Bio

Eliane (Lilly) Domingos, a two-time All-American that currently ranks third all-time in kills in the history of the Cowley College volleyball program, has been selected for induction into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, February 6, 2021.

Lilly joined her sister, Fernanda, as the first two-time All-Americans in the history of the Lady Tiger volleyball program. Fernanda was previously inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.

Born and raised in Brazil, she began playing volleyball at the age of 12.

“My sister (Fernanda) was already playing volleyball and I really liked that we could be athletes, but we didn’t have to run much in our conditioning,” Lilly said.

She attended Professor Helio Palermo High School in Franca, Brazil and decided to follow Fernanda to Cowley.

“We always played volleyball together in Brazil and I hoped to continue that tradition by going to Cowley,” Lilly said.

Joanna Pryor was the head volleyball coach at Cowley at the time and remembers when she first went to the airport to pick up Fernanda.

“When I picked Fernanda up at the airport when she first arrived and we were on our way to Ark City, she mentioned she had a 6’3” sister at home. I asked why she wasn’t on this van?,” Pryor said. “Needless to say, she came in January. I can say that these girls knew more about volleyball than I did, but you would never know it. Lilly was a very respectful player and worked hard. She was a six rotation player (played all the way around) and obviously a very talented player. Lilly had the advantage of height that she certainly was able to use to her advantage. Man could she close a block!”

She was the NJCAA Division II leader in blocks per game for each of her two years (2005-2006) at Cowley.

“Due to my height, I was able to block the ball and play defense very effectively,” Lilly said.

She was named the Jayhawk East Most Valuable Player as a sophomore as she helped the Tigers to a national runner-up finish.

Lilly has fond memories of playing for Coach Pryor.

“It was just amazing! Jo was and always will be more than a coach for me,” Lilly said. “She did so much for all of the girls on our team. We were really lucky to have Joanna as our coach.”

With her sister, Fernanda, a year ahead in school and playing at the University of Alabama Birmingham, Lilly again made the move to join Fernanda.

“Playing alongside my sister was a dream,” Lilly said. “I have the best sister in the world. My sister was, is and always will be my role model. She always pushes me to do my best. We are both so competitive and since we always played together, we knew each other's tricks. We would constantly “trash talk” each other across the net. If I blocked one of her plays, I would celebrate like it was match point-even if we were just practicing. I am sure the girls on our team thought we were just crazy. Maybe we were a little, but we had so much fun.”

One year after Fernanda earned the honor, Lilly went on to be named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year in her first season playing volleyball at the University of Alabama Birmingham. She went on to earn All-Conference and All-Tournament honors.

“UAB was kind of like Cowley, I knew I was going there, and I could not wait to play with my sister again,” Lilly said. “We had a lot of success there as well. If I could change one thing about my volleyball career, I wish I could have played with my sister for all four years. Even though we only played together for two years it was the best two years of volleyball I have ever had. Our connection was on point. We could finish each other's sentences. It was crazy and amazing at the same time.”

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Foreign Languages, Lilly went on to coach volleyball at Coffeyville Community College, Independence Community College, Labette Community College, West Alabama University, Alabama State University, and Fort Hays State University. Presently, she is in her third year working for Arkansas City USD 470 as an Intensive English teacher in the ESOL Program at Roosevelt Elementary School.

She is grateful and proud to be joining her sister and former coach, Joanna Pryor, in the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame.

“It is somewhat overwhelming to be recognized for your hard work, but it is truly an honor to be inducted,” Lilly said.