Sigourney’s Amiya Smallwood Signs to Play Volleyball at Cornell College

SIGOURNEY—On May 15, Amiya Smallwood of the Sigourney Savages volleyball team signed her letter of intent to play for Cornell College at the collegiate level.

When asked about how this opportunity came about, Smallwood responded with, “My dad and I talked about how college volleyball was something that I really wanted to do. So, we started the recruiting process, and started reaching out to schools that would be a good fit for me, and it just kind of went from there.”

Smallwood was an integral part of the Savages historic run to the SICL Gold Bracket these past two seasons, the only season they have secured a spot in the Gold Bracket. She spoke on the sense of accomplishment that comes with leaving that kind of legacy with, “It feels good. I feel like I played a very important role in volleyball my junior and senior years. It’s going to be fun to come back next year to see them. I am just glad to be a part of something so good for the program.”

The Savages are a team that is predicated by their power hitters, and Smallwood has led the team in kills the past two seasons. In the 2023/2024 season, Smallwood tallied 180 kills, which was the 11th most in the South Iowa Cedar League Conference.

“Definitely going to work on my aggression. That is definitely a strong part of my game that I want to bring to college with me,” explained Smallwood.

Heading into her first season, Smallwood doesn’t want to hyperfocus on specific goals, instead she wants to, “Focus on bettering my game. I know that college is a high level, so going from high school to college will be a jump. I do play club, so hopefully the transition isn’t too tough. I just want to get better. I want to improve my game by the time I am an upperclassmen in college because I hope to be starting by then.”

One of the most important parts of Smallwood’s game is not necessarily in the sport itself, but in her ability to fire up her teammates. Whenever there was a big block, or massive kill, Smallwood was in the heart of the celebration. She spoke on bringing this energy with her to Cornell College with, “That is something that is a part of my game and will never go away. As long as I am playing volleyball, I will be acting like that.”