FORT MYERS, Fla.- Florida SouthWestern sophomore Maiana Coelho will be moving from one National Championship program to another next season as the Buccaneers' setter has signed her National Letter of Intent to play at Missouri Baptist University in 2023.
Coelho played in 19 matches for the NJCAA National Champion Buccaneers this season, racking up 103 assists in the process. Helping the Bucs to their third straight Suncoast Conference Championship during the regular season, Coelho put up 10 or more assists in three different conference matches including a season high 17 in a big road win over #13 Hillsborough. She played in all four of FSW's matches at the NJCAA National Tournament, helping the Bucs win 12 of 13 sets played including coming in and dishing out 4 assists in FSW's semifinal win over #5 Missouri State-West Plains. In two seasons with the Bucs, Coelho helped lead FSW to a 52-6 overall record, a 29-1 mark in Suncoast Conference play, and a 7-1 record in National Tournament action.
Coelho will join a Missouri Baptist squad coming off of two NAIA National Championships in the past three seasons. The 2020 and 2021 Champs were 30-5 this season, making yet another trip to the NAIA National Tournament before falling in pool play.
FSW Head Coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen has had good luck with sending players to the Spartans as former right side Giovanna Tapigliani was a two-time First Team All-American at Missouri Baptist while libero Nathiellen Machado was a part of the Spartans 2021 National Championship team alongside Tapigliani.
Coelho joins fellow FSW sophomores Barbara Koehler (Wichita State), and Julia Lawrenz (Hawaii) to sign to play at the next level this season. She is the 11th player in the past two seasons to sign to move on.