ATHLETICS - Volleyball

High 5: Volleyball Signs Quintet for 2013

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:03:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University volleyball signed five players in its 2013 recruiting class.

"We are very excited to have these student-athletes join our program," third-year head coach Steve Hendricks said. "They will add depth, experience and competitiveness to our roster that will help us compete for the Sunshine State Conference championship and the NCAA Tournament."

Barry's new faces include three international recruits and two Floridians. Barry signed international standouts Ivana Didanovic (Belgrade, Serbia) and Jennyvette Trinidad (Caguas, Puerto Rico) to national letters of intent. They join 2013 spring arrival Eva-Lotta Raat (Parnumaa, Estonia). South Florida recruits Kristen Reid (Boynton Beach) and Amanda Brill (Lake Worth) complete the class.

Didanovic is a 6-3 middle from Belgrade Serbia, who will follow in departing Serbian setter Mima Hajdukavic’s path, and continue her country's tradition. She competes for the OK Radnicki Beograd club in Serbia, and will graduate from the Second Economic School of Belgrade. Didanovic is a versatile athlete who can swing on the middle or the right, and will add height to the current roster. Didanovic was part of a club team that placed second in district with AS, second in the junior league with VIZURA, advanced to the semifinals of the state championship with VIZURA, and was a silver medal finisher in Zagreb, Croatia, with the Belgrade representation.

Jennyvette Trinidad is a 5-11 setter from Caguas, Puerto Rico. She has a versatile skill set, and will bring athleticism and court IQ to the setting position. Trinidad played for the Criollas volleyball club, where she was team captain and led her team to a third-place finish in the prestigious Jeep Classic from 2009-11. Trinidad has been playing volleyball since she was eight years old, and was part of the Under-14 Puerto Rico National Team. She was named Most Valuable Player during three different tournament championship teams as well as for her high school team. She was a four-year honor student, a National Honor Society member, and treasurer for her senior class. Trinidad is expected to make an immediate impact in the setting position. She will graduate from Radians High School in June.

Eva-Lotta Raat, a 6-2 front row power player from Parnumaa, Estonia, joined the Bucs in the spring. Raat is a versatile front row player that can swing in any of the front row positions. She graduated from Audentese Spordigumnaasium a boarding school in Tallinn, Estonia, in June 2012 and joins the Buccaneer squad after her time with her club Parnu Vorkpalliklubi (2006-12). Eva was also part of the Estonian youth national team (2008-11). Eva’s mother was a long-time player as a middle blocker and outside hitter. Eva will add height and experience to Barry’s squad. Eva will be an add depth as offensive threat.

Kristen Reid,one of two Florida signees, comes to Barry from Boynton Beach, where she is completing her senior year at the Lake Worth Christian Academy. Reid brings an impressive five-year varsity high school resume to her collegiate career. She was a repeat Florida state champion in 2011 and 2012 at Lake Worth Christian. Her junior year she steered her team to the title, while leading in digs, kills and serve reception. Reid's racked up a slew of 2011 honors, including: Palm Beach All-County Small School Player of the Year, 2A Dairy Farmers of Florida Player of the Year, 2011 MaxPreps Florida Player of the Week (Sept. 25), Palm Beach Post Small School Player of the Year and Sun-Sentinel Small School Volleyball Player of the Year. She was selected to a 2012 all-area team. Reid will graduate in the top five percent of her class. She has been a National Honor Society member for the past three years. She was named to the school's Principal's List, and was a dual-enrolled college student during her junior and senior years. Reid plays club volleyball for Palm Beach Juniors. According to the Barry coaching staff, her experience playing every position, combined with her strong defensive abilities, give her the platform to play at the collegiate level.

Amanda Brill completes the class of signees. A local standout from Lake Worth, Brill played all four years for her varsity squad at Santaluces High School. Brill was a six-rotation player at Santaluces, where she led the team in digs, and was third overall for service points and aces. Brill played club for a talented UPPS 17U Titans squad as a libero in 2011-12. In 2012-13, she played for Palm Beach Elite 18s as an all around-player. Brill is also an active member of the National Art Honor Society and the Visual Arts Academy. She is expected to add depth to Barry's back line.

29th Athletic Awards Banquet

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 11:27:00 GMT

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The Barry University Athletic Department celebrated its 29^th Annual Awards Banquet on Tuesday, April 23 at Jungle Island in Miami. Awards were presented to athletes from every sport.

Tennis swept the athlete o f the year award, with Marco Mokrzycki taking the male award and Linda Fritschken earning the women’s.

Mokrzycki led the men’s tennis team to a Sunshine State Conference title for the second straight year and 10^th time overall. Mokrzycki, a singles and doubles All-American from 2012, is currently 12-2 and ranked fourth in singles and second in doubles, where he has a 15-3 record. He has singles wins this spring over the number one and two players in both NCAA Division II and NAIA.

Fritschken, also a singles All-American from 2012, led the women’s team to the SSC title this spring. It was the fourth straight win for the women and seventh overall. It was also the 50^th SSC title for the Bucs across all sports since joining the league in 1988-89. Fritschken is 16-1 in singles and 22-2 in doubles. She is ranked 33^rd in singles.

The Professor Neill Miller Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award was given to the male and female student-athletes with the highest cumulative GPA while meeting specific criteria for academic progress and athletic participation.

Basketball junior Magne Fivelstad earned male award. He has a 3.825 GPA in finance. After a red-shirt season in 2011-12, he was one of the Bucs key players this year. He was second on the team in scoring at 10.5 points per game and second in rebounding at 5.9 per contest. He led the team in field goal shooting, hitting at a 58.8 percent clip from the floor.

Basketball also took the women’s award. Amanda Frontino, who carries a 3.943 GPA in art with a specialization in graphic design, was the winner. She had her best year as a Buc, starting 11 games and ranking first on the team in +/- stats. She averaged 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and was third on the team in made three-pointers.

For the first time in program history, the women’s tennis team captured the CHAMPS/Lifeskills trophy, which has been dominated by softball and women’s soccer. Women’s soccer finished second, while softball placed third.

Volleyball's Tania Torres earned the Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin Service Award. A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, she has been active mentoring young students in a variety of camps and clinics, and participated in National Girls & Women in Sports Day. She is also an outstanding student and is pursuing her goal of attending medical school. In addition, she has tutored students in math, physics and organic chemistry and has volunteered at the Special Olympics, Feeding South Florida and the National Beach Clean-up.

A list of all award winners is listed below:

Softball
BADIA Award	Sarah Broeseker
Rookie of the Year	Megan Copeland

Baseball
Earl S. Oster Senior Leadership Award	Tyler Kinley
Most Valuable Player	Luis Arrizurieta

Women's Soccer
Freshman of the Year	Tamara Vukovich
Leadership Award	Sofia Jakobsson

Volleyball
Red and Black Award	Tania Torres
Coach's Award	Mariana Lisboa

Men's Soccer
Jon Samford MVP Award	Thomas Coombes
Mike Mikulin Most Inspirational Award	Houghton Kinsman

Women’s Basketball
Co-Most Valuable Player	Colette Eule
Co-Most Valuable Player	Tyler Hardy

Men’s Basketball
Most Valuable Player	Justin McCoy
Cesar Odio Play Hard Award	Vladimir Raymonvil

Rowing
Co-Captain	Kristina Boncheva
Co-Captain	Kelly Harrison

Women's Golf
Player of the Year	Taylor Babcock
Team Leadership Award	Daniela Murray

Men's Golf
Carlos Velez Sportsmanship Award	Eirik Groenhaug
Player of the Year	Adam Svensson

Women's Tennis
Most Valuable Player	Linda Fritschken
Freshman of the Year	Emma Onila

Men's Tennis
Most Valuable Player	Marco Mokrzycki
Outstanding Team Leadership	Leo Vivas

Cheerleading
Most Improved	Ashley Hughes
Cheerleader of the Year	Marquet Houston

Athletic Training
Athletic Training Student of the Year	Laysa Fernandez

Professor Emerita Neill L. Miller Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Male	Magne Fivelstad (Basketball)
Female	Amanda Frontino (Basketball)

Athlete of the Year
Male	Marco Mokrzycki (Tennis)
Female	Linda Fritschken (Tennis)

Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin Community Service Award
Tania Torres (Volleyball)

CHAMPS/LifeSkills Competition
First Place	Women's Tennis
Second Place	Women's Soccer
Third Place	Softball

Buccaneers To Stream 29th Annual Athletic Awards Banquet

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:30:00 GMT

MIAMI – The 29^th Annual Barry University Athletic Awards Banquet will be held on Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at Jungle Island at 5:00 pm.

The ceremony honors the athletic and academic achievements of Barry’s nearly 200 student-athletes. University faculty and administrators from each school will be present to honor our graduating seniors and over 450 additional individuals will be present for this special event.

The banquet will begin at 5:00 pm with the procession and honoring of our senior Student-Athletes starting at 5:30 pm. The first award will be the Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin Service Award. That is followed by dinner, highlight videos for all 12 teams, the presentation of team awards, including all 12 varsity sports, cheerleading and athletic training. After the presentation of the trophy for the CHAMPS/Lifeskills winner, the banquet concludes with the announcement of the male and female “Professor Emerita Neill Miller Scholar-Athletes of the Year” and male and female Athletes of the Year.

For just the second time, the awards ceremony will be broadcast live on the Buccaneer Broadcasting Network, powered by Stretch Internet. The live broadcast starts at 5:30 p.m. and will conclude around 8:30 p.m. on the Buccaneer Broadcasting Network. Click on the GameCentral logo to access the broadcast.

Volleyball Announces Summer Camp Dates

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 12:12:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University volleyball coach Steve Hendricks and www.stevehendricksvolleyball.com will offer summer camps for girls and boys in grades 6-12 during June and July.

Each camp will be held in the Health and Sports Center on Barry University’s campus.

"Our primary focus is to teach the skills and team concepts of volleyball in a positive and fun environment," Hendricks said. "We want to build self-esteem and physical confidence so that young athletes leave camp with a love for volleyball and a desire to continue to learn more and play the game."

For specific details on each camp and to register on-line, visit the following website: www.stevehendricksvolleyball.com. Applications can also be downloaded on that site and returned through the mail.

CAMP DATES

Individual Skills Camp for girls and boys grades 6-9. June 12 -14

Advanced Skills Camp for girls grades 9-12. July 22-24

Team Camp for high school programs. July 25-27

One Day Hitting, Setting and Libero Clinics. July 29, 30 and 31

41 Buccaneers Named to Fall Commissioner's Honor Roll

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:46:00 GMT

WINTER PARK, Fla.--A total of 438 student-athletes, including 41 Barry Buccaneers, were named to the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll for the Fall 2012 semester, announced Thursday by Commissioner Jay Jones.

To be eligible for the Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll, a student-athlete must post a minimum grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Participants in the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, and volleyball were eligible for the honor roll.

Seventy-six students carried a perfect 4.00 GPA for the semester, including 11 from Barry.

Having won 79 national championships since the league was founded in 1975, the SSC’s student-athletes have also proven to be successful in the classrooms. The NCAA recently announced that, for the sixth consecutive year, the Sunshine State Conference led all 23 Division II conferences with an Academic Success Rate of 86 percent.

Here is a complete list of Barry student-athletes named to the Fall 2012 Honor Roll. Students with 4.0 term GPAs are in red.

NAME	MAJOR
MEN’S SOCCER (15)
Houghton Kinsman	Art
Connor Randel	Finance
Johnny Rodrigues	Finance
Joe Conkleton	Sport Management
Patrick Drmola	Finance
Lucas Rio Torto	Finance
Joong Kim	Int’l Business
Fred Perez	Int’l Business/Finance
Robbie Shearer	Sport Management
Diego Habib	Int’l Business/Management
Guilherme Oliveira	Int’l Business
Michael Dodds	Sport Management
Kendall Sealy	Psychology
Shaun Herselman	Finance
Cristiano Sevieri	Management

WOMEN’S SOCCER (15)
Natalie Diaz	Biology
Morgan Garcia	Biology/Pre-Med
Sofia Jakobsson	Exercise Science
Giselle Johnson	Pre-Nursing
Sara Karna	History
Danielle Mabie	Marketing
Melissa Madrid	Exercise Science
Lauren Manna	Theology
Kayla Nanoo	Pre-Nursing
Lavinia Nkomo	Exercise Physiology
Alyssa Picascio	Int’l Business
Dominique Richardson	Finance
Melissa Toledo	Int’l Business/Marketing
Tamara Vuckovich	Education
Sarah Wolfer	Master’s of Social Work

VOLLEYBALL (11)
Laine Cielena	Finance
Alicia Guerrero	Biology
Jeni Hiapo	Education
Tashalyn Begon	Biology/Pre-Med
Tania Torres	Biology/Pre-Med
Mima Hajdukovic	Int’l Business
Ashley Carrero	Psychology
Mariana Ruiz	Biology/Pre-Med
Mariana Lisboa	Int’l Business
Rosemarie Johnston	Communication Studies
Jasmine Serna	Biology

Barry University Wants Your Feedback!

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:45:00 GMT

Barry University is participating in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Barry receives a report on all feedback that is provided by our students, so we want to hear from you! Look for the “Barry University Wants Your Feedback” email in your student email account.

To thank you for your time, all Barry students who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to win a new Apple iPad Mini or one of four gift cards with a value of $50 each. The drawing will be held on April 30, 2013, and the winner will be notified through their student email account.

SSC Posts Top Division II ASR for 6th Straight Year

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:11:00 GMT

GRAPEVNE, Texas -- For the sixth consecutive year, the Sunshine State Conference has posted the top NCAA Division II Academic Success Rate.

