FORT MYERS, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern State sophomore Giovanna Bello will be headed from one of the top NJCAA Volleyball programs in the country to one of the top NAIA Volleyball programs in the country next season as Tuesday the Bucs' defensive specialist signed with Park University, the 2020 Heart of America Champions and #1 ranked team in the country.  

 

Bello has played in 40 matches for the Bucs the past two seasons, pulling up 180 digs and notching 10 aces.  She has topped the 10 dig mark in four different matches during her FSW career including three in succession last season against Eastern Florida, Richard Bland, and Miami Dade when she went for a career high 16, 13, and 12 respectively. 

 

Equally as successful off the court as she has been on, Bello is a star student, earning both Suncoast Conference and FCSAA All-Academic team accolades as a freshman while also being named to the NJCAA All-Academic Second Team. 

 

Bello will join a Park program with multiple National Championships under its belt in the past decade.  This season the Pirates are primed for another title run as they will head to the National Tournament with a 19-1 record and off of a perfect Heart of America Tournament in which they won all three of their matches 3-0 on their way to the championship.  

 

Bello and the Bucs are 16-4 and ranked 7th in the latest NJCAA National Rankings. The Bucs captured their first Suncoast Conference Championship in program history this season with a perfect 8-0 record.

 

FSW will be back in action next Thursday when they travel to Jacksonville to take part in the 2021 FCSAA State Tournament as the #2 seed where they will take on conference rival Hillsborough in the first round. 

 

Bello is one of six sophomores that have signed National Letters of Intent this season, joining Julia De Sa (James Madison), Yasso Amin (UTEP), Viktoriya Ivanova (Gonzaga), Kianie Cummings (East Carolina), and Amanda Mendes (Arkansas-Pine Bluff).  

 

Check back at FSWBucs.com this weekend as we continue to highlight our 2021 sophomores who have signed to move onto the next level this season.