Title may bring more success
By Kyle LoJacono
Each year Kim Whitney sets out to win a volleyball national title, but this season that goal seemed a little more likely from the start.
“When we were coming up with our goals a couple months ago everyone said win a national championship,” said Whitney, who has been Pasco-Hernando Community College’s (PHCC) coach for seven years. “We usually have a couple players say that, but this year they all said it. I knew we were talented, but that’s when I knew we had a real chance because they were focused on that goal.”
The Conquistadors (36-7) won the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division II national championship in Wisconsin Nov. 20 in five sets against the Kansas-based Johnson County Community College (JCCC). PHCC is the first Florida team to win the title Division II title, the first athletic championship of any kind for the school.
The match was a close one at 26-24, 13-25, 25-21, 23-25, 15-12. JCCC actually scored more points in the contest with 107 to PHCC’s 102. Sophomore middle blocker Marlie Temple scored the winning point on a block.
“When I saw that ball hit the court it was the best feeling,” Temple said. “You think about winning a national title, but I didn’t think about being the one who put down that winning point.”
Whitney said the squad had lost the only other two five-set matches this season. She said the players really started focusing on finishing out long matches and actually worked on five-set and first to 15 drills in the week of practice leading up to the championship tournament.
The Conquistadors were also well represented on the All-Tournament Team, with sophomore outside hitter Desiree Ates and sophomore middle hitter Tazra Pitts earning spots. Team captain Ashley Seal was named the tournament’s MVP and Whitney was named Coach of the Tournament.
“It was a lot of hard work by everyone,” said Seal, a sophomore setter. “As the setter you have to work with everyone to set up a kill, so I know it takes everyone to win. The MVP should actually go to everyone on the team.”
PHCC is a junior college with players graduating after two years, which makes it difficult for a team to establish itself on the national stage with so much turnover in the roster. Whitney thinks the national championship will help the program maintain its momentum.
“When we talk with kids about coming here we’ve told them about what we’re building, but now we can tell them about the championship we’ve won,” Whitney said. “I think that will help us get more good players to come to PHCC and hopefully that means more championships.”
Whitney and the program have already been able to reach outside central Florida for recruits. Of the 14 players on the roster, five are from out of state including three from Canada.
“I wanted to play in the United States against the best players,” said Temple, who is from British Columbia, Canada. “When coach Whitney told me they wanted me to come to PHCC I knew I wanted to go there. … It’s a little weird to have three players from Canada on the same Florida team, but we play a lot more volleyball in Canada.”
Along with winning, the Conquistadors helped raise awareness about breast cancer and raised money to research cures for the disease. Players sold pink shirts during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and also accepted donations for the cause.
“They understand there are things more important than volleyball and wanted to be thought of as more than just a volleyball team,” Whitney said. “We’ve done this in the past and I’m sure we’ll do it again next year. It fits in with the kind of young ladies here and the type of program we want to have in the future.”