The Academic Success Rate for all 23 Division II conferences was released at the NCAA Convention, which was held in Grapevine, Texas, Jan. 16-19. SSC member institutions posted an ASR of 86 percent to again lead all conferences. The Northeast-10 Conference placed second in the rankings with an ASR of 85 percent. The leagues have claimed the top two spots in the conference-by-conference comparison each year since the ASR performance rankings were first released in January 2008.

"We are very excited to again receive the distinction of having the highest ASR rate of any Division II conference," SSC Commissioner Jay Jones said. "This is a special honor for our coaches, student-athletes and administrators and it speaks to the value that our member schools put on success in the classroom. They work hard to maintain this distinction year after year and we are very proud of those efforts."

Data for the 2012 version of the ASR was compiled by following the progress of the 2002-05 cohort. The national four-year ASR for all DII student-athletes remained steady at 72 percent. SSC student-athletes performed well above that average with a composite ASR of 86. All told, 89 percent of the 123 teams that were counted for SSC member institutions exceeding the national average of 72.

A number of SSC teams posted a perfect 100 percent Academic Success Rate, and each member institution had at least one program achieve a perfect mark. They included:

- Barry softball;
- Eckerd softball;
- Florida Tech men's golf, women's golf, women's tennis, and men's track;
- Florida Southern men's tennis, women's tennis, and softball;
- Lynn men's basketball, women's golf, softball, men's tennis, and volleyball;
- Nova Southeastern women's golf;
- Rollins men's swimming, women's swimming, women's basketball, women's soccer, volleyball, women's tennis, men's track, and women's track;
- Saint Leo women's tennis; and
- Tampa women's tennis.

Along with the Division I Graduation Success Rate (GSR), the ASR is a tool used by the NCAA to measure the academic progress of student-athletes competing within the Association. The NCAA developed the Division II ASR at the request of college and university presidents who believed the federal graduation rate was flawed. Both the Division I GSR and the DII ASR take into account transfer students. However, given the partial-scholarship model of Division II, the ASR also includes student-athletes not receiving athletically-related financial aid. The ASR also removes students from the cohort who left the institution while academically eligible to compete.

Top Ten NCAA Division II ASR Conferences
1. Sunshine State Conference - 86%
2. Northeast-10 Conference - 85%
3. Great Lakes Valley Conference - 80%
4. Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference - 78%
5. Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference - 77%
T6. East Coast Conference - 75%
T6. Great Northwest Athletic Conference - 75%
8. Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - 74%
9. Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference - 73%
T10. Conference Carolinas - 72%
T10. Pacific West Conference - 72%

Volleyball's Torres Selected for Copa Dorada Award

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:20:00 GMT

MIAMI -- Barry University senior volleyball player Tania Torres was chosen to receive a Copa Dorada award as one of the area's top Hispanic athletes.

Copa Dorada honors Hispanic athletes ranging from youth to professional from Miami-Dade County every year. Nominations are made by AM-1260 Radio Caracol sports department, and the Hispanic local press participates in the voting process to select college and professional winners.

Past winners include: pro baseball players Alex Rodriguez, Edgar Renteria, Dennis Martinez, Alex Fernandez, Andres Galarraga, Livan Hernandez, Gio Gonzalez, Gaby Sanchez and Jon Jay. Boxers Roberto Duran, Hector Camacho and Yuriorkis Gamboa have also received awards from Copa Dorada, as have football players and coach Ralph Ortega, Carlos Huerta and Mario Cristobal.

This year's event will be held Sunday, Feb. 10 at Renaissance Ballroom in Miami.

"Although it was the first time that I heard about this award, it means a lot to me to be chosen as a nominee in volleyball," Torres said. "As a minority student-athlete in the USA, and representing my Hispanic descent, it feels rewarding to be recognized as a model athlete between the many Hispanics in the Miami area that have, as well, worked really hard to stand out. It helps me to encourage many other Hispanics to follow my path which has led me so far, although not free of sacrifices. It also means a lot to be the only student-athlete this year chosen to represent the Barry University athlete community, which is so diverse. I am very proud to represent Puerto Rico and Barry, among the many different universities and colleges in Miami as a nominee for Copa Dorada."

Torres, who earned Academic All-District honors from College Sports Information Director's of America in the fall, led the Buccaneers with 311 kills. She had over 300 kills in both of her seasons at Barry. Last year she was selected to the Sunshine State Conference All-Newcomer Team.

"We are very proud of Tania, and happy she is being recognized by Copa Dorada," Bucs volleyball coach Steve Hendricks said. "Tania is an exceptional student-athlete, and it is well deserved that she is being honored by such a great community organization."

Volleyball Coach returns to Alma Mater

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:53:00 GMT

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Barry head volleyball coach Steve Hendricks, a Ball State 1990 graduate, had the opportunity on January 4 to attend the 50th anniversary of Ball State men's volleyball. Hendricks traveled back to Muncie to celebrate this reunion with fellow alumni from five decades.

A total of 270 players have earned letters from the Ball State men's volleyball program, dating back to 1962. The program has racked up an impressive 1,067-440-8 all-time record since the inception of volleyball as a varsity sport in 1964.

"It was an amazing event to see so many alums return and reconnect with former friends, coaches and teammates," Hendricks said. "I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of the Ball State men's volleyball program and have played for one of the all-time great coaches and mentors, Dr. Don Shondell. My playing experience at Ball State and the coaching pedigree I received changed my life, and influenced me to join a long list of successful Ball State alumni in the coaching profession. I draw from the foundation I received at Ball State every day in the gym when coaching or mentoring my student-athletes."

Hendricks had the opportunity to compete in three NCAA Final Fours during his career at Ball State. During his playing career, he also assisted Steve Shondell, a Ball State 1977 grad, at Muncie Burris High School, winning one Indiana state title (77-2 over two years), and Wes Lyons, another 1977 Cardinals graduate, in the Munciana Volleyball Club that finished in the top 5 at the USA Volleyball National Championships.

The Ball State men's program is widely known to have produced more volleyball coaches than any other university in the country.

"It is a very special fraternity," Hendricks added. "It is very common to run into 10 or more Ball State alumni collegiate coaches at national tournaments when out recruiting. There are so many of us coaching at all levels of the game: elementary, high school, club, men's and women's college and international teams. We are all very fortunate to have been influenced by coach Shondell. He is an incredible man and friend. He always told us that because volleyball has given so much to each of us that we need to somehow give back to the game. He was absolutely correct, and it is something that I now try to instill in my student-athletes."

Barry Student-Athletes Post Record Highs

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:59:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University’s student-athletes established a new academic high in the fall semester as 74.3 percent of the Buccaneers athletes posted grade point averages of 3.0 or better.

Each of Barry’s 12 teams had GPAs above 3.0 for the fall semester. It marks the first time all 12 sports had team GPAs above 3.0.

The Bucs women’s golf team had a 3.678 cumulative GPA in the semester. Volleyball posted a 3.497. Men’s soccer had a 3.319. Men’s tennis had a 3.278.

“We are very proud of our student-athletes and their academic achievements,” Barry Athletic Director Mike Covone said. “All 12 of Barry University’s programs have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher with nearly 75 percent of all student-athletes with a 3.0 GPA or higher, as well. That is outstanding!”

The average term grade point average for student-athletes was 3.307 – also a Barry University high. The university previous high was a 3.273 during the fall of 2011.

The average team cume GPA rose to 3.298 with women’s golf leading the way at 3.674. Men’s soccer was the highest of the male sports at 3.354.

A total of 5.5 percent of all student-athletes recorded 4.0 GPAs, earning them President’s List honors.

“As an NCAA Division II institution and members of the Sunshine State Conference, we are committed to a comprehensive, balanced program of students as learners and student-athletes that compete at the highest level,” Covone said. “Through the leadership of our administrators, coaches and staff, the department has created an environment that encourages and supports these types of accomplishments by all student-athletes, which is excellence in both academics and athletics.”

Barry has won nine national championships.

BARRY UNIVERSITY
Team Rankings

FOR FALL, 2012 TERM

                                      TERM GPA                                           CUM GPA
Women’s Golf               3.678            Women’s Golf               3.674
Volleyball                      3.497             Volleyball                       3.471
Women’s Basketball     3.469             Women’s Basketball    3.432
Men’s Soccer               3.319             Men’s Soccer                 3.354
Softball                        3.309              Softball                           3.316
Men’s Tennis               3.278              Women’s Soccer           3.280
Men’s Basketball         3.276             Men’s Tennis                 3.264
Women’s Rowing         3.271             Women’s Tennis            3.227
Women’s Tennis         3.221               Women's Rowing          3.195
Baseball                      3.167              Men’s Basketball         3.184
Women’s Soccer        3.108                Baseball                         3.117
Men’s Golf                   3.096              Men’s Golf                      3.065

Team - Average Term GPA 3.307 Team - Average Cum GPA 3.298

• 74.3 % of all student-athletes had a Fall term GPA of 3.0 or higher.
• 5.5 % of all student-athletes had a 4.0 Fall term GPA.
• 74.3 % of all student-athletes had a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher following Fall 2012 term.
• 12 of 12 TEAMS have TERM & CUM GPA’s of 3.0 or HIGHER

Bucs Trio Collect Volleyball All-SSC Honors

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 11:13:00 GMT

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- Three Barry volleyball players received All-Sunshine State Conference honors.

Senior setter Mima Hajdukovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Miami Dade College) received honorable mention All-SSC honors. Hajdukovic recorded 1,024 assists this year, becoming the 11th Buccaneer in school history to accomplish the feat. She ranks 10th in single-season history at Barry in assists.

Hajdukovic also had 183 kills and a team-high 37 aces. She had a .305 attack percentage. She was third on the team with 193 digs and third in total block with 60. She was named SSC Offensive Player of the Week in September.

Junior outside hitter Ashley Carrero (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/UPR-San German) and freshman middle blocker Laine Cielena (Krimuldas Novads, Latvia/Murjani Sports Gym) were both named to the All-Newcomer Team.

Carrero 243 kills, which ranked second on the team. She hit .213, and had 192 digs with a team-best .952 serve reception percentage. Carrero had eight aces, a .924 serve percentage and 24 blocks.

Cielena led the Bucs with 92 blocks, including a team-high 15 solos. She had 214 kills, which ranked third on the team, and attacked at a .266 percentage. She served eight aces, and had a .926 serve percentage.

Cielena was named the American Volleyball Scouting Report Global Player of Week on Sept. 3, and earned Hyatt Place Classic All-Tournament Team honors in mid-October.

2012 ALL-SUNSHINE STATE CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Lindsay Biggs, Eckerd (Jr, OH)
Camille Indest, Rollins (Jr, MB)
Angie Lassman, Florida Tech (Jr, L)
Ali McAlvany, Eckerd (So, OH)
Holly Reschke, Tampa (Jr, OH)
Danielle Selkridge, Tampa (Sr, MH)
Ali Skayhan, Florida Southern (Jr, S)
Player of the Year - Danielle Selkridge, Tampa
Freshman of the Year - Kayshia Brady, Florida Southern
Newcomer of the Year - Kayshia Brady, Florida Southern
Coach of the Year - Chris Catanach, Tampa

SECOND TEAM
Meagan Burke, Tampa (So, MH)
Brianna Cox, Lynn (Sr, MB)
Megan Hodges, Rollins (Jr, OH)
Kaleigh Humphrey, Eckerd (Jr, L)
Kahley Patrick, Tampa (So, S)
Anne Pietkiewicz, Florida Southern (Sr, OH)
Kate Stromberg, Florida Southern (So, OH)

HONORABLE MENTION
Mima Hajdukovic, Barry (Sr, S)
Sami Vierk, Saint Leo (Sr, MB)
Jessica Yingling, Tampa (Sr, OH)

ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Kayshia Brady, Florida Southern (Fr, MB)
Ashley Carrero, Barry (Jr, OH)
Laine Cielena, Barry (Fr, MB/RS)
Sydney Cook, Nova Southeastern (Fr, OH)
April Jackson, Rollins (Fr, S)
Emily Schadow, Eckerd (Fr, S)
Sami Vierk, Saint Leo (Sr, MB)

Barry Volleyball Season Comes to Close

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 12:51:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Steve Hendricks had a pensive look on his face.

Flashbacks of the season that just came to a close struck a chord.

"The way we fought back against Lewis from being 14-10 down in the fifth set," he began. "Traveling to Michigan and Chicago with the team and the bonding we all did ... those were all highlights."

Highlights in a season that finished minus an NCAA Tournament berth after the Buccaneers, which were ranked eighth in the South Region the last few weeks of the season, saved their best volleyball for last.

Barry did not receive an NCAA Tournament berth when the field was announced late Sunday night. The Buccaneers were left out behind Rollins, Christian Brothers and Clark Atlanta, the latter an automatic qualifier for winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

But it still didn't take away from a season that had its share of highs in a year the Buccaneers went 17-13 overall, 9-7 in the Sunshine State Conference. Barry finished fourth in the league, and improved its win total by four from a year ago.

"I'm pleased with the season and the progress of the season," Hendricks said. "We're definitely headed in the right direction.

"I want to thank the administration, sports information, athletic training room and the fans for their support this year. They had a big part in our success."

The Buccaneers went 6-2 in the last half of the conference season. They beat then-No. 2 South Region-ranked Eckerd in a five-set match at home. Barry also beat then Nos. 7-8 South Region-ranked Rollins and Florida Tech on the road.

Barry won six of seven matches at the tail end of the season. The Bucs tied for the most solo blocks (120) and service aces (120) in the league.

