Nia Bell enters her second season as the head coach of the Borough of Manhattan Community College women’s volleyball program in 2023.
| Season |
Overall Record |
Region XV Record |
CUNYAC Record |
CUNYAC Playoffs |
Region 15 Playoffs |
Playoff Record |
Awards |
| 2022 |
17-6 |
14-3 |
8-0 |
CUNYAC Championship |
Region XV Semifinals |
2-1 |
CUNYAC Championship |
| Totals |
17-6 (.739) |
14-3 (.823) |
8-0 (.1000) |
|
|
|
Bell hit the ground running immediately during her first season at the helm of the BMCC women’s volleyball program, taking the Panthers to new heights during the 2022 season. The Panthers captured the program’s first CUNYAC CC Women’s Volleyball Championship in 16 years and 11th in school history with a dominant three-set sweep of six-time defending Champion Queensborough Community College in the 2022 Conference Championship game. Bell also led BMCC to the most program victories since the 2006 season posting a 17-6 overall record, including the program’s first regular season title since 2008 with a perfect league record of 8-0 to go along with 14 Region XV victories, the program’s most in a decade. The Panthers also made their first Region XV Semifinal appearance since 2017 with a four-set win in the quarterfinals against Kingsborough Community College before falling to 2022 Region XV Champion Dutchess Community College 3-1.
Bell tutored sophomore Josanne Lewis to become the program’s first NJCAA All-American in 18 years. Lewis also grabbed 2022 Region 15 Player of the Year and CUNYAC CC Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year to go along with 2022 All-Region 15 First Team honors. Bell also produced the 2022 Region 15 Setter of the Year Xheni Doci, who joined Emmanuella Aurel as a 2022 All-Region 15 Second Team and NJCAA Division III Player of the Week selection. Bell’s trio of Lewis, Doci, and Aurel also smashed numerous single-season and all-time program marks in 2022, with Lewis smashing 397 kills, the most in single-season and all-time program history, while her 5.22 kills per set were second in the country. Aurel held it down on the backline fielding a new all-time program and single-season record for digs with 400. Doci became the fourth player in program history to dish out 500-plus assists and finished her career with 549 assists, the second most in a single season and fourth most in program history.
Bell brought an excellent resume to BMCC, after successful coaching stints at Dream charter school and as an assistant coach at Stephens College. She also had an outstanding collegiate career at Fort Valley State and Fayetteville State University.
At Stephens College, Bell served as an assistant coach in 2020 under Head Coach Devin Walker. She collaborated with him to lead the Stars to their highest finish in conference play in program history while producing four All-Conference selections.
Before jumping into the coaching ranks, Bell was an outstanding player on the floor during her time at Fort Valley State and Fayetteville State University. She made an immediate impact at Fort Valley State, earning Offensive Player of the Year honors for the Wildcat program as their offensive leader with 268 kills and 19 service aces. She was also second in the SIAC Conference in Kills while also garnering Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Newcomer of the Week after smashing a career-high 28 kills to go along with 22 digs for a double-double in a five-set road win at Benedict College. She was also a key contributor defensively with 228 digs which was second on the team.
As a player at Fayetteville State University, Bell played a significant part in the Broncos in 2017, spearheading them to a 21-10 overall record while receiving All-CIAA Second Team honors as an outside hitter and ranking top 20 in the conference defensively with 201 digs and offensively with 163 kills which ranked 14th and 16th, respectively. She also received All-CIAA outside hitter honors after her performance in the CIAA Volleyball Championship.
During her career at Northeastern High School, she made varsity as a freshman, making it to the State Championship in 2012. She was her high school team’s two-time Player of the Year and was an All-Conference Athlete. Bell also participated in USA Volleyball Club for Camden, Allegheny Elite, and NC Live Elite.
She received a Master’s degree in Psychology from the University of the Southwest and her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from Fort Valley State University.
