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PENSACOLA, Fla.  – The University of West Florida volleyball team (28-6) will take on Tampa (18-13) in the first round of the NCAA South Regional on Nov. 30 at 12:00 p.m. ET/11:00 AM CT. The game will be held on the campus of Florida Southern in Lakeland, Fla. at the George W. Jenkins Field House, which seats 1,800. This is the 12th straight NCAA Regional tournament appearance for the UWF program. The Argos earned the 3-seed in the tournament, and Tampa earned the 6-seed. 

GSC TOURNAMENT RECAP

* The University of West Florida volleyball program claimed its seventh Gulf South Conference championship with a 3-0 sweep of North Alabama in the UWF Field House Sunday afternoon. The victory was one of the team's most impressive efforts of the season. The Argos piled up 13 blocks and hit .364 as a team to earn the title.

* Head coach Melissa Wolter on the team's tournament championship performance: "There were goals we had set coming into the match, trying to treat it like any other match. The girls were super focused, and at some point it comes down to who executes their game plan better and who weathers storms better. At the end of the day, this was a really nice way to finish off our conference home season."

* The Argos have now won 11 matches and 27 sets in a row. The GSC championship was the team's first since 2013. It was the first time West Florida has swept a GSC Tournament final since downing Christian Brothers 3-0 in 2012.

HISTORY VS. TAMPA

* West Florida previously defeated Tampa, then the 20th-ranked team in the nation, at the Colorado Premier Challenge Sep. 9. Nadine Williams starred in the 3-1 win, leading UWF with 19 kills and 14 digs. It was also a career day for Courtney Markes, who had 13 kills and 5 blocks in the match – both of which are career-highs. The victory was No. 350 in head coach Melissa Wolter's career.

* The Argos last met Tampa in the NCAA Tournament in the South Region final Dec. 7, 2013. The Spartans won the match 3-1 and went to the national quarterfinals, where they fell to Concordia-St. Paul. Tampa would go on to win the 2014 national championship.

* UWF is 4-14 overall vs. the University of Tampa since 2007. Interestingly, all four wins have come away from home. The Argos have scored two wins on neutral floors vs. the Spartans (most recently Sep. 9. 2017 in Denver) and two wins in Tampa (most recently Oct. 19, 2012). UWF will be seeking back-to-back wins vs. Tampa for the first time since Oct. 18 and Nov. 21, 2008.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

* Tampa finished the season 18-13 overall and 13-7 in conference play. The team has won seven matches in a row dating back to Nov. 3. The squad scored a 3-2 win over then-No. 6 Palm Beach Atlantic on Nov. 4.

* Tammy Fosler was an All-Sunshine State Conference Second Team selection in 2017 after registering 253 kills, 84 blocks and a .385 attack percentage. She was selected to the conference Newcomer Team in 2016.

* Sorrel Houghton was named to the Sunshine State Newcomer Team in 2017 after registering 74 digs and 29 blocks.

* The Spartans went 10-4 at home this season, 5-6 away and 3-3 on neutral courts. Tampa was third in the SSC with a .223 hitting percentage. The team was also third with 12.34 assists per set and 13.13 kills per set.

* Fosler leads the SSC with a .377 hitting percentage. Alexandra Misca ranks fourth with a .329 hitting percentage.

* Houghton is 11th in the SSC with 3.11 kills per set. Nicole Dominguez is 12th with 3.01 kills per set.

* Sammy Mueller is sixth in the SSC with 9.16 assists per set.

* Molly McAlvany is 14th in the SSC with 3.18 digs per set.

* Tampa has qualified for the national tournament 22 consecutive seasons, the longest-active streak in the nation.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

* West Florida will compete in its 12th consecutive regional, tied for the eighth longest streak in the nation. UWF is 9-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

* The No. 3 seed is the highest for the program since earning a No. 2 seed heading into the 2012 tournament. The Argos are currently ranked No. 17 nationally. 

* The South Region has produced six national champions or national runners-up since 2001.

