Lady Sharks Fall One Victory Short Of National Volleyball Championship
For the second year in a row, the Miami Dade College volleyball season ended with a loss to Florida SouthWestern State College—this time it cost them a national championship.
The Buccaneers defeated the Lady Sharks (25-16, 12-25, 25-20 and 25-16) Saturday night at the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament in West Plains, Missouri to capture the schools first-ever national title.
Florida SouthWestern has defeated MDC seven straight times including four games this season.
Despite the loss, the Lady Sharks remained upbeat about a season that saw them lose three of their first four games, suffer serious injuries to two of their top players—Kiaraliz Perez missed most of October with a posterior cruciate ligament injury and Luisa Melloni played in only three games due to a torn labrum and dislocated pinky—and rebound to defeat the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams at the national tournament.
“I celebrate this as a championship. I am a champion,” Perez said. “Our goal was to win the championship but we got second place and that is something great for Miami Dade and a source of pride for me.”
The Buccaneers, who came into the tournament ranked No. 1 in the country, won the first set 25-16 but MDC recovered, winning the second set 25-12. In the third set, FSW jumped out to an early 20-10 lead but MDC roared back to get within two before the Buccaneers put the game away 25-20. The final game was tight with the Buccaneers clutching on to a 19-16 lead before they scored the final six points to capture the championship.
Outside hitter Barbara Koehler led the Buccaneers (27-1) with 15 digs and 12 kills. She was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
The Lady Sharks, who entered the tournament with a No. 6 ranking, were led by Perez with 17 digs, outside hitter Ana Tevdoradze who had 15 kills and 11 digs and setter Alexandra Koleva who contributed 32 assists and 10 digs.
“I really expected to win the [national] championship but second place is still good,“ Koleva said. “We represent[ed] our school the best we could.”
To get to the national title game, the Lady Sharks defeated No. 11 ranked Seward County Community College (25-18, 25-22 and 25-10) and No. 3 ranked Salt Lake Community College (25-17, 21-25, 25-10 and 25-20), who beat MDC in the first game of the season, on Thursday.
In the semifinals game on Friday, the Lady Sharks (24-9) defeated the No. 2 ranked team in the nation, Indian Hills Community College (25-22, 25-21 and 25-13).
“[Coach said] we did an amazing job,” Tevdoradze said. “Life is not always on our side but we didn’t give up.”
After the tournament, Tevdoradze and sophomore Romina Cornelio were selected to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team.
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