Kadija (pronounced: ka-DEE-ja) Dickens is in her fifth season as the assistant womens volleyball coach for Augusta University and aided the team to their best record in school history in her first year. With Dickens on the coaching staff, Augusta reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history in 2014, has had three Peach Belt All-Conference selections, Eight PBC All-Academic honorees, and Jessica Hedrick was named the PBC Freshman of the Year. Prior to joining Augusta University for the 2014 season, Dickens spent a season as the assistant men's and womens volleyball coach at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C., in 2013. In 2014, the Augusta Jags posted their best record in program history at 27-9 overall and 13-5 in the PBC. Head Coach Sharon Quarles was voted as the 2014 Coach of the Year on Nov. 14, after she had the most successful season any coach has ever had with the team. The Jags had two seven-game winning streaks and one nine-game winning streak during the 2014 season highlighted by their 24th win on Nov. 5 against the Georgia College Bobcats, surpassing the previous mark of 23 wins set in the 1995 season. A native of West Palm Beach, Fla., Dickens joined the Jags after graduating from Wake Forest University in 2012. Dickens finished her four-year term ranking third on the program's all-time kills list and led the Demon Deacons her senior year in kills (395, 3.40 kps) while starting all 30 matches. She ended her collegiate career with 1292 kills (2.96 kps), 43 service aces, 59 assists, 22 block solos, and 153 block assists while playing in 123 matches and 437 sets. In addition to her prowess at Wake, Dickens played professionally in Aprilia, Italy from August 2012 to May 2013, and recently served as a coach for All-American Volleyball. Dickens's past coaching experience also includes working with Set Point Volleyball Club, as well as several camps. Formerly Kadija Fornah, she married Cannon Dickens on May 20, 2017 in Savannah, Ga. The two have a son, Cannon Ridley, who was born on May 18, 2018.