game had been broadcast live on the radio.
The Vanguards compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II, which includes 11 two-year colleges in North Carolina and Virginia.
The UNC JV squad has several community college teams on its schedule this year, including one of VGCC’s Region X conference rivals, Wake Tech Community College.
Admission is free to the UNC JV game. For more information, call the Smith Center at (919) 962-2296.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/122156490bneY3Kf.jpg280453WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2017-01-12 15:59:072017-01-20 02:37:23VGCC Vanguards to play JV Tar Heels at Dean Dome
The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards men’s basketball team is scheduled to play at least 28 games during the 2016-2017 season, including 11 home games. This is the program’s first season under the leadership of head coach DeMarcus Oliver.
DATE
TIME
OPPONENT
LOCATION
Saturday, Nov. 5
4:30 pm
Davidson County Comm. College
Thomasville, NC
Monday, Nov. 7
6:00 pm
Bryant & Stratton College
HOME
Friday, Nov. 11
TBD
Caldwell Comm. College & Tech Institute (Louisburg Invitational Tournament)
Louisburg, NC
Saturday, Nov. 12
TBD
Northern Virginia Comm. College (Louisburg Invitational Tournament)
Louisburg, NC
Monday, Nov. 14
7:00 pm
Wake Tech Comm. College (VGCC Vanguard Night)
HOME
Wednesday, Nov. 16
6:00 pm
Patrick Henry Comm. College
Martinsville, VA
Monday, Nov. 21
7:00 pm
Fayetteville Tech Comm. College
Fayetteville, NC
Monday, Dec. 5
7:00 pm
Pitt Comm. College
Greenville, NC
Wednesday, Dec. 7
7:00 pm
Lenoir Comm. College
Kinston, NC
Saturday, Dec. 10
2:00 pm
Thomas Nelson Comm. College
HOME
Monday, Dec. 12
7:00 pm
Louisburg College
Louisburg, NC
Wednesday, Dec. 14
6:00 pm
Richard Bland College
HOME
Saturday, Dec. 17
1:00 pm
Spartanburg Methodist College
Spartanburg, SC
Thursday, Jan. 5
7:00 pm
Louisburg College
HOME
Monday, Jan. 9
8:00 pm
Wake Tech Comm. College
Raleigh, NC
Saturday, Jan. 14
3:00 pm
Bryant & Stratton College
Norfolk, VA
Wednesday, Jan. 18
7:30 pm
UNC Chapel Hill JV (Scrimmage)
Chapel Hill, NC
Thursday, Jan. 19
7:00 pm
Patrick Henry Comm. College
HOME
Saturday, Jan. 21
3:00 pm
Guilford Tech Comm. College
HOME
Monday, Jan. 23
7:00 pm
Pitt Comm. College
HOME
Wednesday, Jan. 25
7:00 pm
Catawba Valley Comm. College
Hickory, NC
Saturday, Jan. 28
4:00 pm
Thomas Nelson Comm. College
Hampton, VA
Monday, Feb. 6
5:00 pm
Lenoir Comm. College
Louisburg, NC
Thursday, Feb. 9
7:00 pm
Fayetteville Tech Comm. College
HOME
Monday, Feb. 13
6:00 pm
Sandhills Comm. College
HOME
Wednesday, Feb. 15
7:00 pm
Catawba Valley Comm. College (VGCC Sophomore Night)
HOME
Wednesday, Feb. 22
7:00 pm
Richard Bland College
Petersburg, VA
Saturday, Feb. 25
3:00 pm
Guilford Tech Comm. College
Jamestown, NC
Saturday, Mar. 4
TBD
Region X Conference Tournament 1st Round
Petersburg, VA
Sunday, Mar. 5
TBD
Region X Conference Tournament Quarter-Finals
Petersburg, VA
Friday, Mar. 10
TBD
Region X Conference Tournament Semi-Finals
Pinehurst, NC
Saturday, Mar. 11
TBD
Region X Conference Championship
Pinehurst, NC
Tuesday, Mar. 21 – Saturday, Mar. 25
TBD
NJCAA Division II National Tournament
Danville, IL
Bold = Home Game, to be played at Aycock Recreation Center, 307 Carey Chapel Rd., Henderson, N.C.
Schedule is subject to change.
