Trying to build on a nearly flawless 2024 season in which they went 26-2, Point Loma Nazarene University’s volleyball team has had about as good a start as you could ask for. With conference play roughly a week away, they’re 7-1, and one player has had a particularly impressive start to the season: fifth-year outside hitter Abigail Nua.
Through seven matches, the Sea Lions have only dropped seven sets. Their lone loss came to Cal State San Bernardino, but they followed the loss with three consecutive wins against nationally ranked opponents at the time: No. 21 Bentley, No. 5 West Texas A&M and No. 25 Wayne State. As it stands, PLNU is ranked No. 7 in the country in Division II women’s volleyball, according to the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association polls.
Though the team’s core looks similar and contains a few key returners, including Nua, there are seven new faces on this year’s squad, six first years and a graduate student who transferred in. Two of the new additions, fifth-year graduate student Jill Leslie and first-year Kyra Miles, have stepped into big roles.
“We have two brand new middle blockers, one a grad student and one a freshman, Jill and Kyra,” Jonathan Scott, PLNU’s head volleyball coach, said. “That’s a pretty wild contrast, with a 23-year-old and an 18-year-old playing in that starting role in the same position.”
Nua, being a veteran on a young team, spoke to the importance of ensuring everyone on a roster is in lockstep and how it was a focal point of training camp.
“This year, with half of our team being new girls, the captains made sure we were all on the same page with expectations and goals, and that we had unity in everything we did,” Nua said. “A lot of our first few weeks together were focused on making sure there was no separation or hierarchy, and that everyone understood we are equals on this team.”
The biggest storyline surrounding Sea Lions’ volleyball has been Nua’s dominant performance so far. In roughly two weeks of play, Nua has been named PacWest Player of the Week twice, tournament MVP at the Colorado Premier Challenge from Sept. 12 and most recently, AVCA National Player of the Week. This is all on the heels of winning PacWest Player of the Year last year.
She leads the PacWest in total kills with 135, 5.19 kills per set – the second closest averages 3.68 – and 5.94 average points per set. The closest behind her in the conference averages 4.27 points per set.
“I think her greatest trait, which is the most important trait that I look for, and it’s actually very hard to find, is she just competes her butt off,” Scott said. “A lot of players work really hard and everybody wants to win, but there are a lot of levels to competitive drive and she can get pretty darn deep there.”
Nua has seen immense success at both the high school and college level, in large part because of her competitive nature. What’s more impressive? She didn’t start playing volleyball until her freshman year of high school.
The beginning of Nua’s volleyball career probably looked starkly different from that of most other college phenoms. Her first volleyball memories were at a recreation center, surrounded by elderly men. After church on Sundays, Nua, her sister and mother would go to the local recreation center and play pickup volleyball with older men for 90 minutes, then practice individually for 90 minutes.
“That’s where I learned all of the basics and started my career,” Nua said. “My first year of high school was a little rough. I would hit the ball, like 50 feet out of bounds, but after my first season of club volleyball, I got a lot better.”
Nua never watched volleyball growing up, but views her mother and aunt as her two volleyball role models. Her aunt, Sola Del Rio (Martin), was just inducted into the PLNU Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. She was a setter for the Sea Lions.
Following a quick ascent in high school, bookended by making First Team All-State in Colorado and winning League Player of the Year, Nua knew she wanted to continue playing volleyball. The problem? She didn’t want to go to school.
“I remember one night, I was crying to my mom and told her I didn’t want to go to college, and she told me, ‘You can either join the military or go to college,’” Nua said. “After that night, I started recruiting, but was doing it very poorly … I never made any film and didn’t respond to any emails or letters I got from colleges.”
Following her senior season, Nua went to a volleyball camp at Colorado Christian University. Nua’s mom told people at the camp that she wanted to go to PLNU. One of the coaches had a connection to Scott, so Scott reached out to Nua, but she didn’t respond. Her club coach would pull her to the side at practices to get her to reply to Scott’s recruiting emails. Eventually, Nua accepted an offer.
“Now that I look back, getting to Loma was all a God thing,” Nua said.
Nua always had the talent. Where she’s improved the most, according to Scott, is in the intangibles.
“She’s always been a great competitor,” Scott said. “Where she has made progress would be in her leadership skills, her ability to connect with all of her teammates. She’s spent a lot of time in those areas … she’s improved in literally every area of the game.”
Following PLNU, Nua hopes to continue her volleyball career somewhere professionally. Scott does not doubt that it’ll happen.
“Her plan has always been to go play professionally,” Scott said. “We currently have two of our alumni playing in Europe right now, and she plans on, you know, either following in their footsteps or going to another country or region — she’ll definitely be playing somewhere.”
Until then, Nua and Scott have their sights set on a national title.
“On our whiteboard in our locker room, we have ‘Win PacWest, host regionals, win regionals and win nationals,’” Nua said.
If this team is to reach its goal, that swift, aggressive kill motion of Nua’s will be of vital importance.
Ava Bailey-Klugh 
Makenna Richardson