University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
2020 Volleyball Roster
Smith, Tia Jade
Jersey Number 11
Tia Jade Smith
- Position:
- Middle Blocker
- Height:
- 6-2
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Houston, Texas
- High School:
- Stephen F. Austin HS
Bio
2020 (Junior)
Due to lingering injuries would appear in only nine matches and 26 sets ... continued to deliver timely kills at an efficient rate, scoring 43 kills off just 85 swings at a .365 hitting percentage ... kills total pushed her career total past 200 (increased to 234) ... produced at least five kills, with less than 20 swings, four times ... landed multiple kills in all but one of the nine appearances ... final season hitting percentage was above .300 for the second time in collegiate career, just shy of the career-high figure set as a freshman (.375) ... despite limited playing time still managed to post 29 blocks (9 BS, 20 BA) ... at an average of 1.1 blocks per set was one pace to potentially reach 100 blocks ... had multiple blocks in every appearance including five matches of at least three blocks ... blocks total brought her career figure to exactly 150 ... delivered at least 15 kills in two of the three non-conference weekend series (Houston Baptist, Lamar) ... had a season-high 10 kills on just 17 swings to help Louisiana rebound from an opening-set loss and defeat Houston Baptist in four sets on Sept. 5 ... scored a set-high tying four kills (off six swings) in the fourth frame as the Ragin' Cajuns wrapped up the victory ... the night before posted a match-leading six blocks in the sweep of the Huskies ... dominated in the doubleheader sweep of Lamar (Sept. 19) by scoring 16 kills which came off of 26 swings on a .500 hitting percentage ... fired off five kills to help lead the charge in the third and final set of the first match against the Cardinals ... had three kills in each set to help set the tone in a dominant sweep of Lamar in the nightcap ... had a pair of four-block efforts in Sun Belt play, picking up four blocks in the Texas State series opener and a conference-best five blocks in second match vs. Arkansas State ... in lone set played during the ASU series opener, landed three kills in the fourth and final frame to help pace the efforts that wrapped up the victory ... scored a pair of timely kills during the middle portion of the frame which allowed Louisiana to maintain its advantage (first kill coming with set tied at 11-all, and second with Louisiana leading 14-13).
2019 (Sophomore)
Competed in a career-best 28 matches and 99 sets ... enjoyed a breakout season, both offensively and defensively, after joining the team's rotation on a full-time basis ... delivered timely kills when called upon, scoring 156 kills on just 368 attempts ... produced at least five kills, with less than 20 swings, in 11 of 16 Sun Belt Conference matches ... throughout the season, delivered 11 matches of multiple kills in which played error-free or with only one miscue ... hit the century mark in kills for the first time as a collegiate volleyball player ... sported a team-best .291 hitting percentage ... more than quadrupled her season blocks total from her freshman season, increasing from 24 as a rookie to a team-leading 97 (24 BS, 73 BA) ... picked up her 100th career collegiate block on Nov. 8 at ULM ... provided multiple blocks in all but seven appearances, ending the season with a streak of 10 straight matches with multiple blocks (with at least three total) ... stepped up her game in conference play, posting 57 (15 BS, 42 BA) of her total blocks (97) in Sun Belt matches ... ranked fifth in the SBC in blocks per set in league play (1.06 blocks per set) ... was one of only seven individuals to average over one block per set in SBC play ... accounted for 2.19 points per set, tallying double digits in points in nine matches ... ranked fifth on the team with 216.5 total points scored ... recorded the sixth-most block solos by a Ragin' Cajun in the rally scoring era (24), while the 97 total blocks made her just the 10th individual in the rally era to reach 90 blocks ... landed six kills, without error, on only 12 swings in the season opener vs. Incarnate Word ... had a team-best five blocks, including two critical ones in the fifth set, of a five-set win over McNeese in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic opener ... with eight kills vs. Florida A&M, finished the tournament with 20 kills off 49 swings on a .286 hitting percentage ... led a balanced effort in the sweep of Southern Miss on Sept. 10, throwing down eight kills off 16 swings ... was nearly unstoppable on the opening day of Florida's Gators Invitational (Sept. 20), generating 22 kills on 38 swings and a .553 hitting percentage in matches against Northern Arizona and Liberty ... on that same day, notched six blocks in both matches - totaling 12 at an average of 1.5 blocks per set ... scored her 100th career kill in the match vs. Liberty ... the Gators Invitational marked the first of back-to-back weekends of double digits in blocks and a average of over one per set, as she followed up with 10 total blocks, highlighted by a season-high seven at UT Arlington, on Sun Belt-opening weekend ... threw up four of her team-leading five blocks in the third set alone at Georgia State, all coming during the span Louisiana erased a 16-14 deficit and won in extra points to complete the sweep ... led the charge in the sweep of Little Rock on Oct. 25, scoring seven kills and posting four block solos ... with six blocks against Arkansas State the next night, picked up her fourth of what would eventually be five weekends of double digits in blocks ... reach double digits in kills a third time when she found the floor 10 times against UT Arlington on Nov. 1 ... four of her match-high seven blocks at ULM came in the third-set win which gave Louisiana the match lead for good ... over the ULM weekend, registered 15 kills off 35 swings and blocked 10 Warhawks attack attempts ... tied her season-high with a match-high seven blocks in the collegiate postseason debut vs. Arkansas State at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.Â