AGAINST THE FIELD

* The full bracket for the regional is as follows:

No. 1 Florida Southern (25-6) vs. No. 8 Kentucky State (26-12)
No. 2 Palm Beach Atlantic (25-3) vs. No. 7 Eckerd (17-11)
No. 3 West Florida (28-6) vs. No. 6 Tampa (18-13)
No. 4 North Alabama (27-7) vs. No. 5 Saint Leo (22-6)

* Argos all-time records:

vs. Fla. Southern: 6-9
vs. Palm Beach Atlantic: 0-4
vs. North Alabama: 28-14
vs.. Saint Leo: 6-5
vs. Tampa: 4-14
vs. Eckerd: 9-5
vs. Kentucky State: 0-0

* UWF has played Florida Southern, Palm Beach Atlantic, Tampa, Eckerd and North Alabama (three times so far this year). UWF was defeated by Fla. Southern, PBA, and Eckerd and won all its matches vs. Tampa and North Alabama.

* UWF has taken on ten teams appearing in the NCAA tournament field: Wheeling Jesuit, Southwest Minnesota State, Concordia-St. Paul, Lewis, USC-Aiken, Tampa, Eckerd, Palm Beach Atlantic, North Alabama and Fla. Southern. This list includes four No. 1 seeds, two No. 2 seeds, and one No. 3 seed. The full bracket for the tournament can be accessed here.

HOME DOMINANCE

* With an undefeated record at home against conference opponents, UWF has posted its eighth consecutive regular season without a loss to a conference opponent at the UWF Field House.

* UWF currently rides a 70-match winning streak at home against conference opponents in the regular season, dating back to its last home GSC loss on Oct. 24, 2009 against North Alabama.

GSC AWARDS

* UWF volleyball earned plenty of postseason recognition Monday as Melissa Wolter was named GSC Coach of the Year, Logan Kael was selected as the GSC Co-Freshman of the Year, and Monique StCyr, Rachel Neblett, Jordyn Poppen and Nadine Williams earned All-GSC honors.

* The Coach of the Year honor for Wolter is the fourth of her tenure at UWF. She previously earned the honor in 2008, 2010 and 2011. The 16-0 mark in regular season conference play is the best record of her time as head coach of UWF.

* Kael, who captured multiple Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week Awards throughout the season, was named Co-Freshman of the Year with Kassie Till of West Alabama. The Freshman of the Year honor is the first for UWF in program history.

* StCyr made the fourth All-GSC honors of her illustrious career. The all-time assists and service aces leader in UWF history has continued to star this season. StCyr previously earned second-team All-GSC honors in 2014 and first-team honors in 2015 and 2016. She joins Autumn Duyn as the only players in program history to earn All-GSC honors in four different years.

* Neblett earned All-GSC honors for the second straight season. The senior was a second team All-GSC selection in 2016. She has posted a remarkable 2017 campaign. She is the 15th player in UWF history to win All-GSC honors in two different seasons.

* Poppen rounded out the UWF's first team All-GSC selections. Poppen has enjoyed a breakout campaign that has included one GSC Offensive Player of the Week award. She posted ten or more kills in 13 different regular season matches this year, including a season-high 19 on two different occasions.

* Newcomer Nadine Williams earned her first All-GSC selection as part of the second team. The Santa Fe College transfer has posted excellent numbers in her debut West Florida season. She posted ten or more kills in 12 different matches this regular season, including a season-high 19 vs. Tampa September 9.

D2CCA ALL-REGION SELECTIONS

* Rachel Neblett, Monique StCyr, Jordyn Poppen and Nadine Williams of the University of West Florida volleyball team were named 2017 Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-South Region selections, as voted on by the region's sports information directors.

* Neblett and StCyr were selected to the All-South Region First Team while Williams and Poppen checked in on the All-South Region Second Team. West Florida led the region with four selections and was the only GSC team to have two selections on the region's First Team.

CURRENT GSC/NCAA LEADERS

* Rachel Neblett led the GSC this year with a .431 hitting percentage. Jordyn Poppen ranked seventh with a hitting percentage of .293.

* In the GSC, Neblett ranked sixth with 3.45 kills per set. Neblett ranked second with 0.44 service aces per set. She was second with 4.45 points per set. Poppen ranked eighth with 2.98 kills per set.