The Buccaneers went 3-1 at the Grand Rapids Classic at Grand Valley State, and went 11-10 in South Region matches.

"I want to thank the seniors for their commitment to the program and mentoring the underclassmen, and helping set a very solid foundation for the future," Hendricks said. "We're motivated for the future, and we understand the importance of each match to position ourselves for postseason."

Barry Volleyball Drops Season Finale to No. 7 Tampa

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:48:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry's regular season final match ended a little prematurely as the Buccaneers fell to No. 7 Tampa, 25-10, 25-10, 25-19, Saturday.

The Buccaneers (17-13, 9-7 Sunshine State Conference) finished fourth in the league, winning six of their last eight matches, including an exciting five-set victory over South Region No. 2 seed Eckerd at home Friday night.

Barry will await its NCAA Tournament hopes. The Bucs entered the week as the No. 8 seed in the South. The top eight teams in each region qualify for the national tourney. Barry won two of three matches this week.

The NCAA Tournament field will be announced at 10 p.m. Sunday night on www.ncaa.com. The NCAA Tournament South Regional will be held Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at Tampa, the region's No. 1 seed.

Seniors Mima Hajdukovic, Alicia Guerrero, Tania Torres and Mari Lisboa were honored before Saturday's match. Hajdukovic finished with 14 assists Saturday, giving her 1,024 this year, which ranks 10th in school single-season history. She ranks seventh all-time in career assists with 1,741 in her two-year career at Barry. In four years, including two at Miami Dade, Hajdukovic had 3,588 career assists, which would have ranked second all-time at Barry had she played all four years for the Bucs.

The Bucs were outblocked 8-0 Saturday, and had 23 kills, while Tampa (27-3, 16-0 SSC) finished with 44.

Barry had 12 kills in the final set, and attacked at a .206 clip. Laine Cielena and Torres each had four kills. Hajdukovic had two aces. Lisboa had 10 digs and three kills, hitting .286. Jayla Trombley had three kills. Torres had one of the Bucs' three aces.

Tampa hit .409, committing nine errors in 78 attempts. Barry had 18 errors in 91 attack attempts.

The Buccaneers improved their win total by four from a year ago in coach Steve Hendricks' first season.

BOX SCORE

Bucs Trump Tritons in Marquee Volleyball Win

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:09:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- If ever a statement were made more loud and clear, this was it.

Barry knocked off the No. 2-ranked team in the South Region, beating Eckerd, 26-24, 25-23, 20-25, 21-25, 15-9, Friday in Health & Sports Center for a win that strengthened its NCAA Division II National Tournament resume, giving the committee something serious to think about.

The Buccaneers (17-12, 9-6 Sunshine State Conference) have won six of their last seven, their only loss to No. 29 nationally-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic, which closed its regular season with 10 straight victories. Barry also beat the Nos. 7-8 teams in the South Region on the road, albeit, two weeks ago.

Earlier this year, the Bucs rallied from four match points down to beat the No. 18 team in the country when they overcame Lewis in a thrilling five-set match. They went 3-1 in Michigan at a tournament that featured the likes of No. 30 Grand Valley State.

The top eight teams in each region qualify for the national tournament. Barry entered the week No. 8 in the South, but picked up a pair of five-set victories already this week to assure a winning record in region matches.

Indeed, the Bucs made a case to be playing volleyball past Turkey Day. And they did it with another revealing sign of character in a season in which they've saved their best volleyball for last.

Now they'll conclude the regular season with Saturday's 4 p.m. home finale against No. 7 Tampa -- the eyes of the college volleyball world upon them for the run they've put together at the end of the season. What a run it's been.

On this night, it started with the seniors.

Senior setter Mima Hajdukovic gave Barry a 21-19 lead in the opening set when she swatted home one of her 11 kills on a night she reached a milestone. Eckerd (21-9, 12-4 SSC) battled back to tie the first set twice more, but Laine Cielena's kill put the opener away for a 1-0 Bucs' lead.

The Bucs jumped out to a 21-15 lead in the second set before the Tritons chipped away to close within 22-20 and again at 24-23, but Jayla Trombley banged down a punishing kill to give Barry a 2-0 match lead.

Eckerd wasn't ready to go home easily however, winning the third and fourth sets to bring everyone inside HSC to the edge of their seats in a match that meant so much for the Buccaneers. The Tritons two middle set victories signalled the eighth time Barry has been forced into a fifth set to determine a winner this year.

But that's when the Bucs are at their best, and they followed suit again Friday.

Senior libero Mariana Lisboa served the Buccaneers to an 11-5 lead when she ripped off four straight service points. Eckerd trimmed the gap to four, but senior outside hitter Tania Torres and Ashley Carrero each delivered kills as the Bucs' pursuit of a punctuation point inched closer. Then Lisboa's dig after a Tritons' blast found its way to unoccupied territory on the other side of the net for the match-clinching point.

Lisboa, the charismatic leader whose willingness to fight is a symbol so appropos in a season she battled an injury that kept her sidelined for a few weeks, shed tears of joy afterwards as her teammated danced in celebration.

No win felt as sweet as this one all year for a Buccaneer team which has made a believer out of many, improving to 6-2 in five-set matches with its backs against the wall in a sport so dominated by momentum swings.

Hajdukovic, the always loose floor leader whose light-hearted disposition is so right for a team seeking the spoils of seriousness, had 44 assists to become the 11th player in Buccaneer history to record 1000 assists in a season. With 16 in Saturday's regular season finale, she would move into ninth place all-time in Buccaneer single-season history. Hajdukovic also had four blocks and a .500 attack percentage.

Torres, Trombley and Cielena each had 12 kills. Torres had six blocks and two aces, and hit .348. Cielena had five blocks and a .407 hitting percentage. Trombley had nine digs.

Barry outblocked Eckerd, 12-9. The Bucs also had six aces to the Tritons' four.

Lisboa finished with 13 digs, two aces, five assists and the match-terminating kill. Jasmine Serna had 17 digs, five assists and a pair of back-to-back aces in the second set. Kate Dooley had six kills and three blocks.

SENIOR DAY: Barry will honor its four seniors, Tania Torres, Alicia Guerrero, Mima Hajdukovic and Mariana Lisboa in Saturday's 4 p.m. match against Tampa. Follow the match via LIVE STATS and LIVE VIDEO. Will Sanchez and Mike Laderman will handle the call on the Bucs Broadcast Network.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Escapes Lynn in Nerve-Testing Tilt

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:07:00 GMT

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- A little over a week ago, Barry volleyball coach Steve Hendricks had a quick response when the thought of another marathon match was broached.

"Whatever it takes," he said with a chuckle.

Tuesday night, it took all of that and more as Barry needed five sets and plenty of overtime to beat Lynn in rally-with-its-backs-against-the-wall 25-22, 16-25, 30-28, 25-27, 20-18 win to keep its postseason hopes alive.

Needing a pair of victories to close the regular season, the Buccaneers (16-12, 8-6 Sunshine State Conference) answered the call in their first opportunity, albeit on the road. Now they host Eckerd and Tampa Friday and Saturday with so much at stake.

Barry overcame two down-to-the-wire points in the third set, using a kill by Mima Hajdukovic to knot the score at 27-27, and another putaway by Tania Torres to tie it at 28-28, to stay alive in a pivotal point in the match. Torres' service ace and a set-ending kill by Hajdukovic gave the Buccaneers a 2-1 match lead.

The Bucs hit .314 in the third set -- its best attacking performance of the five sets Tuesday.

Lynn (14-12, 4-10) overcame Barry's 22-20 lead, following a kill by Laine Cielena in the fourth set to take a 24-23 lead on Michelle Jordan's kill. Even after Barry's Tashalyn Begon put down a kill before a Fighting Knights service error allowed the Bucs to tie the match twice in crunch time, Lynn responded with kills by Abbey Brokop and Angie Caple to put the fourth set away.

The Fighting Knights, who had 19 kills in each of the third and fourth sets, fell behind 5-1 in the final set, following Cielena's kill. But Brianna Cox, who finished with 21 kills, helped Lynn tie the score at 9-9 with a putaway. Brittany Brown's kill eight serves later pushed Lynn to match point, 14-12, but a Knights' service error and attack error gave Barry extended life.

Shannon Dugan's kill moved Lynn back ahead, 15-14, but Begon slammed home a kill to tie it up again. The Fighting Knights again moved within match point, 17-16, after a Bucs' attacking error. But Lynn couldn't capitalize, committing a pair of hitting errors of their own to vault Barry up, 18-17.

The Buccaneers allowed Lynn extra breathing room following one of its 30 attack errors to knot the decisive set at 18-18. But Jayla Trombley banged home a kill and then fired off a service ace to capture the victory for Barry.

Trombley finished with three aces, none more important than her last in a match that didn't seem to ever want closure.

Hajdukovic had 14 kills, 40 assists, 12 digs, seven blocks and hit .545. Kate Dooley had 10 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Begon and Cielena each had 13 kills. Begon had 11 digs, and Cielena had a hand in on three of the Bucs' 12 blocks. Mariana Lisboa had 30 digs, and Jasmine Serna three aces.

Barry's win was its fifth in its last six matches, and the Bucs improved to 5-2 in five-setters this season.

Barry hosts Eckerd at 7 p.m. Friday and Tampa on Senior Day at 4 p.m. Saturday.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball to Close Regular Season with 3 Matches

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 11:07:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- So this is what it comes down to:

Win and keep playing.

Barry's volleyball team is in need of two wins, beginning with Tuesday's 7 p.m. match at Lynn to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

Following Friday's loss to No. 29 nationally-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic, whom the Buccaneers took to five sets earlier this season, Barry enters its final regular season week needing to prevail to move on.

"We have to beat Lynn," Bucs coach Steve Hendricks said. "Lynn is a must-win to keep going."

The top eight teams in each NCAA Division II region qualify for the national tournament, which begins at regional sites Nov. 29-Dec. 2. Barry (15-12 overall, 9-9 in South Region) was eighth in last week's South Region poll. Teams must finish .500 in region contests to qualify. With three matches this week to close the regular season, that means the Bucs must win at least two.

Barry, which is 7-6 and in fourth place in Sunshine State Conference play, hosts Eckerd (21-7, 12-2 SSC) at 7 p.m. Friday and No. 7 nationally-ranked Tampa (25-3, 14-0 SSC) at 4 p.m. Saturday on Senior Day.

"We end at home with two good opponents that we know we can compete against," Hendricks said. "Saturday is senior day, you never know ..."

Barry is tied for fourth in the SSC in blocks with an average of 1.99 per set. Tampa and Eckerd rank first and second, respectively. The Bucs are fifth in service aces with an average of 1.42 per set. Lynn is first at 1.69. Eckerd is sixth at 1.28, and Tampa seventh at 1.23.

"I feel good where we are," Hendricks said. "I think the seniors have really helped raise the level here. The new recruits have definitely made an impact. We're definitely headed in the right direction."

Seniors Tania Torres, Mariana Lisboa, Alicia Guerrero and Mima Hajdukovic are playing their final home matches at Barry. Torres is fifth in the SSC in total kills with 288. She is ninth in the league in total blocks with 71. As a setter, Hajdukovic ranks fourth in the league in assists with 926, sixth in service aces per set at 0.33 and 12th in hitting percentage at .285. Lisboa is fourth in aces per set at 0.34 and 19th in digs per set at 2.58. Guerrero, who is returning this week from an ankle injury and is expected to play, has a .240 attack percentage.

"Tania's been a great leader and player on the court," Hendricks said. "Alicia has added depth and competition to our outside position. Mima continues to set a great offense, and put our hitters in great position to put balls away. Mari's passion and court leadership has made us better, and is a great standard for our young kids to emulate."

Follow the Lynn match via LIVE STATS and watch LIVE VIDEO .

Follow the home matches via LIVE STATS and watch via LIVE VIDEO. Will Sanchez will handle the call on the Bucs' broadcast network.

Bucs Volleyball Sunk by Sailfish

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:39:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- It wasn't the night the Bucs envisioned by any stretch.

Instead Barry will have to regroup for three important region matches next week to close the regular season. Entering the final week of the regular season, the Bucs are No. 8 in the South Region poll. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason.

This night, against the No. 29-ranked team in the country and No. 4 in the South, the Bucs (15-12) just didn't have it. Earlier this year, Barry forced Palm Beach Atlantic (33-3) to five sets before falling in West Palm Beach. Friday wasn't as eventful.

Barry managed just six kills in the opening set, and attacked at an .080 clip in one of the Bucs' more sour sets of the season. The Bucs didn't get much help in the second set, either, despite hitting a respectable .280. PBA hit a blistering .609, committing just one error in 23 attempts, while putting 15 balls away to give the Sailfish a 2-0 match lead.

In the final set, the Buccaneers found themselves down, 14-10, only to rattle off three straight points, beginning with Rosie Johnston's kill to cut the gap to one. Mariela Quesada's two straight putaways pushed the Sailfish back up three before Mima Hajdukovic's kill helped Barry pull within 17-15. But the Sailfish scored six of the next seven points to essentially put the match on ice.

Quesada had a match-high 17 kills, and hit .538 with three aces.

Barry's Tania Torres, who on Thursday was named an Academic All-District selection, led the Buccaneers with six kills, hitting .333, with a solo block. Johnston had three kills in six attempts and four blocks, including a solo.

Barry outblocked Palm Beach Atlantic, 6-0.

Mariana Lisboa, called upon in the third set as an attacker after handling back row duties early on, banged down two late kills to keep the Bucs breathing in the third set, but it was too little too late. Lisboa had the Bucs' lone ace.