2018 (Freshman)
Appeared in eight matches and played in 30 sets during collegiate debut season ... biggest impact came during the second half of Sun Belt play as she generated at least five kills and multiple blocks in five of six appearances ... finished rookie campaign averaging 1.17 kills per set on a .375 hitting percentage ... threw up 24 blocks (4 BS, 20 BA) highlighted by a season-high nine at Texas State (Oct. 26) ... during key stretch in second half of Sun Belt play, scored 34 kills (1.42/set) on a .391 percentage and had 21 blocks (0.88/set) which ranked second on the team during the timeframe (Oct. 19-Nov. 4) ... first career collegiate appearance came on Sept. 7 vs. host-TCU at the Fight in the Fort tournament ... saw time against nationally ranked USC at the SDSU/USD Challenge (Sept. 14) ... notched a kill and two blocks against the Trojans ... made her Sun Belt Conference debut during the Georgia State-Georgia Southern homestand and had an impact both offensively (8 kills on 13 swings vs. GSU) and defensively (5 blocks vs. GS) ... had five kills off only nine swings, scooped a season-high four digs and posted two blocks in win at UT Arlington which completed the season sweep of the Mavericks for the second straight season ... led the team in blocks with 17 (1.00/set) over the final two weekends in October ... delivered 12 kills on 25 swings during the home-and-home weekend with ULM ... posted seven kills on a .500 percentage in the match in Monroe ... ended the season with a string of five straight matches of multiple blocks.
High School
Lettered two years at Stephen F. Austin High School, competing at middle blocker … twice named to the all-district team … voted Most Improved in 2016 and named team captain in 2017 … part of undefeated district championship squad in 2016 … landed 281 kills and threw up 97 blocks in junior season (2016), ranking her Top 5 in District 20-6A in both categories and earning her first team all-district accolades … reached 114 kills and 53 blocks in injury-shortened senior season (missed district play) … her Houston Juniors Elite South squad advanced to 2018 USAV Junior National Championship tournament.
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Personal
Born July 28, 2000 in Houston … the daughter of Chad and Della Smith … has one younger sister, Amy … is a biology major with a concentration in medical and allied health sciences … aspires to be an anesthesiologist.
Due to lingering injuries would appear in only nine matches and 26 sets ... continued to deliver timely kills at an efficient rate, scoring 43 kills off just 85 swings at a .365 hitting percentage ... kills total pushed her career total past 200 (increased to 234) ... produced at least five kills, with less than 20 swings, four times ... landed multiple kills in all but one of the nine appearances ... final season hitting percentage was above .300 for the second time in collegiate career, just shy of the career-high figure set as a freshman (.375) ... despite limited playing time still managed to post 29 blocks (9 BS, 20 BA) ... at an average of 1.1 blocks per set was one pace to potentially reach 100 blocks ... had multiple blocks in every appearance including five matches of at least three blocks ... blocks total brought her career figure to exactly 150 ... delivered at least 15 kills in two of the three non-conference weekend series (Houston Baptist, Lamar) ... had a season-high 10 kills on just 17 swings to help Louisiana rebound from an opening-set loss and defeat Houston Baptist in four sets on Sept. 5 ... scored a set-high tying four kills (off six swings) in the fourth frame as the Ragin' Cajuns wrapped up the victory ... the night before posted a match-leading six blocks in the sweep of the Huskies ... dominated in the doubleheader sweep of Lamar (Sept. 19) by scoring 16 kills which came off of 26 swings on a .500 hitting percentage ... fired off five kills to help lead the charge in the third and final set of the first match against the Cardinals ... had three kills in each set to help set the tone in a dominant sweep of Lamar in the nightcap ... had a pair of four-block efforts in Sun Belt play, picking up four blocks in the Texas State series opener and a conference-best five blocks in second match vs. Arkansas State ... in lone set played during the ASU series opener, landed three kills in the fourth and final frame to help pace the efforts that wrapped up the victory ... scored a pair of timely kills during the middle portion of the frame which allowed Louisiana to maintain its advantage (first kill coming with set tied at 11-all, and second with Louisiana leading 14-13).
