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TAMPA'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
NCAA DIGITAL GAME PROGRAM
NCAA DIVISION 2 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL BRACKET

PENSACOLA, FLA. – The 11th-ranked UWF women's volleyball team will open play at the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Championship as the fifth seed in the South Region. UWF will face fourth-seeded Eckerd at 5 p.m. ET/4 p.m. CT. The winner will face the Tampa-Spring Hill winner on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CT.
 
UWF is 27-5 overall and went 15-1 in the GSC slate to capture its league-record 14th regular-season crown.
 
UWF'S HISTORY
UWF is 514-152 (.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 11 postseason tournaments, while appearing in the last 16 NCAA Tournaments.
 
UWF MAKING ITS 16TH-CONSECUTIVE NCAA APPEARANCE
UWF is making its 16th-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, which is tied for the sixth-longest active streak in the country. The Argonauts are 13-15 all-time in the tournament, reaching the finals five times, including last season in Pensacola. UWF is 0-5 in finals matches, with those coming in 2008, 2010, 2013, 2017 and 2021. The Argos are 8-7 in opening round matches and 5-3 in the semifinals.
 
UWF WINS ANOTHER GSC CHAMPIONSHIP
UWF improved to 30-8 all-time in the GSC Championship and won its 11th title, moving to 11-3 in title matches. The Argos have won the last five tournaments and 11 of the last 14. This year was also 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. 11 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 enter the NCAA Regional at No. 11 after three weeks at No. 13.
 
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. 
 
VANEEKEREN NAMED D2CCA SOUTH REGION PLAYER OF THE YEAR; VAZQUEZ & ZYDLO ALSO ALL-REGION
UWF women's volleyball standout Taylor Vaneekeren was voted the South Region Player of the Year by the Division 2 Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) on Thursday. Additionally, she was joined on the First Team All-Region team by teammate Camila Vazquez and Second Team selection Jenna Zydlo.
 
Vaneekeren was previously named the Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Setter of the Year before earning GSC Championship Most Outstanding Player at last weekend's tournament. The senior from Naperville, Illinois leads the GSC & ranks 30th in the country in assists per set with 10.53. She has led the UWF offense to a .281 hitting pct., which is seventh in the NCAA and 14.1 kills per set to place the Argos 13th in the country. She has 15 double-doubles and a team-high 36 aces this season. For her career, she has 4,026 assists and 8.20 assists per set, 126 service aces and 1,150 digs. In UWF's GSC semifinal win she became the school's all-time leader in sets played with 489.
 
This is the second-consecutive year she has earned First Team All-Region honors. It also marks the third-consecutive full season for a UWF player to win the Player of the Year Award, following Jordyn Poppen in 2019 and Veresia Yon in 2021.
 
Vazquez has been a dynamic addition to the program as a graduate transfer in 2022. The Tampa native ranks 15th in the NCAA in hitting at .397 while also collecting 93 blocks and 3.09 points per set. She leads the Argos with 17 matches in double-digit kills. She was a First Team All-GSC selection earlier this month.
 
Zydlo adds Second Team All-Region honors to her growing list of accolades in just her second season at UWF. She ranks sixth in GSC with a .307 hitting pct. & fifth with 2.8 kills per set. The Second Team All-GSC pic is one of only 5 players in GSC to rank in the top 10 in both of those categories. The Basehor, Kansas product has 14 double-digit kill matches and is seventh in the GSC with 288 points.
 
ARGOS BRING TOP 10 OFFENSE TO TAMPA
UWF ranks sixth in the country with a ,281 hitting pct. That figure is powered by Camila Vazquez (.397 is 10th in NCAA), Jenna Zydlo (.383 is 18th), Avery Rodgers (.317 is 93rd) and setter Taylor Vaneekeren (.396 with 127 kills). The Argos' 14.05 kills per set is 16th nationally and second in the South Region behind Lynn's 14.37 (6th in NCAA).
 
AGAINST THE FIELD
UWF is 3-1 against the rest of the NCAA South Regional field this season, with its last loss coming in a 3-1 decision to first round opponent Eckerd back at the South Region Crossover. Since then, the Argos have won 10-straight, including a 3-2 come-from-behind win over Barry a day later. UWF also has wins over Nova Southeastern (at the Crossover) and Spring Hill (opening weekend tourney at UWF). UWF is 9-6 all-time against Eckerd but has lost the last three meetings. The Argos have won the only two NCAA Regional matches in 2008 and 2013 – both in Tampa.