West Florida earned its second consecutive Gulf South Conference championship with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20) sweep of East Division rival West Alabama on Saturday night.
Patricia Gandolfo was named as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player while juniors Jamie Nichols and Chelsea Wilhoite earned All-Tournament nods.
Nichols led the offensive with a total of 14 kills for a .522 hitting percentage, while Gandolfo nailed 12 kills for a .750 clip.
Lindsay Homme and Valissia Brathwaite joined in the double-digits with 10 and 11 kills, respectively. Homme’s 11 kills were good for a .500 clip, the third Argo hitting at .500 or above.
As a team, West Florida hit .371 with the credit due to Tricia Tirabassi’s 40 assists. Nichols and Tirabassi each tacked on two service aces.
The defense was again led by Wilhoite, who turned in a team-high 11 digs, followed closely by Tirabassi’s 10 that gave her a double-double on the match.
Maddie Staub tallied six, and Kristen Wimer had five digs and was a great defensive contributor. Gandolfo was the block leader with three, including one solo.
West Florida proved to be the hungriest team in the GSC Finals, sweeping their co-champion West Alabama to successfully defend their Gulf South title.
The Argos hoisted their second consecutive trophy after dropping just one set all weekend, that loss coming in the first round to Henderson State.
West Florida’s second straight Gulf South Conference championship title automatically qualified them for the NCAA National Tournament, scheduled to begin Nov. 19.
The Argos will face competition in the South Region, and will have the opportunity to vie for a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. The NCAA released the bracket for the upcoming tournament on Sunday, pairing No. 3 seed West Florida with No. 6 seed Lynn University.
The two will square off on the University of Tampa’s court after the Spartans earned the first seed in the region with the right to host.
UWF and Lynn met early in the 2009 season at the South Region Crossover hosted by the Argonauts in September. The squads battled through five sets with Lynn emerging as the victor.
West Florida will look to avenge that loss this weekend. The Argos and North Alabama will represent the only Gulf South Conference schools to earn a chance to compete in the tournament.
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