FSW Volleyball Wins Back-to-Back National Championships!
by Gary Mooney
In a case of déjà vu all over again, the #1-ranked Florida SouthWestern (FSW) Lady Buccaneers Volleyball team defended their 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship with 3 sets to 1 victory over their in-state arch nemesis, the Miami Dade Sharks, on Saturday, November 18, in Hutchinson, Kansas!
It was déjà vu because of the extraordinarily similar journey the Lady Bucs took to defend their Title. In both years, they swept the Sharks 3 sets to 0 to win the Florida State Championship. In both years, the Lady Bucs swept their first three opponents in the National Championship Tournament, then in both years FSW defeated Miami Dade 3 sets to 1 to win the National Championship.
Shark Attack
FSW took no prisoners in their quest to repeat as National Champions, sweeping first #17-ranked Colby Community College, then #10 College of Southern Idaho, and finally #7 Trinity Valley Community College, without surrendering more than 20 points in any of the nine sets. In the opposite bracket, the #3-ranked Miami Dade made a similar march, first sweeping Casper College and then Weatherford College before defeating #5 Navarro College 3 sets to 1 to set up the much-anticipated FSW rematch.
As if the National Championship contest were not motivation enough for FSW, Miami Dade dealt the Lady Bucs their only 2023 defeat, besting FSW in Suncoast Credit Union Arena on October 21 in a 5-set thriller, taking the deciding fifth set 16 to 14. From Miami Dade’s point-of-view, before FSW began its program just five seasons ago, they were the 800-pound gorilla of Junior College Woman’s Volleyball, having won ten National Championships, so this was an ideal opportunity to reassert their dominance.
The Sharks smelled blood first, stomping FSW in their first set 25 to 19. FSW immediately turned the tide in the second, throttling Miami Dade 25 to 16. In the key third set in the best-of-five contest, neither team initially blinked, forging a 10 to 10 tie, but then FSW slowly and methodically pulled away, taking it 25 to 19. The Sharks would not go quietly however, with the fourth set once again tied at 10, before the Lady Bucs went on a 4 to 0 run. Miami Dade won the next two points but then made three crucial errors in a row to bump the FSW lead to 17 to 12. The Lady Bucs, now sensing the finish line, won four of the next five points to go up 21 to 13 before winning their 2023 National Championship on their third match point 25 to 18, with the FSW players, coaches, support staff and a cadre of fans storming the court!
Player Accolades & Coach Thais
The Lady Bucs had an astonishing 57 Kills in their 4-set victory with a .292 hitting percentage. Sophomore All-American candidate Roberta Purashaj distributed 46 assists to go over 1,900 in her FSW career. Fellow Sophomore All-American candidate Alondra Alarcon wrapped up her FSW career with 14 Kills and 13 Digs, giving her double-digit Kills in all eight of her career National Championship Tournament matches. Sophomore Victoria Zibecchi, absolutely playing her finest volleyball in her two-year FSW career during the 2023 Championship Tournament run, had 15 Kills versus just one Error in the final. Like Zibecchi, Freshman Anna Marzella finished strong with 17 Digs, giving her the three highest Dig totals of her career in the National quarter-final, semi-final and Championship matches. Fellow Freshman Nina Boledovicova contributed 14 Kills versus no Errors for a ridiculous .609 hitting percentage, with Sophomore Middle Blocker, 6’4” Izzy Collier, dominating the middle of the net.
Following FSW’s victory, the NJCAA named Alarcon, Purashaj and Zibecchi to its All-Tournament Team, with Purashaj earning the Most Valuable Player Award! These three are no strangers to award ceremonies, as they are each on the 2023 Citrus All-Conference First Team, along with Collier, with Boledovicova on the 2nd Team. Purashaj, FSW’s career assists leader, is the Citrus Conference Player of the Year, finishing second in the State and fourth nationally with 10.81 assists per set while quarterbacking the Lady Bucs to the nation’s top hitting percentage of .318. In winning the 2023 Florida State Championship, Region 8 named Alarcon, Boledovicova and Zibecchi to its All-Tournament Team, with Purashaj the MVP.
Joining them is FSW’s brilliant young coach, Thais Baziquetto-Allen, who received the Heidi Cartisser Coach of the Tournament Award for the second consecutive season, as well as the Citrus Conference Coach of the Year for the fourth straight year. The smooth, smart, savvy and stylish Coach Thais, who began the FSW volleyball program in 2019, is a Junior College volleyball coaching superstar, with an incredible career mark of 119 & 24 for an astounding .826-win percentage! In FSW’s back-to-back National Championships, Coach Thais guided the Lady Bucs to a remarkable 58 & 2 mark, with the 2023 squad setting a school record for wins at 31 & 1! As a recruiter, her territory is apparently Planet Earth, as FSW’s 14-player squad features 12 overseas athletes, with four from Italy, three hailing from Brazil, and one each from Argentina, Peru, Portugal, Serbia and Slovakia, with two Floridians.
Unfortunately, all great things must come to an end, as FSW will almost assuredly have a new coach to guide them for an attempted Three-Peat, as Coach Thais is apparently in high demand. According to a well-placed source, at least three Division 1 NCAA programs want her as their new Head Coach, making her return to the FSW sideline in Summer 2024 highly unlikely. If Coach Thais does leave, her designer high heels will be difficult to fill!
If you want to join the Lady Bucs in celebrating their 2023 National Championship, FSW hosts a victory party at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Tuesday, November 28, at 1 p.m., with all fans welcome; for additional information, see www.fswbucs.com. Remember, “The Bucs – and the 2023 Junior College Volleyball National Championship – Stop Here!”