* Monique StCyr ranked second in the GSC with 9.89 assists per set.

* In the GSC, Morrison ranked third with 1.00 blocks per set. Neblett ranks fifth with 0.97 blocks per set.

* Logan Kael was sixth in the GSC in digs with 4.18 per set.

* UWF led the GSC with a .264 hitting percentage. UWF led the conference in kills per set (14.28),  and opponent service aces (0.77). The team was second in the conference in blocks per set (2.16) and assists per set (13.36).

* As of November 19, Rachel Neblett ranked first in NCAA DII Volleyball with a .431 hitting percentage.

* As of November 19, UWF ranked fifth nationally with 1,728 total kills. The team ranked 12th nationally with 14.28 kills per set. UWF ranked 20th with 261 total blocks. The squad checked in at 23rd with an .824 winning percentage.

STCYR NOTCHES SERVICE ACES RECORD

* Monique StCyr has posted 32 service aces in the 2017 season, surpassing previous record-holder Jessica Bragion, who accumulated 165 from 2002-2005, on the all-time UWF career service aces list. StCyr is already the all-time career assists leader at UWF, checking in with 3,337 to begin the year and adding 1,147 this season. She is the first Argo to eclipse 4,000 assists in a career.

UWF CAREER SERVICE ACES

167 - Monique StCyr (2014-present)
165 - Jessica Bragion (2002-2005)
133 - Jerica Carter (2005-2008)
102 - Melina Pereira (2003, 2005-2006)
101 - Chelsea Wilhoite (2007-2010)
101 - Naiara Fernandes (2005-2006)
94 - Autumn Duyn (2012-2015)
92 - Lindsay Homme (2009-2013)
88 - Kristy Krause (2000-2003)
87 - Tori Martella (2013-2016)
79 - Haley Shackelford (2011-2012)

NEBLETT ON TRACK FOR ATTACK PERCENTAGE RECORD

* Rachel Neblett finished second in UWF history in 2016 in attack percentage with a mark of .354. She currently owns an attack percentage of .431 in 2017. If maintained, this would be the all-time most efficient mark for a single-season in UWF history. Neblett is also on track to break the career attack percentage mark. Entering the weekend, she has maintained a .351 career mark, which would eclipse the record currently held by current graduate assistant coach Kathryn Torre (.340).

SINGLE SEASON ATTACK PERCENTAGE (K/E/TA) (Minimum 500 attacks)

.376 (505/118/1028) - Kristy Krause (2003)
.354 (276/74/570) - Rachel Neblett (2016)
.348 (316/82/672) - Kathryn Torre (2016)
.333 (499/150/1082) - Isabela Gualberto (2007)
.329 (249/65/559) - Kathryn Torre (2015)
.326 (387/101/878) - Lindsay Homme (2011)
.319 (364/98/834) – Patricia Gandolfo (2008)
.316 (504/139/1155) - Kristy Krause (2002)
.305 (374/102/893) - Patricia Gandolfo (2009)
.303 (325/90/775) - Kara Gonzalez (2010)
.301 (394/116/924) - Luciana Rapach (2007)
.297 (318/112/693) - Ayana Stewart (2003)

ARGOS PURSUE TEAM ATTACK PERCENTAGE RECORD

* 2017 will prove to be one of the most efficient attacking seasons in UWF history. The squad currently owns a .262 attack percentage for the 2017 season, a mark that puts them just ahead of  the 2016 squad, which finished with the second-most efficient season in school history. If the pace is maintained, the program will enjoy its best back-to-back attack percentage seasons in school history.  

ATTACK PERCENTAGE, K/E/TA

.264 (1699/590/4199) (2003)
.260 (1791/585/4640) (2016)
.254 (1924/693/4855) (2010)
.248 (2167/780/5590) (2007)
.247 (1812/634/4761) (2012)
.244 (1687/611/4366) (2011)
.241 (1783/649/4713) (2008)
.236 (1498/568/3939) (2014)
.233 (1638/624/4357) (2015)
.233 (1769/677/4696) (2009)
.233 (1584/615/4152) (2002)
.220 (1812/711/5014) (2013)
 

#ARGOS#