FORT MYERS, Fla. — Call it a three-peat!
The Florida Southwestern State College women's volleyball team is named the NJCAA Division 1 national champions for a third time. The young team made history by being the first team in the division to do so. They were celebrated at Monday's FSW women's basketball halftime.
As the buzzer of the women's basketball game marked halftime, this year's volleyball team was honored for its season's accomplishments.
The team played 32 games and only lost once — to Miami Dade. The coach — Thais Baziquetto-Allen, says the loss taught them a lesson —
They played Miami Dade in the final game of their season, but the Buccaneers got a different result this second time.
When they returned home from playing, the young women were cheered as they entered their residence halls.
Coach Baziquetto-Allen says they are running out of space for their flags in the arena.
"You know, we beat 17 nationally ranked teams, says the Coach. "We only lost seven sets. We won 80 sets and lost only seven all year. But that's just, like the tip of the iceberg, that's just the top part. That's just what everybody sees, but the seven o'clock lifting, the study halls and the practices and the fume session and coming in and like, knowing that you're going to be challenged every day."
The team faced challenges, but the result of their hard work was a championship.
The coach says the young women's dedication to the craft on and off the court makes her proud of the team she has created.
Magi Milicevic is an outside hitter on the team. Six months ago, Milicevic told us she was in Bulgaria - not knowing she would be in southwest Florida winning a championship.
"I realized that there are no limitations to what we can do," says Milicevic. "The only limit is our mind. So once we believe we can actually do something, it just will happen with the hard work."
