MELBOURNE, Fla. (November 5, 2022) - Top-ranked and No. 1 seed Florida SouthWestern State College capped a dominating weekend with a straight-set win over NJCAA No. 7 Miami Dade College to win the Division I FCSAA/NJCAA Southeast District A Championship.
The Bucs (23-1) didn't lose a set in either of their two matches - they also beat Eastern Florida State College by the same 3-0 score on Friday - en route to their first-ever FCSAA Volleyball Championship. The win snapped Miami Dade's six-year stranglehold on the crown and marked just the sixth time in the tournament's 54-year history that the Sharks didn't claim the championship trophy.
With the win, FSW will advance to the NJCAA Division I Volleyball Championships in West Plains, Mo., November 17-19.
Despite the loss, Miami Dade will get another crack to punch its own ticket to the Show Me State. The Sharks will play Region 10 Champion Spartanburg (S.C.) Methodist College at 1 p.m. Sunday in the Southeast District B Championship Match.
FSW was in control from the opening serve, winning the first set, 25-18. The Bucs posted similar scores in the final two sets, 25-19 and 25-17.
A balanced effort propelled FSW to the win - three players recorded double-digit digs, led by Arianna Rossi's 14. Barbara Koehler had 13 and Roberta Purashaj, 11.
Purashaj also contributed 39 assists and Maria Cecilia led the Bucs with 15 kills.
Tournament Most Outstanding Player Julia Lawrenz had seven kills and three blocks. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Cecilia, Koehler and Izzy Collier, who posted seven kills and five blocks.
FCSAA Player of the Year Romina Cornelio had 12 kills and 12 digs and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team, alongside teammates Ana Tevdoradze and Alexandra Koleva.
Other All-Tournament Team members include: Emma Testi, Daytona State; Svenja Rodenbusch, Hillsborough; Sophia Kamke, Eastern Florida State; Kaila Ru, Polk State; and Gaia Riedmuller, Eastern Florida State.
Florida SouthWestern's Thais Baziquetto-Allen received the Mary Andrew Award, presented to the head coach of the Division I FCSAA Champions.