PBA served 10 aces.

Barry will close the regular season at Lynn 7 p.m. Tuesday before hosting Eckerd and Tampa next Friday and Saturday at 7 and 4 p.m., respectively, in Health & Sports Center.

BOX SCORE

Torres Named to Volleyball Academic All-District Team

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:47:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University senior volleyball player Tania Torres was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team.

Torres, a middle blocker/outside hitter from Camuy, Puerto Rico, has a 3.95 in biology.

"It's just a feeling of hard work pays off," said Torres, who prior to college attended a private school from seventh through 12th grades, earning a tuition scholarship. "I've always had to have a balance in school and volleyball. I've always been raised that school is always first."

She is Barry's leader in kills with 282, while starting in all 26 matches this year. Torres is second on the team in blocks with 70. As a junior, she led the Bucs in kills with 322, and was second on the team in blocks with 54.

Torres won the National Junior College Athletic Association of America Division I National Championship in 2010 while playing for Western Nebraska Community College.

Earlier this year, she was selected to two all-tournament teams. Last year she was named to the Sunshine State Conference All-Newcomer Team.

"This is a reward," Torres said of the CoSIDA academic honor. "It's a feeling of success, and why I can't stop. I have to keep working hard. It's how you see yourself reaching your goals."

College Sports Information Directors of America
Academic All-District
District 5
NCAA Division I
Stephanie Arnold EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY  Jr. Oregon, Wis. 4.0 Biological sciences
Meg Riley MIAMI UNIVERSITY  So. St. Louis, Mo. 3.94 Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
Lindsey Dulude CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY  Sr. Midland, Mich. 3.97 Language Arts, Education
Anna Dorn ILLINOIS, UNIVERSITY OF  Jr. Munster, Ind. 3.95 Kinesiology
Bailey Yeager SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY  Sr. Brownsburg, Ind. 3.92 Speech Communication Disorders
Ariel Turner PURDUE UNIVERSITY  Sr. Highlands Ranch, Colo. 3.49 Mechanical Engineering
Lindsey Butterfield BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY  Jr. Springfield, Ohio 3.89 Biology
Megan Campbell DAYTON, UNIVERSITY OF  Jr. Versailles, Ohio 3.51 Mathematics

SECOND TEAM
Rachel Krabacher DAYTON, UNIVERSITY OF  Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio 3.55 Chemical Engineering
Rachel Iaquaniello EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY  Sr. Plymouth, Mich. 3.86 Exercise Science
Julie Chin NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY  Sr. Naperville, Ill. 3.47 Economics
Rachel Davis PURDUE UNIVERSITY  Sr. Kalamazoo, Mich. 3.59 Elementary Education
Alysia Mayes SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY  Sr. Ashkum, Ill. 3.76 Exercise Science

NCAA Division II
FIRST TEAM
Danielle Selkridge TAMPA, UNIVERSITY OF  Sr. Tortola, Virgin Islands 3.33 Allied Health
Meagan Burke TAMPA, UNIVERSITY OF  So. Jacksonville, Fla. 3.64 Biology
Frances Cardenas TAMPA, UNIVERSITY OF  Jr. San Juan, P.R. 3.82 Psychology
Kahley Patrick TAMPA, UNIVERSITY OF  So. Clearwater, Fla. 3.66 Education
Holly Reschke TAMPA, UNIVERSITY OF  Jr. Naples, Fla. 3.55 Elementary Education
Lindsay Biggs ECKERD COLLEGE  Jr. Topeka, Kan. 3.77 Biology
Tania Torres BARRY UNIVERSITY  Sr. Camuy, Puerto Rico 3.95 Biology

Bucs Volleyball Movin' on Up

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 16:20:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team moved up a spot in the NCAA Division II South Region poll released Wednesday.

The Bucaneers, who have won four consecutive matches, jumped one spot over Florida Tech, whom the Bucs rallied to beat in five sets on the road Saturday following a four-set win at No. 7 Rollins on Friday.

The top eight teams in each NCAA Division II region across the country qualify for the national tournament.

Barry (15-11 overall, 9-8 South Region) will host No. 4 Palm Beach Atlantic (32-3, 22-1) in a non-conference match 7 p.m. Friday. Earlier this season, the Buccaneers lost to the Sailfish in five sets at PBA in West Palm Beach.

The Bucs will play three of their final four regular season matches at home, including a pair of Sunshine State Conference matches against the South Region's top two ranked teams, Tampa and Eckerd, next Friday and Saturday.

Follow Friday's match against the Sailfish via LIVE STATS or watch the match via LIVE VIDEO.

SOUTH	REGION RANKINGS	Region	Overall
1	Tampa	18-1	23-3
2	Eckerd	16-5	19-7
3	West Florida	17-3	21-7
4	Palm Beach Atlantic	22-1	32-3
5	Christian Brothers	15-7	16-9
6	Florida Southern	15-7	17-11
7	Rollins	14-9	15-13
8	Barry	9-8	15-11
9	Florida Tech	12-10	15-10
10	Lynn	10-8	14-9

Volleyball Bites Sharks for 4th Straight Victory

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 22:41:00 GMT

DAVIE, Fla. -- One thing is for sure, Barry is playing its best volleyball at the right time of the year.

Tuesday night, the Buccaneers beat Nova Southeastern, 18-25, 25-23, 29-27, 25-17, marking this growing-in-confidence team's fourth straight win.

Why, you ask, is that important?

Postseason play remains a possibility.

Barry (15-11, 7-6 Sunshine State Conference) will attempt to improve its NCAA Tournament resume in a high-opportunity match against South Region No. 3-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic (32-3) at 7 p.m. in Miami Shores. The Buccaneers, who are expected to move into the top eight in the region poll after knocking off the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds on the road over the weekend, battled the Sailfish to five sets earlier this season before giving way on PBA's home floor.

Now the Sailfish are coming to Buccaneer country.

Getting back to Tuesday ...

The Bucs overcame a miserable start, attacking -.156 with seven kills and 12 errors in the first set when they hung on for a narrow win in the second set to even the match at 1-1. Then it got interesting.

Barry, which led by as many as six a little over the midway point in the third set, watched Nova Southeastern (4-24, 1-11) reel off nine of the next 11 points to take a 20-19 lead on Caitlin Donahue's kill. Sydney Cook gave Sharks a two-point lead, and after a series of three straight sideouts for each team, Nova inched within a point of going up 2-1 in the match. But a Nova attacking error, a kill by Barry freshman middle blocker Tashalyn Begon and another by fellow first-year middle Laine Cielena pushed the Bucs ahead 25-24.

Nova regained control, 27-26, four points later on a Buccaneers' service error, but Begon responded with a clutch kill to tie it up again. A Nova hitting error and Mima Hajdukovic kill put a wrap to the pivotal third set, moving Barry ahead, 2-1, in the match.

Begon, who finished with nine kills, nine digs and four blocks, accounted for seven of Barry's points, including the final three, in the third set.

In the final set, with Jasmine Serna serving, Barry sprinted to a 20-13 lead on Begon's putaway. She banged home another kill to keep the Bucs' lead at seven two serves later, and Barry rode out its lead the rest of the way to seal the deal.

Cielena had a team-best 11 kills, hitting .269. Kate Dooley hit .500 on four kills in eight attempts without an error, and had six blocks. Tania Torres had nine kills and three blocks. Hajdukovic had 36 assists and four aces, and Ashley Carrero eight kills, 10 digs and a solo block. Mariana Lisboa had two of the Bucs' eight aces, and 12 of the team's 59 digs.

Barry converted 77 percent of its sideout opportunities in the final set, and attacked .306 for its highest hitting rate of the four sets in the match.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Prepares for Another Big Week

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 18:17:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Fresh off a conference road sweep of Rollins College and Florida Institute of Technology, Barry's volleyball team has little time away from the court.

The Bucs (14-11, 6-6 in Sunshine State Conference) are back at it 7 p.m. Tuesday when they play at Nova Southeastern before hosting Palm Beach Atlantic 7 p.m. Friday at home.

"We have a very important match against Nova tomorrow night," Barry coach Steve Hendricks said. "It's just an important match that we need to win to keep our region hopes alive."

In the first meeting between the two teams at Health & Sports Center on the Bucs' campus, Barry responded with its back against the wall for a five-set win over the Sharks. Like Saturday's win over FIT, the Buccaneers trailed 2-0 in the match against Nova, which has lost 11 straight.

The Sharks (4-23, 1-10 SSC) gave the Bucs fits in the first meeting, and while it would be a little easier on the nerves to not have to grind out another marathon match, Barry's mission is simply to win.

"Whatever it takes," Hendricks said with a chuckle, the thought of another five-set match eliciting the humor.

The Buccaneers, which have won three in a row, moved into fourth place in the league standings. They are a match behind Florida Southern for third place with four SSC matches remaining over a packed two-week schedule to close the regular season.

Palm Beach Atlantic, which was ranked No. 3 in the South Region poll released for the first time this season last week, is Barry's lone non-conference match over the final five. Not to belabor the point, but the Bucs and Sailfish (31-3) went to five sets in a the two schools' first meeting last month.

"We have a good opportunity against PBA because they're ranked so high in the region," Hendricks said. "I think we'll play well."

FRIDAY's LIVE STATS

FRIDAY'S LIVE VIDEO

Bucs Volleyball Holds Serve in Comeback Victory

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 20:35:00 GMT

MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Steve Hendricks got his wish.

Earlier in the week, Barry's second-year volleyball coach said his team would do everything it could to bring two wins back from an important Sunshine State Conference weekend on the road.

Mission accomplished.

Barry pulled off a 21-25, 22-25, 25-22, 25-17, 15-9 comeback win over Florida Tech at Palm Bay High School Saturday, helping the Buccaneers polish off a weekend sweep of two teams that stood ahead of them in the SSC and the NCAA Division II South Region rankings. Barry beat Rollins on the road Friday, and have won three in a row.

Entering the weekend, the Bucs (14-11, 6-6 SSC) were ranked No. 9 in the South. Rollins and Florida Tech were directly ahead of them. The top eight teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament, following the conclusion of the regular season Nov. 17.

Rollins fell to 14-13 overall, 5-6 in the SSC. The Panthers dropped to 15-9, 5-7.

Barry plays crosstown rival Nova Southeastern (4-22, 1-9) on the road 7 p.m. Tuesday before returning home to host Palm Beach Atlantic (31-3). The Bucs rallied to beat Nova in five sets at Health & Sports Center earlier this year, and lost to the Sailfish, which is ranked third in the South, in West Palm Beach in another five-set verdict. PBA hosts Florida Tech Tuesday before visiting Miami Shores.

Trailing 2-0 in Saturday's match, the Bucs battled back-and-forth in a see-saw affair without much separation until Laine Cielena pounded one of her season-high 17 kills to spot Barry a two-point lead. Following a Panthers' timeout, Cielena sent another ball to the floor to extend the lead to 23-20. Tech countered with a kill by Caitlyn Ballweber, and a Buccaneers setting error to cut the gap to one.

But after Hendricks called timeout, Cielena blasted another kill to the floor to make it 24-22, and a Florida Tech hitting error gave Barry extended life, cutting FIT's match lead to 2-1.

The Buccaneers hit .486 in the third set, converting 73 percent of their sideout opportunities.

Barry zipped to a 20-12 lead in the fourth set when Jasmine Serna ripped off an ace. The Panthers trimmed the Bucs' lead to six on an ace of their own, but Ashley Carrero put away one of her 16 kills, and a Florida Tech attack error tied the match at two sets apiece.

With Jayla Trombley serving in the decisive set, the Buccaneers used kills by Carrero and Mima Hajdukovic and a Panthers attack error to take a 12-6 lead. Florida Tech whittled it down to 13-8 on Ballweber's kill and a Barry ballhandling error. After Carrero pushed Barry to match point with a kill, FIT's Janice Valies had a kill to keep the Panthers' oxygen flowing, but a hitting error on the ensuing serve terminated the match.

The Bucs had a .313 attack percentage, while holding the Panthers to .184. Barry were credited with 24 block assists, seven of which belonged to Tania Torres, who also finished with eight kills and a .368 attack percentage.

Barry improved to 4-2 in five-setters, and won their third road match of the season.

Trombley had season highs in kills (15), digs (14) and attack percentage (.353). Cielena had a team-best .483 hitting percentage and four block assists.

The Bucs commited just 16 attacking errors in 163 attempts. The Panthers committed 28 hitting errors in as many attempts.

Mariana Lisboa had 20 digs, which fell one shy of her season- and career-high, and established a career-best with nine assists. Hajdukovic had 43 assists, 10 digs, two aces, three blocks and six kills.

Five Buccaneers attacked over .330 in the match. Barry surpassed its win total of last year with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Tames Tars in Key Road Win

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 01:01:00 GMT

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- The Buccaneers left Miami Shores knowing what was at stake.

Friday night, they took care of their end of things, beating host Rollins, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20, in an important Sunshine State Conference volleyball match that could impact postseason possibilities.

Barry (13-11, 5-6 SSC) pulled even with Rollins (14-13, 5-6) in the middle of the league standings. The Bucs entered the weekend ranked ninth in the South Region poll released this week. Rollins sat ahead of Barry.

That's two feathers in the Buccaneers' cap, not to mention equalled their win total of last year with three weeks left in the season. The Buccaneers play host Florida Tech at Palm Bay High School at 4 p.m Saturday to wrap up the weekend road trip.

