Bio

Known as the athlete that helped return the Cowley College volleyball team back to prominence, Fernanda Domingos was the program’s first-ever two-time All-American. The hard-hitting Domingos will be recognized for her greatness when she is inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 26.

Domingos came to Cowley from Brazil where she did not begin playing volleyball until she was a teenager. Despite being late to the sport, Domingos was a quick learner and was recruited to play volleyball at Cowley College by former Lady Tiger head coach Joanna Pryor.

“If it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be where I am today, her care, her over the top dedication: going to classes with me, helping me with my English, giving me volleyball and life advices,” Domingos said.

Domingos made an immediate impact at Cowley as she helped the 2005 Lady Tiger volleyball team finish as the national runner-up and capture its first outright conference title since 1981. The Lady Tigers’ finished the 2005 season with a record of 30-6 overall and 9-0 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division as they were ranked No. 1 in the final regular season poll.

“Fernanda was a tremendous volleyball player with a wealth of knowledge for the game,” Pryor said. “She could play nearly any position and be successful. When we lost the national championship we were all crying and hugging. I told her that I wanted to win for her and she told me she wanted to win for me. We made a good team. She would do anything for her teammates and the people she held dear.” 

Domingos was Cowley’s first All-American in volleyball since Peaches Harris in 1987. She was named first-team all-conference and all-region each year at Cowley.

“Her freshman year she played middle (her least favorite position) and became an All-American that ended a drought of 18 years at Cowley. As a player and a person she was/is selfless,” Pryor said. “Her loving and caring personality made her a crowd favorite. She was a competitor, nothing stopped her.” 

Domingos’ sister, Lilly, joined the team for the 2006 season and Cowley again won 30 games, captured the conference title, and this time placed third at the national tournament.

She capped her Cowley career by being named the 2006 Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

“Playing for Cowley was surreal, coming from where I came from, a third world country, first time away from my parents and it just happens to be thousands of miles away,” Domingos said. “The only connection I had was volleyball. And practice and game times were the only times I wasn’t crying or second guessing the decision I had made.”

Along with Pryor, Domingos credits her former roommate at Cowley, Abby McHugh –Kocukov, the Cowley community, and Chris Vollweider for helping her with the transition of being away from home.

“All played very important roles during my stay, they made me feel welcomed, they took care of me and were my second family,” Domingos said. “Joanna was/is spectacular. She should be receiving the award. She enabled me and so many other girls to be who we are today.”

After Cowley, Domingos went on to play volleyball at NCAA Division I University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) where she was named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year as she helped UAB win its first Conference USA Tournament and led the Blazers to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

With Lilly joining her at UAB for her senior season, Domingos was named a second-team all-conference selection.

After her playing days she went on to serve as an assistant coach at Fort Hays State University, where she also achieved a Master’s of Science in Health and Human performance.

“Playing volleyball changed my life in many aspects, I am so grateful to all the opportunities this sport gave me in every aspect of my life,” Domingos said.

She married former Tiger basketball player and assistant coach, Jonathan Raney, in 2009 and the couple have two children, Jackson 9, and Gabriela 5.

The couple resides in Lawrence, KS, where Domingos is a preschool teacher.

Being selected for induction into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame is something that Domingos does not take for granted.

“I would not have ever accomplished it if it wasn’t for those that made it possible: Joanna and my teammates and all my friends along the way,” Domingos said. “My family that prayed and sacrificed for me in my decisions, my sister that came to play with me. Life is short and so special. There are so many people we meet along the way and what means the most are the friendships that you take along with you. This honor is a reminder of the wonderful relationships/friendships I have taken with me to this day.”