MIAMI SHORES, Fla.— The Barry Buccaneers rallied from a game-one loss to defeat Truman State University 25-30, 30-21, 30-25, 30-24 to win the 2004 NCAA Division II Volleyball national championship in the Health & Sports Center at Barry University Saturday night.

The Bulldogs quieted the crowd with a 30-25 first-game win, hitting .326 with 20 kills. Jessica Sears paced the attack with five kills. With the score tied 18-18, Truman scored six of the next nine points to build a lead which carried them to the win.

In the second game, the Buccaneers found a way to crank it up a notch, taking a 30-21 win to even the match. The Bucs put consistent pressure on the Bulldogs, driving Truman coach Qi Wang to utilize his first two timeouts of the tournament. Fernanda Brino had eight kills as the Bucs reversed the hitting trend from game one.

“Every single game this year, we were able to reach in for a source of energy,” Barry coach Dave Nichols said. “Every time we got a streak going, I felt that the crowd added one point to that. Absolutely it was huge, and it brought the best out in the players.”

The Bucs went up 2-1 with a 30-25 win in game three. The Bucs kept the hitting pressure on, slamming 21 kills and hitting .362, while holding the Bulldogs to .130 hitting in the frame. Brino was again top gun for Barry with seven kills in the game.

Game four was tight, with neither team able to build much of a lead until the Bulldogs built a 17-11 lead. But Barry responded with a 16-5 run to go up 27-22 and kills from Sarah Alexander (two) and Kelly Dantas gave the Bucs the title.

“We know, no matter what, that you always have to go to the end,” Truman’s Wang said. “Overall, we are satisfied with our team, over the whole season. On this match I have to give the credit to Barry, they are a great team and very experienced.”

Brino led all attackers with 24 kills and 17 digs. Karla Bersano added 15, Samanta Tucillo had 14, Dantas had 12 and Alexander 10 as all five of the Bucs’ hitters registered double figure kills. Sears led the Bulldogs with 22 kills and Tiffany Graham and Sarah Shearman added 11 and Micaela Walter had 10. Michele Rosamiglia directed the Barry offense to a .324 attack percentage with 59 assists, while Truman’s duo of Christine Wagener and Rebecca Knefelkamp had 26 and 24 respecively.

Brino, Rosamiglia and Bersano made the All-Tournament team from Barry, while Truman had Sears Shearman and Graham honored. Callie Zwettler and Vicky Bragleman earned spots from Minnesota-Duluth. Nebraska-Kearney’s Erin Gudmundson and Erin Arnold, and Li Yizhi from Lock Haven and Briana Harris from Cal State San Bernardino rounded out the squad.

Short Box Score (Match)
2004 Barry University Buccaneers
#2 Truman vs #3 Barry (12/04/04 at Miami Shores, Fla.)

Barry def. Truman 25-30,30-21,30-25,30-24

Truman (37-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Sears,Jessica 22-1-1; Graham,Tiffany 11-0-0; Shearman,Sarah 11-0-0; Walter,Micaela 10-0-2; Clark,Caroline 4-0-0; Nickolai,Annie 3-0-0; Knefelkamp,Rebecca 2-0-0; Wackerman,Kelsey 1-0-0; Wagener,Christine 1-1-1; Dickbernd,Lauren 0-1-0; Totals 65-3-2.0. (Assists) - Wagener,Christine 26; Knefelkamp,Rebecca 24. (Dig leaders) - Wagener,Christine 16; Shearman,Sarah 16; Dickbernd,Lauren 13; Sears,Jessica 10

Barry (34-1) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Fernanda Brino 24-1-1; Karla Bersano 15-3-0; Samanta Tucillo 14-1-4; Kelly Dantas 12-0-2; Sarah Alexander 10-1-5; Michele Rosamiglia 5-1-1; Melissa Lehman 0-1-0; Totals 80-8-7.0. (Assists) - Michele Rosamiglia 59; Samanta Tucillo 10. (Dig leaders) - Fernanda Brino 17; Michele Rosamiglia 17; Sarah Alexander 14; Samanta Tucillo 13

Site: Miami Shores, Fla. (Health&Sports Center)
Date: 12/04/04 Attend: 1905 Time: 1:55
Referees: Mike Gale, Marsha Rupert, Janice Matson
Barry wins national title