Women's Volleyball | 11/14/2018 4:49:00 PM
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – "How many of you have championship level experience?" Bucs head coach Steve Hendricks asked his team today during practice inside the Rubin Arena on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University.
One by one, every player on the Buccaneer Volleyball team nodded and explained where and how many championship matches they had been a part of. From European tournaments to Brazilian championships, to District or State Finals across the United States all of the players on the roster shared their wealth of U.S. and international championship experience. Hendricks was proving a point to the team that while none of the Buccaneer players have participated in a NCAA Tournament, the win or go home mentality and high level of competition should be familiar to his team. Those two things are what the remainder of the season will consist of for the Buccaneers. Barry has already played West Alabama this season during the 2018 SSC/GSC Crossover in Orlando, Florida. The Buccaneers came away with a 3-0 victory over the Tigers.
FIRST DANCE FOR THE TIGERS
The West Alabama Tigers are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in the program's history. UWA enters the tournament 22-9 after falling just short in the Gulf South Conference Volleyball Championship Finals last week to the West Florida Argonauts in five sets. The Argos are in the tournament as the fifth seed. "I am still overwhelmed with how much this team has accomplished this year and I am so excited to have at least another week with them," said Tigers head coach Alexis Meeks. "We got to play Barry in the Crossover this year, so we know what to expect a little bit. They are a big team with great ball control. However, we did not play to our potential in our first meeting so I'm excited that our girls get another chance against them.
Tale of the Tape
| Stat |
Barry |
West Alabama |
| Record |
28-3, 17-3 SSC |
22-9, 13-3 GSC |
| Kills Per Set |
14.0 |
13.5 |
| Hitting% |
.260 |
.230 |
| Digs Per Set |
17.6 |
16.1 |
| Blocks Per Set |
2.4 |
1.5 |
| Assists Per Set |
13.2 |
12.7 |
