Temple University Athletics
Taylor Davenport Nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year
9.24.25 | General, Women's Volleyball
PHILADELPHIA - Recent Temple University graduate Taylor Davenport, a standout student-athlete for the volleyball program, has been nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, the American Conference announced on Wednesday. The nomination follows a record-breaking career on the court and an exceptional academic tenure at Temple.
"It is truly an honor to be nominated for such a prestigious award, and I am so thankful. I am filled with so much gratitude that God placed me in an environment that pushed me to flourish. I have been blessed with a support system through my family and friends. Throughout college, this has grown to include the amazing people at Temple University and The American Conference," said Davenport.
The Columbia, South Carolina native, earned a spot on the American All-Conference First Team in 2024, highlighting a standout senior season that also saw her named to the American All-Conference Preseason First Team. She was recognized as the American Offensive Player of the Week on September 16 and received American weekly honorable mention honors three times during the season (September 2, October 21, and October 28).
Over the course of the year, she saw action in 30 matches, missing only one set the entire season. She led both her team and the conference with 438 kills, marking her third consecutive season with over 400 kills. She also recorded 31 service aces, the second most on the team. She posted double-digit kills in 22 of the 30 matches, surpassing the 20-kill mark five times. Her season included a career-high 33 kills and 34 points in a five-set win over Presbyterian, and she recorded a season-best 15 digs against New Hampshire.
In the program's record book, Davenport became the 22nd player in school history to surpass 1,000 career kills and ranks sixth all-time with 1,552 kills. Davenport also holds the third-most hitting attempts in program history with 4,417.
Outside of athletics, Davenport was a part of the Black Student-Athlete Association at Temple, the Athlete InterVarsity, and a member of the American Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. These organizations are set up to enhance the total student-athlete experience by protecting student-athlete well-being, fostering a positive student-athlete image and inclusive student-athlete environment, and promoting student-athlete engagement at the national, conference, and local levels.
Davenport is the third Owl nominated for the NCAA Women of the Year in recent years, joining Margherita Calderaro (Fencing), 2024, and Michelle Joyce (Track & Field), 2022.Â
The NCAA Women of the Year award, established in 1991, is rooted in Title IX and recognizes female student-athletes who have completed their undergraduate studies and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics, and in academics throughout their college careers. To be eligible, nominees must have competed and earned a varsity letter in any NCAA-sponsored sport and have completed and earned an undergraduate degree by summer 2025.Â
The selection process for this award is as follows: "Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member schools. Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its core member schools (and sponsored sports) and submits its conference nominee(s) to the NCAA. All nominees who compete in a sport that is not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be sent to a separate pool to be considered by a committee. Then, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee identifies the Top 30 – 10 from each division, and from there selects three finalists from each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who is named during an awards presentation at the NCAA Convention."
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"It is truly an honor to be nominated for such a prestigious award, and I am so thankful. I am filled with so much gratitude that God placed me in an environment that pushed me to flourish. I have been blessed with a support system through my family and friends. Throughout college, this has grown to include the amazing people at Temple University and The American Conference," said Davenport.
The Columbia, South Carolina native, earned a spot on the American All-Conference First Team in 2024, highlighting a standout senior season that also saw her named to the American All-Conference Preseason First Team. She was recognized as the American Offensive Player of the Week on September 16 and received American weekly honorable mention honors three times during the season (September 2, October 21, and October 28).
Over the course of the year, she saw action in 30 matches, missing only one set the entire season. She led both her team and the conference with 438 kills, marking her third consecutive season with over 400 kills. She also recorded 31 service aces, the second most on the team. She posted double-digit kills in 22 of the 30 matches, surpassing the 20-kill mark five times. Her season included a career-high 33 kills and 34 points in a five-set win over Presbyterian, and she recorded a season-best 15 digs against New Hampshire.
In the program's record book, Davenport became the 22nd player in school history to surpass 1,000 career kills and ranks sixth all-time with 1,552 kills. Davenport also holds the third-most hitting attempts in program history with 4,417.
Outside of athletics, Davenport was a part of the Black Student-Athlete Association at Temple, the Athlete InterVarsity, and a member of the American Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. These organizations are set up to enhance the total student-athlete experience by protecting student-athlete well-being, fostering a positive student-athlete image and inclusive student-athlete environment, and promoting student-athlete engagement at the national, conference, and local levels.
Davenport is the third Owl nominated for the NCAA Women of the Year in recent years, joining Margherita Calderaro (Fencing), 2024, and Michelle Joyce (Track & Field), 2022.Â
The NCAA Women of the Year award, established in 1991, is rooted in Title IX and recognizes female student-athletes who have completed their undergraduate studies and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics, and in academics throughout their college careers. To be eligible, nominees must have competed and earned a varsity letter in any NCAA-sponsored sport and have completed and earned an undergraduate degree by summer 2025.Â
The selection process for this award is as follows: "Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member schools. Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its core member schools (and sponsored sports) and submits its conference nominee(s) to the NCAA. All nominees who compete in a sport that is not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be sent to a separate pool to be considered by a committee. Then, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee identifies the Top 30 – 10 from each division, and from there selects three finalists from each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who is named during an awards presentation at the NCAA Convention."
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Players Mentioned
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