The Panthers also were ahead of Barry in the region poll. The top eight teams from each region throughout the country qualify for the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

With the match tied at a set apiece, Barry found itself in a 23-21 hole in the third set. But Ashley Carrero, who finished with a match-high 17 kills, used back-to-back setups from Mari Lisboa to help the Buccaneers draw even at 23-23. A pair of sideouts and a Tars hitting error pushed Barry ahead, 25-24. But the Bucs gave one back with a service error to deadlock the score again. Laine Cielena and Jayla Trombley finished off the ensuing two points with kills on a pair of Mima Hajdukovic's 42 assists.

That gave the Buccaneers a 2-1 lead.

In the final set, Barry gave itself a seven-point cushion, following two consecutive Carrero kills. Kate Dooley put away a kill of her own to give the Buccaneers a 23-16 lead. And after Rollins ran off three straight points following another one of Carrero's winners to draw within 24-20, the Bucs secured match point on a Tars attack error.

Barry won its third match in its last four contests -- all decided in four sets. The Bucs, who are 6-7 in four-set matches this season, did it by outblocking the Tars, 11-5, and using a .256 team attack percentage. Rollins hit .175, committing 30 attack errors to Barry's 20.

Trombley had nine kills, 10 digs and three blocks. Lisboa had three aces, six assists and 12 of the Bucs' 50 digs. Cielena had 13 kills and three blocks, while hitting .480. Hajdukovic had eight kills, a .700 attack percentage, two aces and seven digs. Rosie Johnston and Dooley each had three blocks, and Tania Torres had five.

Barry served 11 aces to Rollins' five.

Barry's win avenged a late September loss to Rollins at home, and marked its second conference victory away from the confines of Health & Sports Center this season.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball 9th in South Region Rankings

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:56:00 GMT

NCAA Division II Rankings

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- In the first volleyball region rankings released this season, Barry University entered at No. 9 in the South.

The top eight teams from each region across the country qualify for the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

Barry is 12-11 overall, 6-8 in South Region matches. The Buccaneers, who sit sixth in the Sunshine State Conference standings with a 4-6 league mark, play Friday and Saturday at Rollins and Florida Tech, both of whom occupy the Nos. 7-8 spots, respectively, in the region poll.

Rollins (14-12, 5-5 SSC) is fourth in the league standings. Florida Tech (15-8, 5-6) is fifth.

Needless to say, this weekend carries weight to the Buccaneers' postseason possibilities.

"We played well against Rollins and Florida Tech the first time around, and the team is very motivated for this weekend," Bucs second-year head coach Steve Hendricks said. "We have had a great week of practice preparing for these two teams, understand the importance, and will do our best to return to Barry with two wins."

Barry lost to Rollins and FIT in a pair of four-set matches at the tail end of September in Miami Shores -- both swing matches that could've gone either way. Against Rollins, the final two sets were decided by two points at the close of the match -- the fourth set requiring additional serves or volleyball's equivalent of overtime to come to a verdict. In the match with the Panthers, the two teams split the first two sets before the Bucs fell in the decisive final two.

The Buccaneers outhit and outblocked the Tars. In the match against Tech, the Bucs and Panthers both attacked under .200, and Barry had five more blocks.

"It is great to be in the top 10 of our region, and we have five matches remaining on our schedule versus teams that are ranked ahead of us in the South Region," Hendricks said. "It gives us great opportunity to have some control of our destiny in making the top eight for the (NCAA) regional tournament."

Follow the Rollins match 7 p.m. Friday via LIVE STATS and LIVE AUDIO.

Follow the Florida Tech match 4 p.m. Saturday at Palm Bay High School via LIVE STATS

SOUTH		Region	Overall
1	Tampa	16-1	21-3
2	West Florida	16-3	20-7
3	Palm Beach Atlantic	18-1	27-3
4	Eckerd	14-5	17-7
5	Christian Brothers	14-6	15-8
6	Florida Southern	15-5	17-9
7	Rollins	13-8	14-12
8	Florida Tech	12-8	15-8
9	Barry	6-8	12-11
10	Lynn	9-8	13-9

Bucs Volleyball Stops Saint Leo

Sat, 27 Oct 2012 19:37:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- As the tide turned, so went the flow for Buccaneer volleyball.

After Saint Leo outbattled Barry in a race-to-the-wire finish in the first set, the Bucs bounced back to take the next three to wrap up a 1-1 weekend in league play. As it stood, Barry tamed Saint Leo Saturday, winning 23-25, 25-23, 26-24, 25-16 to climb back over the .500 mark.

The Bucs (12-11, 4-6 Sunshine State Conference) scored 20 of its 26 points via the putaway in the third set, hitting .324. The 20 kills followed a second-set performance in which Barry tied the match at 1-1, turning the tables on the Lions (10-11, 2-7) with an identical two-point set victory.

Barry sophomore hitter Jayla Trombley, whose punctuation putaways become more and more pronounced as she wears the red and black each day, had a kill to break a 22-22 tie in the third set. Saint Leo took the next two points to take a 24-23 lead, but Trombley responded with another kill to tie it up at 24-24. A Lions hitting error and third consecutive kill by Trombley gave the Buccaneers a 2-1 lead in the match.

Trombley finished with 14 kills, 11 digs and three aces.

Mima Hajdukovic's kill and a couple of Saint Leo attack errors vaulted the Buccaneers ahead, 19-11, in the fourth set. Laine Cielena and Kate Dooley combined for a block to keep Barry's lead at eight. Dooley slammed down a kill to push the Buccaneers ahead, 22-13, before Saint Leo's Sami Vierk started a three-point surge with a putaway to slice Barry's lead to six.

But the Buccaneers quieted the rush when Ashley Carrero set up one of Hajdukovic's eight kills, and Jasmine Serna put the finishing touches on a successful Saturday with a pair of match-ending aces.

Barry bumped its mark to 5-7 this season in four-set matches -- the most of the three varieties the Bucs have competed in throughout the season. The Buccaneers are 4-2 when deciding things in three sets, and 3-2 in five-setters.

Carrero and Tania Torres each added 12 for the Bucs. Torres hit .429. Hajdukovic had 43 assists. Cielena had eight kills and four blocks, and Dooley had five kills and four blocks. Mariana Lisboa led the Buccaneers with 15 digs, and was one of four players with two or more aces.

The Buccaneers hit .268, while the Lions had a .255 attack rate. Barry outblocked Saint Leo, 9-4, and had 10 aces to the Lions' five.

Barry plays at Rollins Friday and Florida Tech at Palm Bay High in Melbourne on Saturday.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Upended by FSC Friday

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 22:33:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- It was one of those nights when the Buccaneers numbers stacked up in some cases, but the end result was one they would rather forget. Especially since opportunity knocked.

It was a match the Bucs needed desperately -- one they wanted to seize, but couldn't capitalize in critical situations.

Barry's volleyball team lost to Florida Southern, 25-16, 15-25, 25-20, 25-19, in the Buccaneers' return home after 24 days away from Health & Sports Center. It was a match where the Bucs outproduced the Mocs in kills and assists, but committed more errors and were outblocked.

Barry (11-11, 3-6 Sunshine State Conference) put away 50 kills, while Florida Southern had 44. Tania Torres' 13 kills and .478 attack percentage highlighted a Buccaneer offense that saw six players accumulate six kills or more. Even with a change in the customary setter role, with freshman Jasmine Serna assuming more of the duties running the offense while splitting time with senior Mima Hajdukovic, Barry had 47 assists to Florida Southern's 43.

Serna, who has spent most of the year as a libero and playing defense, had 13 assists, while Hajdukovic took on a more conventional hitter's role in attempting 18 attacks and finishing with six kills.

Numbers aside, there were holes too insurmountable to overcome. Case in point, in the first set Barry found itself behind by nine late and couldn't recover. After dominating the second set -- the Bucs taking advantage of Jayla Trombley's kill on an assist from Ashley Carrero to grab an 18-12 lead the Mocs (16-9, 6-3 SSC) couldn't recover from, Barry found itself behind the eight-ball again after the intermission.

The Buccaneers took a 15-13 lead in the pivotal third set when Carrero put away one of Hajdukovic's 31 assists, but FSC rattled off six straight points to seize control, 19-15. Bucs freshman Laine Cielena put down one of her eight kills to halt the Mocs' momentum for a moment, but Florida Southern didn't relinquish its lead to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.

Florida Southern went ahead, 17-12, in the fourth set, only for Barry to bounce back with kills by Carrero, Trombley and a Mocs' hitting error to cut it to 17-15. But FSC didn't allow the Buccaneers to go on a late run to push the match to a fifth set.

Barry hit .151, and had sideout percentages of 46 and 45 percent in the first and third sets when the Bucs needed more serves or scoring opportunities. Barry was whistled for five ballhandling errors, while FSC had four.

Carerro led Barry with 15 digs, Mariana Lisboa had 13 and Hajdukovic 12. Tashalyn Begon had six kills and a .33 attack rate. Cielena had two of the Buccaneers' five solo blocks. Torres had five blocks, two solos, and Carrero had an all-by-myself block of her own. Trombley had six kills and two block assists, delivering some nifty putaways at pressure-point times.

But in the end, it was the W that the Buccaneers were seeking most, and on this night it didn't come their way.

Barry will play host to Saint Leo at 4 p.m. Saturday. Saint Leo was scheduled to play at Lynn Friday but had the match postponed until Sunday due to weather issues from Hurricane Sandy.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Hosts Mocs, Lions Friday & Saturday

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:22:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry's volleyball team will host Florida Southern and Saint Leo Friday and Saturday, respectively in a pair of Sunshine State Conference matches.

Friday's match with Florida Southern is set for 7 p.m., while Saturday's matinee is set for 4 p.m.

The Buccaneers (11-10, 3-5 SSC) lost to the Mocasins (15-9, 5-3) in the first meeting in Lakeland, but Barry gave Florida Southern a four-set battle. Barry pushed the Mocs to a 26-24 third-set loss after winning the second to even the match at 1-1.

Florida Southern's Kate Stromberg has 256 kills, averaging 3.24 per match. She is hitting .204 this year, and is the team leader in digs with 251. Anne Pietkiewicz has 252 kills, while hitting .216. Gabby Fernandez is another top hitter for the Mocs, having put away 238 balls this season. Setter Ali Skayhan is averaging 10.02 assists per set while leading Florida Southern with 872 total assists this year.

Saint Leo is 10-10 overall, 2-6 in the conference. The Lions beat Barry in another highly-competitive four-set match in Saint Leo in September. The Lions are 4-7 overall since that time. Sami Vierk leads the Lions with 199 kills and 60 blocks in a 6-2 or interchangeable setter-type offense. Jaclyn Mailoto and Abby Lovell have 799 assists between the two of them, Mailoto collecting 422 to this point in the season. Meghan Donovan has 175 kills and 56 blocks. Molly Alexander has a team-high 287 digs, averaging 3.83 per set.

Barry is hitting .206 this season, while its opponents are attacking at a .184 percentage. The Bucs are outblocking teams 157.5 to 127.5 this year. Barry has won 43 of the 83 sets they've competed in this year. They've outscored teams, 1816-1809.

Tania Torres' 3.03 kills per set leads the team. Jasmine Serna's 3.91 digs per set also is tops for the Buccaneers. Mariana Lisboa is one of the team's most steady serve receive leaders with a .927 percentage, while Ashley Carrero (.957) and Serna (.942) also have shown the most consistency in the back row. Laine Cielena has a team-high 68 blocks.

LIVE STATS

LIVE AUDIO

Volleyball Bounces Back with Win

Sat, 20 Oct 2012 18:55:00 GMT

DAVIE, Fla. -- Barry's volleyball team needed this one. The Buccaneers delivered in timely fashion.

Barry beat West Alabama Saturday in the final day of the South Region Crossover, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17, 25-20 at Nova Southeastern. The Buccaneers improved to 11-10, but more importantly collected another region win that helps in determing postseason possibilities.

Barry took a 17-14 lead in the first set when Jasmine Serna fired an ace, but West Alabama retalliated, knotting the match at 17-17. With Alicia Guerrero serving, Tania Torres tied the match at 20-20 with a kill. Laine Cielena and Tasha Begon's combo block put the Bucs ahead, 22-21.

Begon polished off the opening set with back-to-back kills, the first of which forced a sideout.

Barry had 14 kills and hit .250 in the first set. West Alabama (10-13) had an .094 attack rate in the first set.

The Tigers battled point for point with the Buccaneers in the second set, needing consecutive kills from Chanel Davis and another by Carly Wehling to respond from a 21-20 deficit to take a two-point lead. Barry's Mima Hajdukovic threw down a point at the net following Jeni Hiapo's pass to pull the Bucs within 23-22, but the Tigers tied the match at 1-1 after Davis put away two of the final three points, in between a West Alabama hitting error.

Barry ran to a 9-5 lead in the third set, and extended it to 19-11 on Torres and Hajdukovic's block on Wehling. Mariana Lisboa ripped off an ace with her dynamite jump serve to give the Bucs a nine-point lead, and the Tigers couldn't recover.

The Buccaneers converted 13 of 16 sideout chances for an 81 percent rate in the third set.

Barry blitzed West Alabama with a 15-4 start in the fourth set, reaching that point in the match on Cielena's kill. The Tigers responded from Mariana Ruiz's ace that put the Bucs ahead 21-9 with 10 of the next 11 points to draw within three, but Barry closed out the match to go 1-1 in the weekend format against a pair of Alabama schools.

Begon had a team-high 12 kills, and hit .346 with two blocks. Hajdukovic had eight kills, 30 assists, six blocks, two aces and 11 digs, while hitting .400. Torres had eight kills and four blocks.

