University of South Alabama Athletics

– 2012 Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll
– Asics Challenge All-Tournament (2014)
– Maroon Classic All-Tournament (2014)
– Boston College Invitational All-Tournament (2015)

INTANGIBLES    
Ranks seventh on South Alabama’s career block assists (204) and hitting percentage (.260) charts entering the 2016 season.  Is also 11th on USA’s career blocks per set list (0.75).

AT SOUTH ALABAMA
REDSHIRT-JUNIOR SEASON (2015)    
One of two players to start all 28 matches and play in all 111 sets for South Alabama during the season … Led the team in hitting percentage (.266), block assists (99), total blocks (108) and blocks per set (0.97) … Finished second on the team in kills (249), kills per set (2.44) and blocks solo (9) … 
Her 99 block assists were the seventh-most in a single season and her 108 total blocks were ninth-most at USA … Posted 12 double-kill matches and had six or more kills in all but one of her 28 outings … Hit .300 or better 13 times throughout the season and had a season-best .625 (10-0-16) performance vs. Louisiana-Monroe (10/10) … Had 14 kills on 24 attacks with no errors for a .583 hitting percentage vs. Alabama State (9/22) … Selected to the Boston College Invitational all-tournament squad during the opening weekend of the season … Nearly recorded her first career double-double at Troy (10/6) finishing with 12 kills and nine blocks assists … Finished with 10 kills and five total blocks (1 solo, 4 assists) vs. Sacred Heart (8/29) … 
 Had 12 kills and five block assists at Little Rock (10/17) … Ended the match vs. Houston Baptist (9/11) with 12 kills … Recorded a career-high 10 total blocks vs. Troy (10/27) … Set a new career high with 15 kills at Appalachian State (11/1), while also hitting .407 … Her nine block assists in each of the two matches against Troy tied for fourth-most in program history since rally era scoring started during the 2001 season.

JUNIOR SEASON (2014)    
Was one of only two Jaguars to play in all 115 sets during the season … Started 30 of the 31 matches in which she competed … Ranked third on the team in kills with 243 and averaged 2.11 kills per set … Recorded double-figure kill tallies 11 times … Had an attack percentage of .250 … Led the club at the net in total blocks (83), solo blocks (7), block assists (76) and blocks per set (0.72) … Paced the club in blocks in 14 matches … Also had 12 service aces and led the team in that category six times … Hit .300 or better in 12 matches, including six matches above .400 … Was the only Jag to earn multiple all-tournament honors during the season, as she was named to both the Asics Classic and Maroon Classic all-tourney squads … Posted six kills or better in 16 of her 20 Sun Belt matches … One of her best offensive performances came vs. Oral Roberts (8/30) where she hit .500 (12-1-22) … Had three or more blocks 12 times … Twice recorded a season-high seven block assists – vs. Appalachian State (11/14) and vs. Troy (11/22) … Also had six block assists against Louisiana-Monroe (11/21) … Posted 10 kills, two aces and four block assists vs. Northwestern State (9/12) … Had 11 kills, eight digs, five block assists and hit .471 vs. Nicholls State (9/13) … Recorded 12 kills, five blocks – one block solo and four block assists – and two aces at Louisiana-Lafayette (9/17) … Had a career-high 13 kills and hit .375 at Appalachian State (10/3).

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013)    
Competed in 10 matches and 36 sets for South Alabama … Missed final 19 matches of the season due to injury … Was granted a medical hardship waiver during the summer of 2014 and will now have three years of eligibility … Prior to suffering the injury, she had recorded 76 kills and was hitting .295 while also posting 20 total blocks – one block solo and 19 block assists … Recorded four matches with 10 or more kills, including three straight just prior to having her season cut short … Posted a career-high 12 kills on 18 attacks with no errors for a .667 hitting percentage against Nicholls State (9/13) … That percentage tied for fifth-highest in the Sun Belt during the season … Also had career-best six blocks – one solo and five assists – versus the Colonels … Followed that performance with back-to-back 10-kill efforts at Alabama (9/14) and at Jackson State (9/17) … Contributed double-digit point totals in five matches with a season-best 15.5 against NSU … Also had four service aces and 29 digs on the season.


FRESHMAN SEASON (2012)    
Competed in 12 matches and earned two starts … Played in 33 sets and had 34 kills (1.03 kps) and hit .208 … Also had 13 digs and 11 total blocks (1 solo, 10 assists) for a 0.33 bps average … Had a season-high five block assists versus North Texas (10/13) … In her first collegiate start versus Savannah State (9/15) at the Springhill Suites Invitational, she had a season-high seven kills and hit a season-best .429, registering just one attack error in her 14 attempts … Also had seven kills at Troy (10/18) and five kills versus North Texas (10/13) … Named to the Sun Belt Conference Academic Honor Roll.

AT ENSWORTH HIGH SCHOOL    
Lettered four years at Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tenn., for head coach Eva Lea … Helped the Tigers capture back-to-back Division II Tennessee state championships … Was a Tennessee Sports Writers Association all-state selection after averaging 10 kills and four blocks per match and leading EHS to a 31-4 record as a senior … Defeated Baylor (Chattanooga) in straight sets to capture their second-straight state title … Helped the Tigers capture the state title as a junior, defeating St. Benedict in five sets and finish with a 29-7 record … Also lettered in track at Ensworth, earning third-team all-midstate honors from The Tennessean in the high jump as a sophomore and first-team honors as a junior after winning the state title with a jump of 5-6 … Registered a ninth-place finish in the heptathlon at the AAU Junior Olympics … Excelled in the classroom as she was awarded the Optime Merens academic award as a senior … Played one year of club ball for Alliance out of Nashville, Tenn., where they finished 11th at the AAU National Championships in 2012.

PERSONAL    
Yanikka “Nikki” T’Keyah Gittens … Born in St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago … Daughter of Sterling and Debra Gittens … Fourth of seven children … Favorite classes are biology and psychology … Majoring in exercise science.