GSC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
NCAA DIVISION 2 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL RANKINGS

PENSACOLA, FLA. – The 13th-ranked UWF women's volleyball team will play host to the GSC Championship this weekend at the UWF Field House. The 3-day event will begin with quarterfinal round matches on Friday. The Argonauts have a bye into Saturday's semifinals as a result of their regular-season title.
 
UWF is 25-5 overall and went 15-1 in the GSC slate to capture its league-record 14th regular-season crown.

Following second round play on Friday, UWF will face Montevallo at 11 a.m. on Saturday in the semifinals. The other semifinal will be Union versus Auburn Montgomery.
 
UWF'S HISTORY
UWF is 512-152 (.771) all-time which covers 22 seasons since the inaugural campaign in 2000 – the team did not compete during the 2020 season due to the COVID pandemic. UWF has won 14 GSC regular-season titles and 10 postseason tournaments, while appearing in the last 15 NCAA Tournaments.
 
UWF'S GSC POSTSEASON HISTORY
UWF is 28-8 all-time in the GSC Championship and has won 10 titles with 13 appearances in the finals, going 10-3. The Argos have won the last four tournaments and 10 of the last 13. This year marks the seventh-consecutive year and 10th time in the last 11 that the event has been held at the UWF Field House.
 
ARGOS RANKED NO. 13 IN AVCA POLL
UWF has been ranked in every week of the AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll this season. They debuted at No. 5 in the preseason and eventually dropped to No. 14 in week five. They have been No. 13 for the last three weeks.
 
PLAYING THE BEST
UWF has played five ranked opponents this season, going 3-2 with wins over No. 8 Central Missouri, No. 3 Western Washington and No. 17 Barry, while suffering losses to No. 15 Wayne State (Neb.) and No. 17 Lewis. 
 
UWF REMAINS NO. 5 IN NCAA SOUTH REGION RANKINGS
UWF enters the weekend ranked No. 5 in the NCAA South Region Rankings. The NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Selection Show will be aired on ncaa.com on Sunday night at 9:30 p.m. CT.
 
ARGOS PLACE FOUR ON ALL-GSC SQUADS, VANEEKEREN & WOLTER TAKE TOP INDIVIDUAL HONORS
UWF standout Taylor Vaneekeren became the first player in Gulf South Conference history to earn the league's Offensive Player of the Year and Setter of the Year in the same season as she was joined by Melissa Wolter with the Coach of the Year award in the year-end voting as announced by the league on Tuesday. Vaneekeren was voted onto the First Team along with sophomore Jenna Zydlo and graduate student Camila Vazquez, while sophomore Avery Rodgers was a Second Team selection. 

VANEEKEREN AMONG THE BEST SETTERS IN THE COUNTRY
Fifth-year senior Taylor Vaneekeren leads the GSC with 10.6 assists per set while leading an offense that hits .282 on the season with 14.1 kills per set. She has been lethal with her left-handed attack with her 1.1 kills per set on .375 hitting while leading the team in service aces for the second-consecutive year, putting 34 onto the opposing side of the net. She ranks second all-time at UWF with 3,966 assists and fourth with 122 aces, while her 483 sets played are three away from passing Monique StCyr for the UWF record. The Naperville, Illinois native was a First Team All-GSC choice a year ago and joins StCyr as multiple first team setters from UWF.

ZYDLO PLAYING HER BEST WHEN IT MATTERS MOST
Jenna Zydlo is one of the most powerful middle hitters in the GSC, hitting .394 to place second in the league, while racking up 2.6 kills per set on the year with 11 double-digit kill contests. The Basehor, Kansas native has been especially strong in the last four weeks, averaging 10.1 kills per match on a monster .415 hitting.

VAZQUEZ MAKING THE MOST OF HER FINAL COLLEGIATE SEASON
Camila Vazquez has made an immediate impact since joining the team as a transfer from Canisius in August. She has led the team with 2.82 kills per set on a .403 attack percentage, ranking first in the GSC and 12th nationally. Her 3.33 points per set is third in the league. A Tampa native, Vazquez has 16 double-digit kill matches and leads the team with 85 blocks, including 15 solos. This is her fourth career all-conference honor after garnering three All-MAAC awards at Canisius from 2018-21.

AVERY RODGERS EARNS SECOND TEAM ALL-GSC
Avery Rodgers has been among the leading scorers in the GSC all season, currently ranking eighth with 3.16 points per set and 303 overall through 30 matches. She ranks fourth among all league players and tied for the UWF lead with 2.82 kills per set and is fifth in the GSC with a .315 hitting pct. The sophomore from Spanish Fort, Alabama has 15 matches with double-digit kills and 52 total blocks with 12 solos.

ABOUT UF HEAD COACH MELISSA WOLTER
Melissa Wolter's year-in, year-out success is unmatched in the GSC as the Argonauts continue to be the standard of the league. The 2022 squad won it's record 14th regular-season title in her 19th year. She is now the GSC record-holder with six Coach of the Year awards and currently has a 487-152 (.762) overall record at UWF and 246-26 (.904) mark in GSC regular-season play. She is also 28-7 (.800) in GSC Championship action with 10 titles. Earlier this season she won her 500th career match as a college head coach.