Serving, on and off the court: Former RHS standout Watts makes her mark at MUW

One afternoon in February of 2024, Avery Watts, surrounded by her friends, family, teammates and coaches at the Russellville High School field house, signed to continue her volleyball career at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Mississippi—a dream-come-true moment for the young student-athlete.

At Russellville, Watts’ ability on the court was apparent for all to see. But it was her leadership and intangibles that coaches raved about.

Over the last two years at MUW, Watts, now going into her junior year, has continued to nurture her desire and ability to be a leader of those around her. In the spring of her freshman year she was placed on MUW’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was later elevated to the role of SAAC President for the Owls.

Courtesy MUW Athletics

Watts said she enjoys being a member of SAAC while at the same time taking her role as a voice for her fellow student-athletes very seriously.

“I instantly fell in love with it,” she said. “SAAC is a committee of voices of student-athletes so we can better our environment.

“We do volunteer projects and we provide feedback to the NCAA directly, and I just think that is so cool,” Watts added.

Then, in May of this year, it was announced that Watts had been appointed a member of the national NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as representative of her conference, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC), for a term of service lasting until January 2029. The role makes Watts’ voice not just one for student-athletes at MUW but one for those in her conference and around the nation.

"We are extremely proud of Avery to have earned this position," MUW Director of Athletics Buddy Foster said in a press release. "This speaks volumes about her as a leader and her ability to get things accomplished. It is a tremendous acknowledgement of all that we have accomplished in The W Athletics, albeit in a short period of time as an NCAA III member, to have one of our student-athletes chosen to represent the interests and needs of their peers at the national level."

For Watts, the chance to serve SAAC at the national level is the chance to serve others—and that’s what she’s most excited about.

“This spring my coach told me that I’d been nominated to be our conference SAAC representative at the national level, and so I was stoked because Division III SAAC at the national level represents student-athletes from across the country. There’s 42 of us that meet in Indianapolis and we discuss NCAA legislation and even national legislation that affects us directly,” she said. “We get to speak to people like the NCAA president directly and give him our opinions and tell him what decisions we think he should make. It’s cool but it’s also really important.

“Having this role and having this voice, I take it as an opportunity to serve others, creating an environment where people feel heard and supported and motivated,” she added. “To be able to relay opinions and feedback to someone who can make student-athletes’ lives better, that means everything to me.”

While her leadership star has risen at MUW, so too has she elevated her game on the court.

Watts hit the ground running when she arrived in Columbus in the fall of 2024. As a freshman she made appearances in 18 of her team’s 24 matches, starting 16 of those while recording 1.38 kills per set and a team-high 35 total blocks. She also carved her name into the Owls’ record book, tying a program high for block assists and total blocks in a five-set game against Belhaven.

“That was awesome,” Watts said of the tied record. “Anytime you can leave any kind of footprint at a college institution, I think it’s great. To be able to do that in volleyball, it’s pretty cool.”

In her sophomore campaign last year, Watts became an even bigger presence on the floor, starting in 31 of her team’s 32 matches as the Owls went on to a semifinal appearance in the SLIAC tournament. Once again Watts proved important for the Owls, especially on the defensive side of the net with 64 blocks and 48 block assists.

Academically in her second season, Watts, who is studying chemistry pre-med, earned a place on the SLIAC All-Academic Team and the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

From the outside, it looks like Watts made a smooth transition from high school to college. But making those adjustments, she said, took plenty of attention and effort.

“Time management became a big priority in my life,” she said. “Managing school and athletics was a lot easier in high school because you have a set schedule from 7-3 and then sports after. Things changed a lot in college.

“You have to think about ‘when am I going to take this Friday test instead?’ and ‘I need to make sure I talk to this professor’ and make sure that you find time to fit in lunch,” she added. “So time management became a big thing for me.”

Courtesy MUW Athletics

Between the ever-present school work, increased SAAC responsibilities and, of course, volleyball, those time management skills are sure to be even handier.

Heading into the month of August, it won’t be long now before Watts and the Owls hit the floor for their first contest of the 2026 campaign, a neutral site tournament game against Rhodes College on September 4.

From her first season at MUW to the cusp of the upcoming one, Watts said the mental side of her game has consistently gotten better and helped make her the player she is today.

“My IQ in the game of volleyball has significantly improved,” the outside and middle hitter Watts said. “My coach, Coach Breylee Linder, sat down with me and made me watch D-I players from like Nebraska, Wisconsin and watch how they move on the court and what they’re looking at. I noticed that my mental side of the game took off when we broke it down like that. I could see the decisions and what decisions I needed to make quicker, and that’s elevated my game.”

Now Watts hopes to apply what she’s learned and improved on during her first two seasons to help achieve the goals she’s set both for herself individually and for her team collectively.

“My personal goals this year are to increase my numbers, increase my productivity to help my team achieve a conference championship,” she added. “I want my team to accomplish that conference championship. We made it to the conference semifinals last year, and I want to win it this year.”

The dream that began with a signing ceremony at Russellville High School is still unfolding. Two years into her college career, Watts has already made her mark—both on the volleyball court and as a leader—but her best chapters at MUW may still lie ahead.

"My experience has been amazing,” she said. “I wouldn't have traded these last two years for the world, and I'm so excited I get two more years here."