Barry outblocked West Alabama, 14-1, including six by Cielena.

Barry will return home to host Florida Southern and Saint Leo in a pair of Sunshine State Conference matches Friday and Saturday in Miami Shores.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Lets 2-Set Lead Slip Away

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 18:51:00 GMT

DAVIE, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team won the opening two sets, but let the momentum slip away in a 15-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-13 loss to North Alabama Friday in the South Region Crossover at Nova Southeastern.

Barry (10-10) will try to salvage the weekend with a win over West Alabama at 4 p.m. Saturday in the second region match against the Alabama schools.

The Buccaneers trailed 17-9 in the fourth when Alicia Guerrero put away a kill and then served up six straight points to bring Barry within a point. The Bucs went ahead 19-18 on Mima Hajdukovic's kill on a setup from Mariana Lisboa.

North Alabama later crept back ahead 23-20 on Taylor Chapman's kill in a set that proved to be series of runs. Kills by Jayla Trombley and Tania Torres kept the Buccaneers alive, down 24-22. But Priscilla Massengale's kill sent the match to a fifth set as the Buccaneers dropped the second straight set.

Barry took a 10-7 lead in the fifth set when Lisboa put away her second straight kill. But North Alabama tied the match at 11-11 on Hope Rayburn's kill. Hajdukovic managed to keep the score tied at 12-12 with a kill of her own, but North Alabama never let the Bucs seize control the rest of the way.

It marked the second straight fifth-set loss for the Bucs, which had won their first three marathon-match encounters this year.

Torres had 20 kills and four blocks. Hajdukovic had 10 kills, 40 assists, two aces and two blocks and eight digs. Cielena had 10 kills and three blocks.

Jasmine Serna had 29 digs for the Buccaneers.

Barry hit .204, while North Alabama had a .154 attack percentage. The Bucs hit .346 in the first set, while the Lions were held to .000 after committing nine errors and putting away nine balls for winners. Barry had an 86 percent sideout clip, converting 13 of 15 change of serve opportunities in the first set -- a dominating beginning to the match.

The Buccaneers outblocked the Lions, 7-3, with Torres stuffing North Alabama's hitters on two solo attempts, and Cielena delivering one on her own.

Cielena hit .529.

BOXSCORE

Volleyball Crosses Over into South Region Matches

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:50:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry's volleyball team has a chance to augment its case for a potential postseason bid when the Bucs play a pair of Alabama schools Friday and Saturday in the South Region Crossover at Nova Southeastern.

Barry (10-9) plays North Alabama (7-10) at 5 p.m. Friday in Davie, Fla. The Buccaneers finish the two-day South Region Crossover with a 4 p.m. Saturday match against West Alabama (9-11). North Alabama is coming off a five-set win over West Alabama on Sunday.

"We are looking forward to playing North Alabama and West Alabama," Bucs second-year coach Steve Hendricks said. "They are two strong programs that will test our ability to score points on offense and play well on defense."

North Alabama has won four straight matches entering this weekend's competition in Davie. Priscilla Massengale leads the Lions with 210 kills, and is one of only two players who've started in all 17 matches. The other is Jessica Ronyak, who has 122 kills and a team-best 34 blocks. Cara Gregg has 153 kills and 24 blocks. Both have 11 aces this season. Hope Rayburn is the Lions' top setter with 506 assists. Caroline Neisler has 229 digs.

West Alabama's Chanel Davis leads the Tigers with 225 kills and 49 assists. Tazra Pitts has 180 kills, a team-high nine solo blocks and 45 total blocks. Cynthia Smith has a team-high 225 digs, and Chelsea Payne has 707 assists.

Barry is coming off a pair of losses in conference play last weekend, and has had the entire week following mid-terms to prepare for the important region contests.

The Buccaneers are within three wins of matching last year's season total victory mark with 11 regular season matches on the schedule. Barry is hitting .208 as a team, while opponents are attacking at a .193 pace. The Bucs have 886 kills to its opponents' 914. The difference is Barry has committed 386 hitting errors, while the opposition has racked up 440.

Barry has 119 service errors, compared to the opponents' 97. Barry has outblocked teams 136.5 to 123.5.

The Bucs are 4-2 in three-set matches and 3-1 in five-setters. Barry has been most effective in the second and five sets, having outscored opponents 434-415 in the second set and 53-50 in the third, while claiming three of the four fifth set matches that led to victories.

Follow the Buccaneers via LIVE AUDIO Friday and Saturday. Will Sanchez will handle the call on the Bucs Broadcast Network. LIVE STATS are also available.

Barry Volleyball Drops Second Straight Road Match

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 18:06:00 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG -- If there's one thing this Buccaneer volleyball squad has is fight. But after a tough weekend against the league's top two teams, Barry simply ran out of gas.

Barry lost to host Eckerd, 26-28, 25-18, 25-10, 25-16 Saturday to complete the first half of league play, leaving the Bucs with a 10-9 overall, 3-5 Sunshine State Conference mark.

Eckerd, which rests in second place in the league, is 12-7 overall, 6-2 in the SSC.

The Buccaneers, which entered the weekend with a two-match winning streak, had won its last league contest prior to this weekend. Barry simply couldn't string another a league mark to stay above the highwater mark. Instead, the Bucs fell two games below .500 in the league, and now prepare for a weekend outside of league play in Davie, Fla., at the South Region Crossover against North Alabama and West Alabama.

Barry won the war of attrition in the first set, taking a 14-9 lead on Kate Dooley's kill. The Bucs , which were outhit, .353 to .250, watched as the Tritons battled back to tie it at 20-20 on Kaleigh Humphrey's service ace. Laine Cielena's kill pushed Barry back up, 23-21, but Eckerd knotted the set again two points later on Ali McAlvany's ace. The two sides traded sideouts until the score remained deadlocked at 26-26 before Dooley slammed home a kill and Jayla Trombley blocked Tritons hitter Lindsay Biggs to put the Bucs ahead in the match 1-0.

Barry had a .438 attack percentage in the opening set, putting away 17 of its 46 kills.

But that's where the momentum stopped for the Red and Black as the Tritons hit .375, .360 and .500 over the final three sets, while the Buccaneers managed .231, .000 and .320 the rest of the way. Eckerd had 61 kills, and Barry finished with 33 digs. Eckerd had 38 digs against the Bucs' 46 kills.

Mima Hajdukovic had nine kills, hit .562 and distributed 35 assists. Cielena had six kills and three blocks. Trombley had five kills and two blocks. Ashley Carrero had 10 kills, and Tania Torres eight. Tashalyn Begon had five kills.

Barry was not credited with any aces, while Eckerd produced 11 in a 6-2 offense where Madison Burr had 30 assists and Emily Schadow 20.

The Buccaneers had three solo blocks, while the Tritons didn't manage any.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Tests Tampa in Four-Set Setback

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:07:00 GMT

TAMPA -- So Barry's volleyball team went off on this northwestern path to play the best the Sunshine State Conference and nation had to offer. What the Buccaneers discovered is they're not that far from the top.

Barry dropped a four-set match to No. 5 nationally-ranked Tampa, 25-20, 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, Friday in a match that -- while no moral victories are salvaged -- the Bucs found something within that only spells potential for the future.

The Buccaneers (10-8, 3-4 SSC) kept a first set within striking distance when Ashley Carrero's kill hit the floor to pull Barry within 13-11. But Tampa (15-2, 8-0) rattled off six straight points to lay claims to a 1-0 match lead.

Barry raced out to a 10-5 lead in the second set when Laine Cielena put down a kill in the middle. Tampa cut it to 12-11 before Carrero's kill stopped the Spartans surge. Cielena put away another ball to give the Buccaneers a 20-15 lead. Tampa closed to within 23-20, but Tania Torres' kill and another by Cielena in between two Spartans kills helped Barry knot the match at a set apiece.

Tampa, which outhit Barry, .276 to .182 -- despite the Buccaneers advantage in total kills, 55-47 -- broke away in the third set after the Buccaneers cut what was a six-point deficit to three on Jackie Neff's error. The Spartans inched ahead, 20-15, on a Bucs hitting error before Torres put away two balls in sideout situations to keep Barry within four. But the Spartans ran off four of the last five points to go up 2-1 in the match.

In the fourth set, Tampa came up with one of its 11 blocks to take a 17-10 lead. But Barry didn't wither away easily as the Bucs outscored the Spartans, 7-4 -- the last during that swing on Jayla Trombley's kill -- to pull within 21-17. Torres and Trombley tagged Tampa with a pair of kills to cut it to 22-19, but the Spartans nabbed three of the final four points to ice it.

Torres and Tampa's Holly Reschke had a match-high 15 kills. Tampa's Danielle Selkridge followed with 13, and Carrero had 12 kills and 10 digs. Trombley had nine kills and two blocks. Cielena hit .636, pounding seven kills on 11 attempts without committing an attacking error.

Bucs setter Mima Hajdukovic had 44 assists and six kills. Tampa Plant High School product Kate Dooley, a Buccaneer freshman, had five kills and four block assists in her return home. Barry's Mariana Lisboa returned after missing the last six matches with an injury. Lisboa had four digs and an assist in limited duty.

Barry plays at Eckerd (11-7, 5-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday to complete the first half of league play.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Heads to No. 5 Tampa, Eckerd

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 19:28:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry's volleyball team is on the road again -- this time to play the No. 5 nationally-ranked Tampa Spartans and second-place Sunshine State Conference Eckerd Tritons in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas, Friday and Saturday.

Barry, coming off a 2-1 performance in the Pepsi Bash at the Beach tournament in West Palm Beach last weekend, re-enters the last segment of the first half of SSC play with a 10-7 overall, 3-3 league mark. At 14-2, 7-0, Tampa, the Buccaneers' 7 p.m. Friday opponent, is coming off a five-set win over Eckerd this week. The Tritons (11-7, 5-2) are two matches behind the SSC-leading Spartans in the league race.

Barry caps the weekend trip with a 4 p.m. match at Eckerd in St. Petersburg.

Tampa'a two losses were to top 15-ranked teams, the most recent a three-set setback to No. 14 West Texas A&M on Sept. 8. The Spartans have won seven in a row since that shutout loss.

Danielle Selkridge is Tampa's top player, having put away 192 kills and 58 total blocks, 14 of which are solos. She leads Tampa in both categories, in addition to a club-best attack percentage over .415. Selkridge rankes fifth nationally in NCAA Division II in attack percentage. Jessica Yingling has 170 kills, a team-best 165 digs, and a team-high 19 service aces. Kahley Patrick is the Spartans' primary setter, having collected 614 assists. She is second on the team in digs with 152.

Eckerd setter Madison Burr has 564 assists and 137 digs. Ally McAlvany leads the Tritons with 251 kills, while Lindsay Biggs has 22 entering this weekend's match. Katarina Milojevic has a team-high 51 blocks, and Olivia Fraser has collected 50. McAlvany ranks 23rd in the country in kills per set at 3.88, and 22nd in points per set at 4.41.

Barry's Mima Hajdukovic leads the Bucs in assists with 562, is first on the team in aces with 20. Tania Torres has 185 kills, a .216 hitting percentage and 40 blocks, which rank second on the team. Ashley Carrero's 153 kills are second, and her .261 attack rate is tops among regulars. She's also second on the team with 110 digs and first with a .960 serve reception percentage. Laine Cielena, who earlier this season ranked among the nation's top 50 in blocks but has since fallen out of the top 100, leads the Buccaneers with 56.

Tampa ranks fourth in the nation in hitting percentage, coming into the week with a .282 percentage. Barry is 79th at .208. The Spartans are 20th in blocks per set at 2.38, Eckerd 25th at 2.3, and the Buccaneers 96th at 1.9.

Follow the match vs. Tampa via LIVE STATS and LIVE VIDEO.

Follow the match vs. Eckerd via LIVE STATS and LIVE VIDEO.

Carrero, Torres Named to Volleyball All-Tournament Team

Mon, 08 Oct 2012 18:23:00 GMT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Barry University volleyball players Ashley Carrero and Tania Torres were named to the Pepsi Bash at the Beach All-Tournament team, as selected by competing teams coaches.

Carrero, a junior from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, had a team-best 14 kills in a five-set loss to host Palm Beach Atlantic Friday. She had three kills, two digs, an assist and hit .500 in one set of Barry's three-set sweep of Bentley Saturday morning. Carrero did not play in the Buccaneers' sweep of Claflin to conclude the two-day event Saturday afternoon.

Torres, a senior from Camuy, Puerto Rico, collected 12 kills, 10 digs and two blocks in the loss to PBA. Against Bently, the Buccaneers leader put away three balls on five attempts, had a block, an assist and a dig in one set. She had three kills in as many attempts and a block in the win over Claflin, playing in one set.

Barry (10-7, 3-3 Sunshine State Conference) plays at No. 5 Tampa (13-2, 6-0) at 7 p.m. Friday. The Bucs will meet Eckerd (11-6, 5-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday.

2012 Pepsi Bash at the Beach All-Tournament Team

Ashley Carrero - Barry University

Kelsey Buckner - Bentley University

Mariela Quesada - Palm Beach Atlantic University

Allison Beavers- Lincoln Memorial University

Tania Torres - Barry University

Becca Acevedo - Palm Beach Atlantic University

Melissa Buckingham - Palm Beach Atlantic University

*Voted on by Tournament Team Coaches

Clap On, Claflin Off as Volleyball Sweeps 2nd Match of Day

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 20:49:00 GMT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team polished off its second sweep of the Bash at the Beach tournament hosted by Palm Beach Atlantic Saturday with a 25-12, 25-14, 25-22 win over Claflin.

