LAS VEGAS, Nev.- The #1 Florida SouthWestern State Buccaneers flexed their muscles to finish up their three day trip to Las Vegas a perfect 4-0 on Saturday morning as they swept DII #11 Glendale 25-15, 25-11, 25-18 to remain unbeaten on the 2022 campaign. 

 

Things were tight early on between the top ranked team in NJCAA Division I in FSW and one of the top teams in NJCAA Division II Glendale as the Bucs and Gauchos found themselves tied at 9 after 18 points played.  A big block from Izzy Collier and Maria Cecilia started a 6-1 run for the Bucs to give them a 15-10 lead ahead of a Gaucho timeout.  Glendale regained their footing and got back to within three, but FSW stepped on the gas once more, scoring the final five points of the set including an emphatic kill from Alondra Alarcon to bring the set to a close with the Bucs taking it 25-15 to go ahead 1-0 in the match. 

 

Cecilia got the Bucs started with back to back kills in the second and with Barbara Koehler at the service line, FSW scored the first six points of the set to jump out to an early 6-0 lead.  They never relented as they stretched their lead to 15-3 after four straight kills from four different players in Alarcon, Koehler, Julia Lawrenz, and Victoria Zibecchi.  A stuff block from Collier and Maiana Coelho on the outside gave the Bucs set point and a Gaucho attack error sealed the deal as FSW took the set 25-11 to go ahead 2-0 in the match. 

 

The Bucs switched up their lineup in the third and it took a while for them to click as Glendale took their first mid set lead at 10-9.  Coelho found Koehler on the outside to tie things up and it started a 5-1 run for the Bucs to give them a 14-11 lead minutes later.  FSW continued to pad their lead as Anica Bobic and Zibecchi banged home back to back kills and Coelho dished up two straight aces to make it 22-14 before a Coelho to Bobic hook up finished off the set and the match as the Bucs took it 25-18 to sweep the Gauchos.  

 

FSW hit an efficient .333 in the match led by Koehler's 11 kills and a combined 12 kills without an error from Collier and Zibecchi.  Arianna Rossi led the Bucs defense with 14 digs in the win while Collier paced the Bucs at the net with four blocks.  

 

The Bucs improve to 9-0 on the season with the win and earns their sixth win of the season over a ranked club. Glendale drops to 3-3 on the year.  

 

Bucs fans will get plenty of chances to see the Purple and Aqua at home over the next week as FSW turns their sights back to Suncoast Conference play with three home games, starting Tuesday at 6:00 when they host the Saints of Santa Fe at Suncoast Credit Union Arena.