FORT MYERS, Fla.- Following a successful sophomore season playing for the Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers, Elissa Alcantara will be headed to the Midwest next year after signing with the University of Cincinnati to play for the Bearcats in 2022.
Alcantara helped lead the Bucs to a Suncoast Conference Championship and a 5th place finish at the NJCAA National Tournament in her lone season in Fort Myers. She was a 2nd Team All-Conference selection in 2021 after transferring in from the University of Colorado where she played two years for the Buffaloes. She racked up 138 kills in 22 matches for the Bucs, hitting .240 while splitting time on both the outside and right side. She put together three straight big performances for the Bucs midway through the season to earn FCSAA Player of the Week honors when she hammered down 43 kills and hit .380 in FSW wins over #5 Miami Dade, Indian River, and #19 Daytona State.
Alcantara will join a Cincinnati squad coming off of a 19-9 campaign in 2021. The Bearcats finished 14-6 in American Athletic Conference play which was good for a third place finish. Alcantara will look to help get Cincinnati back to the NCAA Tournament next season after the Bearcats made back to back trips to the Big Dance in 2018 and 2019.
Alcantara is the Bucs eighth NCAA Division I signee the past two seasons, joining 2021 teammate Maria Petkova (San Francisco) on the list.