The Envoy

The Sept. 16 episode of “Hawk Athletics.” Izabella Williams’ interview begins at 5:17.

David Horn joined for the first episode of “Hawk Athletics” for the fall 2024 semester with Izabella Williams. As an outside hitter for the women’s volleyball team, Williams shared her journey of coming to New York and spreading her wings on the court.

Williams, referred to as “Bella” by her friends, is a native of Denver, Colorado. However, her mother and father’s New York origins led her to visit the Big Apple many times as a kid. 

She received many offers during her junior year of high school, although the “vibe of the school” was very important, she says. On a visit to a school she was considering, Williams recalls the coach asking, “Would you come here if it wasn’t for volleyball?”

That helped her navigate what she wanted in a school, she says, such as her ideal college being located in New York City.

While playing at a tournament in Philadelphia in the spring of 2019, the previous Hawk’s assistant coach, Alyssa Brocoli, came to watch Williams play. Brocoli was impressed by her performance and arranged for William’s visit to Hunter’s campus. Williams loved her experience visiting Hunter. Williams’s goal was always to study sports media and entertainment.

However, in 2020, Williams, like other high school seniors, entered the Covid pandemic. At the same time, she also suffered a knee injury– an incident derailing her collegiate volleyball aspirations.

Nonetheless, she persisted and remained optimistic about her future in volleyball. Despite the challenging times, everything fell into place– Williams was able to attend Hunter and join the volleyball team. 

“I have been feeling better mentally and physically,” Williams says. “It started off as a humbling experience but in the best way possible. I’m so thankful I had the teammates that I had.”

Williams has proved that she is an asset to the volleyball team. Last year, she was an all-tournament player for the Hawks championship run. Within the first two weeks of the current season, she secured the titles of Player of the Week and Player of the Week honorable mention.

“The opportunity is there, again I’m feeling pretty good, I’m lucky like I feel very confident. I’m lucky that as time is going on I’m feeling better rather than regressing,” she says.

Williams has been a dominating presence on the court through the first eight games of the season. She averaged about 11 and a half kills per game, with six double-doubles within the first eight games and a career-high of 18 points against Manhattanville College on Sept. 14. On a Sept. 22 game against Baruch Bearcats, affectionately dubbed as the “Battle of Lexington” by CUNY students, Williams helped lead her team to victory in a 3-0 match.

“It’s really a team effort,” Williams says. “I know it’s coming from someone else or going to someone else.” 

“Hawk Athletics” is a sports show hosted by David Horn airing every Monday at 3 p.m on the Where Hunter College Speaks (WHCS) radio station. In collaboration with WHCS radio, The Envoy breaks down Horn’s weekly show and recaps the latest on all things Hunter athletics.