It bumped the Buccaneers' overall record to 10-7, and dropped Claflin to 12-8.

Barry's Jayla Trombley and Kate Dooley each had 10 kills, Alicia Guerrero finished with seven, Jasmine Serna dished out 33 assists, and Jenni Hiapo had 13 digs. Dooley added five blocks, and had a .625 attack percentage. Guerrero hit .412. Serna had five kills, thrust into a setter's role she likely will inherit on a more permanent basis next season.

The Bucs, which didn't have to use its customary starting unit, improved to 7-2 in neutral site matches after hitting .379. Barry had six blocks, while Claflin managed two.

Barry, which hit .333 or better in all three sets, had 44 kills to Claflin's 27. The Bucs served seven aces compared to Claflin's two.

The Buccaneers return to Sunshine State Conference play Friday when they travel to No. 5 Tampa and Eckerd on back-to-back days, respectively.

BOX SCORE

Bucs Volleyball Sweep Bentley in West Palm

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 12:10:00 GMT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Sweeps are always triple times more gratifying.

Barry pulled off the trifecta in sweeping Bentley, 25-15, 25-22, 25-18, Saturday at Palm Beach Atlantic's Bash at the Beach volleyball tournament. The Buccaneers (9-7) are 1-1 in the three-match, five-team tournament, and will play Claflin (12-7) at 2 p.m. Saturday to conclude its second trip to PBA this year.

The Buccaneers put away 43 kills, hitting .337, using contributions from throughout the lineup in a close-to-dominating performance Barry had been in search of this season. Bentley was held to .099 hitting, as the Buccaneers outblocked the Falcons, 5.5 to 2.

Sophomore transfer Jayla Trombley, a New Mexico product who came to Miami Shores with high regard, finished with eight kills, eight digs and three assists. Laine Cielena, a freshman from Latvia who's had success in PBA's Rubin Arena on more than one occasion this season, had seven kills, two blocks and a .312 attack percentage. Alicia Guerrero, the cerebral senior who is versatile when given the opportunity, finished with six kills, five digs and a .357 hitting percentage.

Senior setter Mima Hajdukovic, a Serbian steadying force who continues to rise on the Buccaneers' all-time assist list amongst the top 10, had six kills, 27 assists, eight digs and two blocks.

The Buccaneers improved to 6-2 in neutral site matches.

BOX SCORE

That's a First: Volleyball Falls in 5-Setter to PBA

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:55:00 GMT

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team lost its first five-set match of the season Friday night to host Palm Beach Atlantic in the Pepsi Bash at the Beach tournament.

Barry's 25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 21-25, 15-7 loss to PBA was a case of swapping sets -- the pattern following an alternating lose one, win one format for the Buccaneers, who entered the tournament with a 3-0 mark in five-set matches this season.

Barry had a .296 attack percentage in the first set, putting away 10 of 27 attempts with only two errors, but were below .500 in sideout percentage. The Buccaneers (8-7) were 11 of 25 in sideout chances. The Sailfish (18-2) converted 11 of 19 sideout opportunities.

The Bucs bounced back with a 12-kill, .241 attack-rate performance in the second set, cashing in on 12 of 18 sideouts. PBA, meanwhile, was held to .079 hitting and 47 percent sideout percentages.

The Sailfish put away 16 balls in the third set, converting 14 of 23 sideouts. Barry hit .125, collecting 12 kills for the second of three consecutive sets, and recorded 14 of 24 sideouts.

Barry trailed 18-8 in the third set before reeling off nine of the next 11 points. Jeni Hiapo's ace pulled the Bucs within three, 20-17. A kill by Ashley Carrero and hitting error by the Sailfish allowed the Buccaneers to cut it to 24-23, but PBA secured the final point to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

Mima Hajdukovic served up an ace during a five-point Buccaneers' run to put Barry ahead, 14-9, in the fourth set. Hajdukovic put down one of her customary fake-set kills to inch the Bucs closer to termination time at 19-15. Tania Torres' kill extended Barry's lead to 23-16, and Carrero followed with a kill on a setup from Hiapo to bring the Bucs within a point of evening the match. Palm Beach Atlantic rattled off five consecutive points to cut the gap to 24-21 before a Sailfish hitting error tied the match at two sets apiece.

Palm Beach Atlantic wasted little time racing out to an 8-2 lead in the fifth set. Barry drew within 10-6 on a PBA error, but the Sailfish secured five of the last six points to claim the first of two meetings between the two schools this year.

Barry will host Palm Beach Atlantic in a non-conference match Nov. 9 at Health & Sports Center in Miami Shores.

Carrero had 14 kills, 18 digs and two blocks. Torres had 12 kills, hit .276 and had 10 digs and two blocks. Hajdukovic had 41 assists, four aces, eight digs and five kills. Laine Cielena had five kills and three blocks, including a solo.

Barry, which will play Bentley at 10 a.m. and Claflin at noon Saturday to conclude the PBA tournament, had six blocks. PBA was credited with nine.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Revisits PBA for Second Tourney

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:24:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team will compete in the Pepsi Bash at the Beach tournament hosted by Palm Beach Atlantic Friday and Saturday in West Palm Beach.

It marks the Buccaneers' second trip to PBA for a tournament this season.

Barry (8-6) will play PBA (17-2) in the featured match at 7 p.m. Friday night. All matches can be seen via LIVE AUDIO and LIVE STATS. The Sailfish received 15 votes in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association national poll.

Friday's meeting marks the first of two between Barry and PBA this year.

Barry plays Bentley University (6-9) at 10 a.m. Saturday, and will conclude the tournament with a noon match against Claflin (11-5).

The Bucs went 2-2 at the season-opening tournament in West Palm Beach, knocking off No. 18 Lewis in a thrilling five-set match. Barry is coming off a comeback five-set win over Nova Southeastern Tuesday in Miami Shores.

Barry is 5-2 in neutral site matches and 1-2 in road contests this season.

Tania Torres has 167 kills and is hitting .205 this year. Ashley Carrero has 136 kills and a .275 attack percentage. Laine Cielena has 51 blocks in 51 sets played, and entered the week ranked 54th in the NCAA Division II in blocks per set. Cielena is third on the team with 85 kills.

Mima Hajdukovic has 494 assists. She entered the week ranked 98th in the country in assists per set, and is coming off a career-best 53-assist performance in Tuesday's five-set win over Nova Southeastern. Jasmine Serna ranks 98th in the country in digs per set, and has 228 digs. Mariana Lisboa, who is out with an injury, ranks second on the team in digs with 105.

The Buccaneers rank 68th nationally in blocks per set.

Barry's next home match is Friday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. when it begins the second phase of Sunshine State Conference play against Florida Southern.

Pepsi Bash at the Beach
at Palm Beach Atlantic
West Palm Beach, Fla.
Friday-Saturday

Tournament Schedule
Friday
1 p.m. - Lincoln Memorial vs. Bentley
3 p.m. - PBA vs. Lincoln Memorial
5 p.m. - Bentley vs. Claflin
7 p.m. - Barry vs. PBA

Saturday
10 a.m. - Barry vs. Bentley
Noon - PBA vs. Claflin
2 p.m. - Barry vs. Claflin
4 p.m. - PBA vs. Bentley

Rally Time: Bucs Volleyball Upends Nova SE

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 22:49:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- It was the type of rally cry the Buccaneers needed.

Wanted and needed.

Mired in a two-set hole, Barry stormed back to beat cross-town and Sunshine State Conference rival Nova Southeastern, 22-25, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24, 15-9, Tuesday night at Health & Sports Center.

Buccaneers junior outside hitter Ashley Carrero, a diamond-in-the-rough find from Puerto Rico, pounded 27 kills in a match Barry put together a .301 hitting percentage.

"I think it was all the great desire we had," Carrero said. "We lost the first two sets, but we never gave up. We started to build our confidence by winning the third set. We shifted our attitude to bring about a positive attitude."

Bucs setter Mima Hajdukovic had a season-high 53 assists on a night where fluidity hit its stride as the minutes on the clock continued to tick by.

"We passed the ball well in serve-receive, which allows Mima to run a good offense," Barry coach Steve Hendricks said. "Ashley Carrero had a phenomenal night."

The Buccaneers sent 69 balls to unoccupied territory on the Sharks' side of the court. Nova (4-13, 1-3) had 62 kills and a .210 attack percentage.

Barry improved to 3-0 in five-set matches this season, and climbed back to the .500 mark in the Sunshine State Conference. Now the Bucs take a weekend off from league play to compete in the Pepsi Bash at the Beach tournament hosted by Palm Beach Atlantic in West Palm Beach Friday and Saturday.

In the third set, the Buccaneers took a 16-10 lead on Carrero's kill. Dana Holger's kill helped Nova Southeastern cut it to 19-14, but Carrero pounded another missile to the hardwood to push the lead back to six. Caitlin Donahue's kill and a Bucs error gave the Sharks' late life, trailing 24-20. But Tashalyn Begon slammed home the exclamation point to pull the Buccaneers within a set, 2-1.

The Sharks took an 11-7 lead in the fourth set before the Bucs rattled off eight of the ensuing nine points to regain control, 15-12. Nova hung around, battling tooth-and-nail to knot the score at 19-19 on Sydney Cook's kill. Samantha High's putaway pushed the Sharks to the brink of clinching the match, up 24-23. But Barry responded with kills by Carrero, Laine Cielena and Begon to knot the match at 2-2.

"We're continually learning how to fight for every part," Hendricks said. "The coaching staff just said, 'If we can get 'em to game 5, we have a good chance to win."

That Barry did, forcing the decisive fifth set, where they've found their comfort zone this year, duplicating their success once again.

The Buccaneers raced to a 9-3 lead on Carrero's torpedo. The Sharks sliced the deficit to three on a Bucs setting error, but Cielena and Carrero followed with a pair of successive kills to push Barry's lead to 12-7 on the way to another feel-good win.

Tania Torres finished with 13 kills and three blocks. Begon had nine kills, and Cielena and Hajdukovic each had seven. Jasmine Serna had 16 digs, and Alicia Guerrero 11.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Drops Second Straight at Home

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 19:44:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- In matches where parity is pretty clear, one team has to take the short end. In this case, it was the Buccaneers.

Barry's volleyball team lost to Rollins College, 25-16, 18-25, 25-23, 26-24 Saturday, signalling the second straight home loss for the Bucs.

Barry (7-6, 2-3 Sunshine State Conference) duked it out with Rollins (8-7, 2-2) to 22 tie scores and 12 lead changes. Even the sideouts were nearly identical as the Tars converted 54 of 89 for a 60 percent ratio, while the Bucs made good on 53 of 94 for a 56 percent change-of-serve clip. Barry was successful in 77 percent (14 of 18) sideouts in the second set.

But numbers aside, the only thing that mattered in the end was the W or L, and in this case, it wasn't Barry's day.

Tashalyn Begon had 15 kills and a .462 attack percentage, and dug seven balls, and the Buccaneers outhit the Tars, .193 to .176. Tania Torres had nine kills, seven blocks, seven digs and three assists in a match where, even in defeat, her enthusiasm continues to swell.

Jayla Trombley had eight kills, 14 digs and an ace. Laine Cielena had eight kills and five blocks. Jeni Hiapo had 14 digs, and Mima Hajdukovic 32 assists.

Barry hosts Nova Southeastern at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Timed Out by Tech in 4

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 22:45:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- It looked so right for the first part of the night. Everything was clicking. Smiles were abound on the Bucs' bench.

Then something changed.

Florida Tech reappeared, momentum shifted and Barry failed to recover. It was the ultimate surprise turn-of-events in a match Barry certainly would like to take back. The Buccaneers won't get that chance after losing to Florida Tech, 14-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-19 Friday night at Health & Sports Center.

Oh, how a do-over would be nice. Instead, the Bucs (7-5, 2-2 Sunshine State Conference) have to wipe this one clean and regroup for Rollins College, which visits Miami Shores at 4 p.m. Saturday in the third of four straight home matches over a week's time for Barry.

The Buccaneers played possessed in the first set, putting away 14 balls and hitting .433 -- the majority of the kills, requiring just one pass over the net before Barry terminated time and again. Florida Tech (9-4, 1-2 SSC) had nine errors compared to the Bucs' one in the opening set. The Panthers hit .100.

But the tide quickly changed in the second set as Barry fell behind 9-1, only to draw within, 15-11. Tania Torres' kill and a Panthers error kept the Buccaneers within four. But FIT secured the next four points to go ahead, 23-18, before eventually knotting the match at 1-1.

Following the eight-minute intermission, Barry got out to a 14-11 lead following a kill by Torres and attack error on the Panthers' part. But Florida Tech went on a 10-0 run to take a 21-14 lead. Mima Hajdukovic's kill salvaged some late-match life when the Buccaneers found themselves in a 22-16 deficit. But it was a little too late.

Hajdukovic, Ashley Carrero and a Panthers' hitting error staked Barry, which attacked at a .109 percentage on the night , to a 10-9 lead in the final set. Laine Cielena's kill kept the Bucs within three, 18-15. Hajdukovic served up a point to pull Barry within 20-18. But Tech wrapped up the win, claiming five of the last six points.

Torres had eight kills, four blocks, all four of Barry's aces, but attacked below her .204 season average. Carrero had nine kills and hit .258 in the match. Hajdukovic had seven kills, 26 assists, four blocks and four digs. Jasmine Serna had 15 digs, and Cielena had five kills, two blocks, two digs and registered a .444 attack clip. Jayla Trombley had three kills, four digs and two blocks, including an "all-by-myself" solo stuff that resonated at that time during the match.