The Vanguards compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II, which includes 11 two-year colleges in North Carolina and Virginia.
For VGCC, the regular season starts with an away game at Davidson County Community College on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Vanguards’ first opponent at home will be Bryant & Stratton College, on Monday, Nov. 7, at 6 p.m. All of VGCC’s home games are scheduled to be played at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson. There is no charge for admission.
The second home game, on Monday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m., will be the annual “Vanguard Night” game. VGCC will host Wake Tech Community College in that contest, which features special activities and attracts a large crowd of current students, faculty and staff.
For the second year in a row, VGCC will travel to the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill to play the UNC Tar Heels JV squad. That scrimmage is scheduled to take place Jan. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
The Vanguards are set to celebrate “Sophomore Night” at the final home game, on Feb. 15. The regular season is scheduled to conclude on Feb. 25, with VGCC’s final scheduled game on the road at Guilford Tech Community College. After the regular season ends, the Vanguards are scheduled to participate in the NJCAA Division II Region X tournament. The first two rounds of the tournament are to be played at Richard Bland College in Petersburg, Va., on March 4-5. The semifinals and finals will follow at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, on March 10-11.
The Vance-Granville Community College Vanguards women’s volleyball program paid tribute to its sophomore leaders on Oct. 11, just before a match with conference rival Davidson County Community College at Aycock Recreation Center in Henderson.
The two second-year players rounding out their VGCC playing careers are Jesse Edwards and Kiyanna Kearney, both of Henderson. Edwards is a Northern Vance High School graduate, while Kearney is a product of Southern Vance High School, where she played not only volleyball but also softball and basketball. Edwards is a College Transfer student at VGCC, with plans to enter the Associate Degree Nursing program in 2017. Kearney, meanwhile, is studying Criminal Justice.
The “Sophomore Night” match turned out to be a thriller. A hard-fought first set ended with a 25-23 victory for the Storm from Davidson County, who then secured a more dominant 25-14 victory in the second set. But the Vanguards came back to win the third set, 25-22, and the fourth, 25-20, forcing a decisive fifth set. The Storm edged out the home team, 15-12, to win the match with a 3-2 victory.
VGCC’s two sophomores were, as usual, key players that evening. Kearney led her squad with 20 kills, with Edwards second at 16. Kearney also had the most digs (31) and solo blocks (4). Meanwhile, freshman Stormi Abernathy contributed all 50 of the team’s recorded assists, along with 19 digs. Katelynn Ray, also a freshman, made 19 digs as well, while Edwards posted 17 digs.
The loss brought VGCC’s record to 11-7, and followed a pair of conference wins (3-1, 3-0) over Rockingham Community College.
https://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/211634390Knc97N5.jpg280453WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2016-10-21 10:40:452017-01-20 02:37:27VGCC Women’s Volleyball team honors sophomores
Jermiel Hargrove has been named the coordinator of student activities and athletics at Vance-Granville Community College.
Hargrove will oversee clubs, organizations and extracurricular activities that engage students on campus, as well as the college’s intercollegiate athletics program, which includes men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and a new cheerleading squad. He will also serve as the advisor for the VGCC Student Government Association (SGA).
A resident of Henderson, Hargrove has been a member of the VGCC staff since 2006, serving as webmaster and digital media specialist. He is a graduate of Northern Vance High School and of VGCC, where he earned a degree in Web Technologies.
Hargrove has also served as head coach for the Northern Granville Middle School girls’ basketball team, guiding them to a conference championship. He noted that he has focused on preparing his players to advance to high school-level athletics, and was pleased that 90% of them made the A/B honor roll. Earlier this year, Hargrove also served as interim assistant coach for the VGCC Vanguards men’s basketball team and assisted with the college athletics program for several months on an interim basis before assuming his new full-time role.
“Jermiel brings to his new position a deep understanding of VGCC as both a graduate and an employee of the college, along with a passion for working with young people,” VGCC Dean of Enrollment & Outreach Jeffrey Allen said. “Under his leadership, we will continue to develop student-athletes who succeed both on the court and in the classroom, while also providing enriching experiences and service opportunities for all of our Vanguards.”
00WIZS Staffhttps://wizs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/wizswebsitelogoimage.pngWIZS Staff2016-10-19 18:01:562017-01-20 02:37:27VGCC names new coordinator for Student Activities & Athletics
