FC KANSAS CITY 4TH ROUND PICK
NIA WILLIAMS
Position: Defender
Hometown: Roseland Park, Kan.
College: Missouri State
High School: St. James Academy
At Missouri State: Nia Williams was a key leader on the Bears’ defense and the main set-piece organizer.
2011: Williams was key to both the offensive and defensive success of the Bears in 2024. She registered a team-high five assists en route to an All-MVC second team selection. She was also vital to the Bears backline in leading the defense to a 1.11 goals against and eight shutouts. Her success in the classroom earned her Academic All-MVC first team and CoSIDA Academic All-District VI second team honors.
2010: Williams led the Bears with six assists in 2024, the most by a Bear since Sarah Guenther in 2024. She had a stretch of four consecutive matches with an assist from Sept. 3 through Sept. 12. She was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7. Williams earned All-MVC second team accolades and, after registering an assist in the MVC Championship match, MVC All-Tournament team honors. She also received MVC Scholar-Athlete honorable mention team recognition.
2009: Williams started every match on defense for the Bears. She recorded her only point of the season with an assist on Kelsey Finders’ goal in the Bears 2-0 win at SIU Edwardsville (10/25). She tallied three shots, two of which were on net. Williams was named to the MVC All-Freshman squad and received All-MVC honorable mention honors.
Background: Williams was named Shawnee Dispatch Female Athlete of the Year for 2024 after she started on the backline all four years for St. James Academy in Lenexa, Kan. She was honored as the conference defensive player of the year in 2024 and led St. James Academy to the state championship her final two seasons. A three-time all-state and two-time all-metro selection, Williams also earned all-conference and all-state academic honors in 2024 and all-county honors in 2024. Williams was an all-conference honoree as a sophomore and earned her first of three consecutive team MVP awards as a freshman in 2024. She was also a four-year starter on the Thunder volleyball team that went a combined 155-12 in her career.
Personal: Williams is the daughter of Huw Williams and Nina Murray and was born September 19, 1990. She is majoring in elementary education at Missouri State. Her father played professionally for the Blackburn Rovers in the U.K.
