HUTCHINSON, Kan.- It was five sleepless nights for the Florida SouthWestern Volleyball program waiting to see if they had done enough through the course of the regular season to earn an at large bids to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas next week. Tonight the Bucs will sleep well as Thursday it was announced that FSW earned one of just two at larges into the tournament and will open at the championship's #4 seed where they will take on #13 Monroe in the opening round next Thursday.
Despite spending the final seven weeks of the regular season at #1 in the National Poll, the Bucs had some tense moments over the past five days after tripping up twice last weekend in the FCSAA State Tournament. The Bucs head to the National Tournament 22-4 overall and winners of 18 of their last 20 contests. They are 7-1 this season against teams in the tournament and have 10 wins this year over Top 20 ranked opponents.
Oddly enough the Bucs tournament run could well end up beginning the same way their 2021 season did, as they take on Monroe (NY) in the first round Thursday at 4 PM (EST) and could potentially match up with Missouri State-West Plains in the second round after taking on the Mustangs and Grizzlies in succession to open their season in Suncoast Arena way back in August.
Blinn, Butler, and Miami Dade drew the top three seeds in front of the Bucs while fellow Suncoast Conference member Polk State is a #9 seed.