USC Women's Volleyball's Kalyah Williams Selected by Orlando Valkyries in Inaugural Pro Draft

ATLANTA – USC women's volleyball graduate OPP Kalyah Williams (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach Poly HS) was selected with the 33rd overall pick (fifth round, fifth pick) by the Orlando Valkyries and first-year head coach Amy Pauly in the inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation draft on Monday, December 11.

"Kalyah can do it all in the gym," said Pauly. "And that's why she will be valuable to our organization. She's able to step into any position that we require, and I know she's excited to continue working to improve her game. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring someone with such high character and work ethic into the Valkyries gym."

As a collegian, Williams played in 131 matches and collected 796 kills (1.73 kps) with .220 hitting and racked up 311 blocks, 264 digs, and 36 service aces for 1,008 career points (2.19 pps). She spent her first three seasons (2019-21) at Washington State where she completed her bachelor's degree and is set to complete a Master of Communication Management from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism in 2024. In two seasons at USC, Williams played in 64 matches and was a mainstay in the Trojans' starting lineup. She recorded 357 kills, 157 blocks, 165 digs, and 29 service aces in the Cardinal and Gold.

"We are thrilled for Kalyah," said fifth-year USC head coach Brad Keller. "She has put in so much hard work as a student-athlete and will be an incredible asset as a professional to the Valkyries in year one. We know she will be in good hands under head coach Amy Pauly and I for one and am extremely excited to cheer on Kalyah, Amy, Orlando, and the rest of the PVF as they embark on their inaugural season."

In total, 35 collegiate standout athletes were drafted in the Pro Volleyball Federation's inaugural player draft. The Columbus Fury had the first selection and used it to draft Asjia O'Neal from Texas. Oregon led all schools with six selections, followed by Arkansas, BYU, Tennessee and Washington State with two each. By conference, the Pac-12 had 11 players chosen, followed by the Big 12 (7), SEC (6) and Big Ten (4).

A drafted player must be at least 18 years or older on the day of the draft and defined as a college player. Athletes who met these criteria were eligible to be drafted. Players were not required to declare for the draft and anyone drafted maintained the right to elect to return to college (with remaining eligibility) should she chose not to sign with her Pro Volleyball Federation team.

The 25th-ranked Women of Troy (19-13) received the eighth seed in the Pittsburgh quarter of the NCAA tournament and swept UMBC in the first round before falling to site host No. 4 Pittsburgh in the second round. Under Keller, the Trojans finished fifth in the Pac-12 and put OH Skylar Fields and setter Mia Tuaniga on the all-conference team. OH London Wijay was chosen to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

For more information on the USC women's volleyball team, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on X, Facebook, and Instagram.

Players Mentioned

Skylar Fields

Mia Tuaniga

London Wijay

Kalyah Williams