2019 (Sophomore)
Competed in a career-best 28 matches and 99 sets ... enjoyed a breakout season, both offensively and defensively, after joining the team's rotation on a full-time basis ... delivered timely kills when called upon, scoring 156 kills on just 368 attempts ... produced at least five kills, with less than 20 swings, in 11 of 16 Sun Belt Conference matches ... throughout the season, delivered 11 matches of multiple kills in which played error-free or with only one miscue ... hit the century mark in kills for the first time as a collegiate volleyball player ... sported a team-best .291 hitting percentage ... more than quadrupled her season blocks total from her freshman season, increasing from 24 as a rookie to a team-leading 97 (24 BS, 73 BA) ... picked up her 100th career collegiate block on Nov. 8 at ULM ... provided multiple blocks in all but seven appearances, ending the season with a streak of 10 straight matches with multiple blocks (with at least three total) ... stepped up her game in conference play, posting 57 (15 BS, 42 BA) of her total blocks (97) in Sun Belt matches ... ranked fifth in the SBC in blocks per set in league play (1.06 blocks per set) ... was one of only seven individuals to average over one block per set in SBC play ... accounted for 2.19 points per set, tallying double digits in points in nine matches ... ranked fifth on the team with 216.5 total points scored ... recorded the sixth-most block solos by a Ragin' Cajun in the rally scoring era (24), while the 97 total blocks made her just the 10th individual in the rally era to reach 90 blocks ... landed six kills, without error, on only 12 swings in the season opener vs. Incarnate Word ... had a team-best five blocks, including two critical ones in the fifth set, of a five-set win over McNeese in the Sawyer Camillo Memorial Classic opener ... with eight kills vs. Florida A&M, finished the tournament with 20 kills off 49 swings on a .286 hitting percentage ... led a balanced effort in the sweep of Southern Miss on Sept. 10, throwing down eight kills off 16 swings ... was nearly unstoppable on the opening day of Florida's Gators Invitational (Sept. 20), generating 22 kills on 38 swings and a .553 hitting percentage in matches against Northern Arizona and Liberty ... on that same day, notched six blocks in both matches - totaling 12 at an average of 1.5 blocks per set ... scored her 100th career kill in the match vs. Liberty ... the Gators Invitational marked the first of back-to-back weekends of double digits in blocks and a average of over one per set, as she followed up with 10 total blocks, highlighted by a season-high seven at UT Arlington, on Sun Belt-opening weekend ... threw up four of her team-leading five blocks in the third set alone at Georgia State, all coming during the span Louisiana erased a 16-14 deficit and won in extra points to complete the sweep ... led the charge in the sweep of Little Rock on Oct. 25, scoring seven kills and posting four block solos ... with six blocks against Arkansas State the next night, picked up her fourth of what would eventually be five weekends of double digits in blocks ... reach double digits in kills a third time when she found the floor 10 times against UT Arlington on Nov. 1 ... four of her match-high seven blocks at ULM came in the third-set win which gave Louisiana the match lead for good ... over the ULM weekend, registered 15 kills off 35 swings and blocked 10 Warhawks attack attempts ... tied her season-high with a match-high seven blocks in the collegiate postseason debut vs. Arkansas State at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.Â
2018 (Freshman)
Appeared in eight matches and played in 30 sets during collegiate debut season ... biggest impact came during the second half of Sun Belt play as she generated at least five kills and multiple blocks in five of six appearances ... finished rookie campaign averaging 1.17 kills per set on a .375 hitting percentage ... threw up 24 blocks (4 BS, 20 BA) highlighted by a season-high nine at Texas State (Oct. 26) ... during key stretch in second half of Sun Belt play, scored 34 kills (1.42/set) on a .391 percentage and had 21 blocks (0.88/set) which ranked second on the team during the timeframe (Oct. 19-Nov. 4) ... first career collegiate appearance came on Sept. 7 vs. host-TCU at the Fight in the Fort tournament ... saw time against nationally ranked USC at the SDSU/USD Challenge (Sept. 14) ... notched a kill and two blocks against the Trojans ... made her Sun Belt Conference debut during the Georgia State-Georgia Southern homestand and had an impact both offensively (8 kills on 13 swings vs. GSU) and defensively (5 blocks vs. GS) ... had five kills off only nine swings, scooped a season-high four digs and posted two blocks in win at UT Arlington which completed the season sweep of the Mavericks for the second straight season ... led the team in blocks with 17 (1.00/set) over the final two weekends in October ... delivered 12 kills on 25 swings during the home-and-home weekend with ULM ... posted seven kills on a .500 percentage in the match in Monroe ... ended the season with a string of five straight matches of multiple blocks.
High School
Lettered two years at Stephen F. Austin High School, competing at middle blocker … twice named to the all-district team … voted Most Improved in 2016 and named team captain in 2017 … part of undefeated district championship squad in 2016 … landed 281 kills and threw up 97 blocks in junior season (2016), ranking her Top 5 in District 20-6A in both categories and earning her first team all-district accolades … reached 114 kills and 53 blocks in injury-shortened senior season (missed district play) … her Houston Juniors Elite South squad advanced to 2018 USAV Junior National Championship tournament.
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Personal
Born July 28, 2000 in Houston … the daughter of Chad and Della Smith … has one younger sister, Amy … is a biology major with a concentration in medical and allied health sciences … aspires to be an anesthesiologist.
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