Sydney Vance begins her third year as assistant coach for Henderson State Volleyball in 2026-27.
In her second season leading the defensive side of the court, the Reddies returned to the GAC tournament for the fourth straight season. Partain continued to flourish under Vance's guidance, as she paced the nation in total digs, ending up third with 709, and earned GAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, and a All-GAC second team honor. Freshman Berkeley Berry contributed meaningfully for the Reddies, leading the team in service aces and ranking third in digs.
In her first season as a coach, Vance assisted in a Reddie team that continues their streak of GAC tournament appearances. Under her leadership, Kaylon Partain earned GAC defensive player of the week honors and a All-GAC honorable mention at the end of the season, while pacing the league in digs (931).
A former three-year captain for the Reddies, Vance returns to HSU after working as a personal trainer in El Dorado, Arkansas, for the past four years. Before that, she was a health teacher and head junior high volleyball coach at Wynne High School in Wynne, Arkansas. Vance also has experience as a USAVB coach for the Jonesboro Storm and Rocketfuel. She began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Henderson in 2018.
During her time as a player for HSU, Sydney set Great American Conference records for digs in a match (54), digs in a four-set match (54), and digs in a three-set match (34). As of 2020, two of these conference records still stood. Vance also earned both athletic and academic All-GACÂ honors twice.
Vance holds two degrees from Henderson State: a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management (2018) and a Master of Science in Sport Administration (2020).
