ROCK HILL, S.C. — Catawba College alumna Melissa Powers Cox has been selected to be enshrined in the South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame as a Class of 2026 inductee per league announcement Friday.

Powers Cox had one of the most decorated women's volleyball careers in Catawba history with recognition reaching to the national level. The middle blocker hailing from Bennett, N.C., was an AVCA All-American and CoSIDA Region Player of the Year as a senior, on top of SAC Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete Award accolades. That season, Powers Cox helped propel the Catawba Indians to their first-ever NCAA Tournament wins highlighted by an upset of No. 1 seed Wingate to reach the regional final.

To cap her college career, Powers Cox was named Catawba's third SAC Female Athlete of the Year in department history (currently standing as one of four). She is the only student-athlete in SAC volleyball history to earn Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year honors.

Powers Cox's name remains etched in the Catawba record book attached to the program's best attacking marks of kills in a match (37), kills in a season (674), career kills (1,884) and career hitting percentage (.326).

The SAC Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will be inducted on Thursday, May 28, at the Renaissance Charlotte SouthPark Hotel during the conference's annual meetings.