Frances Cardenas is a sophomore on the University of Tampa women’s yolleyball team.
“If I told you this was the first weekend we’ve had off all semester,” Cardenas asked, “would you believe me?”
The team has been hard at work all season, making its 29-1 record worth it. The success they’ve been having makes sense. “We have a strict effort policy,” Cardenas said. “We have to go all out, all the time. What separates us from other teams we’ve all been on and other teams at the collegiate level, is that we get after one another. The coaches aren’t the only ones who help us get better.”
The Spartans have had a ton of success this season, with their only loss coming against Eckerd College. The loss was a wake up call and after they tripped up, they won four games in a row. Three of those games were conference wins, leading the Spartans to their seventh straight Sunshine State Conference title.
But the title win was harder to come by than the Spartans had grown accustomed to. On Nove. 9, the Spartans went to Winter Park, Fla., to play Rollins College. The win would secure the conference and set up the Spartans to host the regional tournament.
The game went to five sets. Tampa lost the opening set, came back to win the second and third, lost the fourth, and won the fifth.
“Coach made it clear that the win at Rollins was a big deal,” sophomore Kaylee Koetter said. “It says a lot about us as a team to have sole ownership of that [SSC] title.”
The win also solidified the Spartans reign at the top of their region. With the conference title under their belts, the regional tournament poses an entirely new threat.
The NCAA aired their Bracket Special on Sunday Nov. 13. The host site is announced for each region and the teams are seeded in the tournament according to their win-loss record and their strength of schedule and margin of victory. All regional games will take place from Nov. 17 through the 20th.
“Its single elimination so every person on the court is playing for their life,” Koetter said. “Everyone plays better because this is playoffs.”
The NCAA D II Volleyball tournament consists of 64 teams throughout the nation. Eight teams can host games, and because the Spartans lead their region, they are one of the hosts. It can hardly be classified as a lucky break.
“We work hard all season to be able to host,” Head Coach Chris Catanach said. “It’s a big advantage.”
The Spartans are appearing in the NCAA tournament for the 16th consecutive season. They host the south region because they won the automatic qualifier that is the Sunshine State Conference.
UT will start off tournament play when they host Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) champion Kentucky State University. The match is Thursday at 7:30 P.M.
Other teams in the Spartans’ eight team regional section of the bracket include Northern Alabama, Rollins and Eckerd. The Spartans have proven that they are capable of beating all three teams.
Though Eckerd handed the Spartans their only loss this year, the tournament’s potential matchup will take place on Spartan territory. “Playing at home [against Eckerd] – it makes a big difference,” Koetter said. “When we played there, they had a huge crowd and they were obnoxious. They had a whiteout and they were distracting at times.”
The Martinez center can get loud, too, though. That’s what UT is looking for throughout the tournament. The opportunity to host cannot go to waste.
“If we get to play them again, it will be on Saturday in the regional final,” Cardenas said. “We have to win first, and they have to win, too. But we’re hoping to get just as big of a crowd.”
Other powerhouses from their own regions will be trying to show their worth, just as the Spartans are this coming weekend. Undefeated teams like Wingate and Cal St. – San Bernardino have flawless records. Minnesota – Duluth and Washburn each have only one loss.
The Spartans, currently ranked No. 5 on the AVCA Coaches’ Poll, are right there in the mix. They’re one of the better teams in this 64-team bracket. Expectations are high.
“The NCAA tournament is a lot different than seasonal play,” Catanach said. “But we’re going to approach every game the same way.”
The Spartans have proved to have a solid game plan. And with this regional tournament being single-elimination, their mantra is put to the test yet again.
According to Danielle Selkridge; “One game at a time.”
As it should be. Every game from here on out is win or go home. In the Spartans’ case, it’s win or stay home.
Greg Spracklin can be reached at gspracklin@spartans.ut.edu.