Florida Southwestern volleyball is the greatest dynasty in junior college history. The top-ranked Buccaneers defeated their bitter rival and second-seeded Miami Dade 3-0 in the National Junior College Athletic Association national championship on Saturday.
This is FSW's third consecutive national title. No team has ever won three straight NJCAA Division I championships — until now.
"It's so awesome," FSW's Abby Toeniskoetter said. "We have worked for this the whole season, and I am so grateful for the opportunity."
"To be able to call myself a national champion is something that nothing can top," National Tournament MVP Julija Grubisic Cabo added. "FSW is known to be a good program. So I knew I was going to be in a good place, but I never in my life imagined I would be in a place that made me feel so good and that brings out the best in me."
FSW beat Miami Dade 25-16, 25-18, 25-20 to secure the title.
The win caps off a 26-1 season, during which the Buccaneers dominated their competition. FSW swept its opponents in 23 of its 27 matches this year.
"I was just happy," FSW head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen said. "I was just genuinely happy. I think it's going to take me a couple of days to think about the extent of going back to back to back, and what does that mean not just for FSW volleyball but for JUCO volleyball."
Baziquetto-Allen began the FSW volleyball program from nothing in 2019. She says the first group of players set the foundation that is now leading to national success. Now, FSW is the premier destination for junior college volleyball. The Bucs have only lost three games combined in their last three seasons.
"I think it's a little bit of everything," Baziquetto-Allen said about how FSW has created its dynasty. "It's not just the court. It's not just the serve, pass and attack. I think it's just a combination of everything that started with the players saying yes to the vision that we have."
Baziquetto-Allen says she will take a day to relax and bask in the national championship. However, then she plans on getting right back to work to bring home FSW's fourth straight title next season.