Caitlyn Ballweber had 16 kills on a .520 attack percentage effort, and Kim Juriga had 12 kills for the Panthers.

Barry outblocked Florida Tech, 12-7. The Buccaneers were victimized by seven aces by FIT.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Participates in Beach Cleanup

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:43:00 GMT

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team assisted in a national beach clean-up effort on Sept. 15.

Working in conjunction with Barry's St. Martin dePorres Center, the Buccaneers helped clean up Miami Beach between 71st and 79th street. Barry's volleyball team was the only crew on site, working with director Susie Vega, a major account executive and community property specialist for Waste Management Inc. of Florida.

Barry's team removed 215 pounds of debris as part of the International Coastal Cleanup.

"It is refreshing to see young ladies that carry themselves with such respect and a sense of community," Vega said in an email to the Buccaneers' coaching staff. "I appreciate your efforts, and giving up a Saturday morning."

Volleyball Rallies to Knock Off Lynn

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 22:58:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Resolve is everything in volleyball. Rallying to win when the chips are down shows the true character of a team.

Welcome to Advanced Character 740 Barry volleyball.

Indeed, the Buccaneers showed their mettle in fighting back in a match where Sunshine State Conference rival Lynn had built some momentum in pulling within a set of handing Barry a loss in its home opener. Yet the Bucs said so long to mudslides when things weren't going their way, pulling out a 25-21, 24-26, 17-25, 25-22, 15-12 win Tuesday night at Health & Sports Center in front of 623 fans on Scholar-Athlete Recognition night.

"We showed that we can come back and fight and win a match, and not lose at home," Buccaneers assistant coach Katie McCrath said. "They're a seasoned team, so beating Lynn early in the season is a big boost for us."

Barry (7-4, 2-1 SSC) knocked off a team that received four votes in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, handing Lynn (8-2, 1-2 SSC) its second league loss in the first week of conference play. And the Bucs did it by rallying when their backs were against the wall.

After dropping the second and third sets, Barry dug deep in the fourth set after falling behind, 14-11. Barry's sophomore transfer Jayla Trombley fired off an ace in one of her five straight service points to push the Buccaneers ahead, 17-14. Lynn tied it at 19-19, and took the lead on the ensuing serve when Brittany Brown's attack hit the floor. Ashley Carrero's kill helped Barry knot the score at 21-21, and Alicia Guerrero's kill extended the lead to two.

Following a pair of sideout service errors, Barry's Tania Torres unleashed one of her match-high 19 kills to tie the match at 2-2.

"I loved the way we came back to fight after our senior captain left the match," McCrath said of a team that grinded through 37 tie scores and 17 lead changes during the match.

For sure, the tide was ever-changing. Ebb and flow was an understatement.

The Buccaneers zoomed out to a 6-1 lead in the fifth set when Torres sent one of Mima Hajdukovic's 38 assists to unoccupied territory. Lynn responded with a 6-2 run, touched off by Shannon Dugan's ace. But after Bucs coach Steve Hendricks called for a timeout, Torres sent a torpedo to the floor to give Barry a 9-7 lead.

Carrero's kill, following one by Hajdukovic, extended the Bucs' lead to 11-8. Lynn ripped off the next three points to tie it on Brianna Cox's putaway. Hajdukovic and Carrero sandwiched kills between a Barry service error, and a pair of Fighting Knights' attack errors sealed the deal.

Mariana Lisboa had five kills, 11 digs and a solo block, while hitting .400. Hajdukovic added nine kills, three block assists and an ace. Jasmine Serna finished with 30 digs, five assists and one of Barry's six aces. Torres tacked on two aces and six digs to her stat line. Carrero had 13 kills and six digs, and Laine Cielena helped account for four of Barry's seven blocks.

The Buccaneers will host Florida Tech Friday at 7 p.m. The Panthers, who did not play Tuesday, enter the match with an 8-4 overall, 0-2 league record.

SIDEOUT: Barry University Human Performance & Leisure Sciences Assistant Dean Maritza Ryder, who oversees academic progress for student-athletes, recognized 112 students who achieved grade point averages above 3.2 for the spring 2012 semester during a break in the match. Of Barry's 200-plus student-athletes, 18 received President's List honors for achieving a grade point average of 4.0 during the spring.

BOX SCORE

Barry Volleyball Hosts Lynn Tuesday

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:31:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University has waited and travelled for a month for the opportunity to play when it counts at home.

That time has arrived.

Barry's volleyball team will host Lynn at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Buccaneers' home opener at Health & Sports Center. The Bucs (6-4, 1-1 Sunshine State Conference) are coming off a split on the road to open conference play over the weekend. Barry beat Saint Leo before falling to Florida Southern.

Lynn comes to Miami Shores with an 8-1 overall, 1-1 SSC record, after also losing to FSC.

Fans can follow the matches via LIVE STATS and LIVE AUDIO.

Lynn's Brittany Brown has 80 kills, while starting in all nine matches. Lizzy Raffa is one kill behind her. Abby Brokop has 184 assists, and Mandy McIntosh has 113. Brianna Cox has 42 blocks, and Michelle Jordan has 105 digs.

Barry's Tania Torres leads the Bucs with 118 kills, starting in all 10 matches. Ashley Carrero has 86. Mima Hajdukovic has 345 assists, and now ranks 10th all-time in school history with 1,062.

Laine Cielena has 33 blocks, and Jasmine Serna leads the Buccaneers with 164 digs.

Barry is averaging 11.92 kills per set, while its opponents are putting away 12.57 per set this season. The Fighting Knights are averaging 12.5 kills per set, and giving up 8.53. The Bucs have 55 aces, compared to the opposition's 63. Lynn has 76 aces, while its opponents have served up 39.

Barry has 520 digs this season. Lynn has dug 363 balls this year.

SIDEOUTS: Barry will honor all of its student-athletes who received a grade point average of 3.2 or better during the Spring semester of 2012. Barry, a school which prides itself on performing in the classroom as well as on the playing surface, honors student-athletes who receive President's List (4.0), Dean's List (3.5-3.999) or Athletic Director's List (3.2-3.499) distinction each semester.

All student-athletes who received President's List honors in the spring will be honored between the second and third sets of Tuesday's match. All other scholar student-athletes will be able to pick up their academic accomplishments certificates in the HSC lobby following the match.

Volleyball Falls to FSC on Road

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 22:29:00 GMT

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Barry volleyball dropped a 25-22, 21-25, 26-24, 25-12 Sunshine State Conference match to host Florida Southern Saturday.

The Buccaneers (6-4, 1-1 SSC) had won three straight prior to falling in its first league contest this year.

Barry pushed the Mocs (10-4, 2-0) to the brink through three sets, taking a 23-21 lead in the third set when Mariana Lisboa pounded a kill. But Florida Southern ripped off the next three points to go ahead 24-23 before eventually holding on to win the pivotal third set.

Barry won the second set, racing out to a 15-10 lead that FSC nearly recovered from. The Mocs drew within 19-18 on a Buccaneers service error. Lisboa's ace pushed Barry ahead 21-18. Lisboa pounded a kill to keep the Bucs lead at 3, 24-21, and Torres and Rosie Johnston combined on a block to tie the match at a set apiece.

But a fourth set got away from Barry in a hurry, and Florida Southern wrapped up an otherwise competitive back-and-forth grudge match.

Torres had 14 kills, 12 digs and three assists. Lisboa had 12 kills and 13 digs. Senior setter Mima Hajdukovic had 31 assists. She now ranks 10th all-time in Barry history with 1,062 assists. Hajdukovic sits 268 assists behind Marya Morusiewicz, whose 1,330 assists in 406 sets from 1992-95 rank ninth in Buccaneer history.

Barry had 42 kills in 140 attempts, and Florida Southern pounded 57 kills in 157 attempts. Barry's .129 hitting percentage was .107 lower than FSC's .236.

Carrero had eight kills and eight digs. Johnston and Laine Cielena each had two of Barry's total four blocks. FSC had six blocks, and dug 56 balls. Barry was credited with 38 digs.

The Bucs will host rival Lynn at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Health & Sports Center.

BOX SCORE

Volleyball Opens SSC Play with Win

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 01:15:00 GMT

SAINT LEO, Fla. -- Barry University's volleyball team opened Sunshine State Conference play with a road win over Saint Leo Friday night.

The Buccaneers (6-3, 1-0 SSC) beat the host Lions (6-3, 0-1) in four sets, 19-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-23. It was a complete reversal from last year when once the Bucs opened league play, they struggled. Different team, different story this season.

Barry bounced back from its opening-set loss with a late-surge win in the second set to tie the match at 1-1. Trailing, 19-17 in the second set, Barry tied it at 19-19 on a Lions attack error and kill by Mima Hajdukovic. Saint Leo traded points with the Bucs over the next four serves to keep the second set tied, but a pair of hitting errors by the Lions gave Barry its first late-set lead, 23-21.

Ashley Carrero's service error allowed the Lions to draw within one, but Tania Torres' kill and a Lions error tied the match at a set apiece.

Barry hit .312 on 15 kills in the second set.

The Buccaneers battled point-for-point with the Lions in the third set before Mariana Lisboa's kill, followed by another putaway by Carrero capped a 4-0 run that pushed Barry ahead, 22-17. Hajdukovic's ace vaulted the Bucs to within a point of wrapping up its second set before Sami Vierk's kill and a ballhandling error by Hajdukovic pulled the Lions to within 24-20. But an attacking error gave the Buccaneers a 2-1 lead in the match.

Barry took a 15-11 lead in the decisive set when Laine Cielena's kill found vacant territory. Lauren Campbell's kill helped Saint Leo tie it at 18-18. Cielena pounded another kill to give the Bucs a two-point lead, 21-19, and Mariana Lisboa and Hajdukovic added kills of their own to extend Barry's lead to 23-21. A Lions attack error moved the Bucs within a point of wrapping up the match, but Vierk's kill and another ballhandling error by Hajdukovic cut the Buccaneers' lead to 24-23.

Carrero, who has become almost predictable to put her stamp on a ball during termination time, pounded her 12th kill to seal it for the Buccaneers.

Torres finished with 15 kills, 13 digs and two blocks. Hajdukovic had 36 assists, nine kills and 11 digs, while attacking at a .643 rate. Cielena had five kills and five blocks. Carrero and Cielena both hit .300 or better.

Jasmine Serna had 15 digs, and Tashalyn Begon had six kills.

Barry, which plays at Florida Southern 4 p.m. Saturday, had 53 kills in 119 attacks. Saint Leo equalled the Bucs kill production in 135 attempts.

BOX SCORE

Bucs Volleyball Begin League Play Friday

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 09:39:00 GMT

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry begins conference play in the 2012 volleyball season when it meets Saint Leo and Florida Southern on the road Friday and Saturday, respectively.

The Buccaneers (5-3) had a week off after finishing third at the Grand Rapids Classic in Allendale, Mich., hosted by Grand Valley State University. Now they open league play -- an area they struggled in, following an excellent start to the non-conference schedule a year ago.

But with a new team, new dynamics and a renewed vigor amongst themselves, the Bucs are poised for better outcomes in the SSC this season. Coming off a dominating performance of its "own" last Friday when the Buccaneers swept its alumni team, Barry hopes to rewrite a new path toward returning to the top of the league standings, where they were in years past.

Last year the Bucs started 6-0 in non-conference play before dropping the first two SSC matches to Florida Southern and Tampa, a perennially-ranked national power. This year Florida Southern enters the weekend with an 8-4 overall record. The Moccasins are 0-1 at home.

Tampa, which began the season with a No. 2 national ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll but has dropped to seventh, enters conference play with a 7-2 mark. Barry already knocked off one ranked team earlier this year, and played then-No. 7 Washburn to a competitive three-set loss in the season opener at Palm Beach Atlantic's Hyatt Place Classic in West Palm Beach. Washburn has moved up to No. 5, and is 10-0 entering the weekend.

Friday's 7 p.m. match at Saint Leo can be followed via LIVE STATS or LIVE VIDEO

Saturday's 4 p.m. match at Florida Southern can be followed via LIVE STATS

Collins Advances To Top-9 In Woman of the Year Competition

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 13:09:00 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS—Barry’s Grace Collins advanced to the top-three in Division II for NCAA Woman of the Year on Thursday.

The softball star joins runner Kate Griewisch of Lenoir-Rhyne and tennis player Verena Preikschas of California State Stanislaus as the honorees from Division II.

During her time at Barry, Collins made an impact on her school and the community around her. Collins served as vice president for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and traveled to Nashville to assist with relief of the 2010 flood. She was a committee chair for Make-A-Wish Walk for Wishes, America’s Moms For Soldiers and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

A four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athlete, she was named to the academic all-district team in 2011. She was the first student-athlete to win the Barry University President’s Award, which is presented to the most outstanding senior. In 2012, Collins received the university’s Excellence in Leadership Award.

Collins was named NFCA first-team All-South Region and was a first-team All-American in 2011. She also earned first-team all-region and third-team All-America honors through Daktronics as both a junior and a senior. She also received Sunshine State Conference first-team accolades in 2011 and 2012.

“Collegiate athletics has taught me the importance of determination, hard work and undying passion,” Collins said in her personal statement. “In life, everyone feels adrenaline and stress, makes mistakes and some successful strides. But it is those who learn to excel through adversity, manage stress, turn mistakes into learned lessons and handle achievements with humility who will ultimately succeed in the future. Collegiate athletics has empowered me with this competitive edge to not only handle any situation but to conquer it successfully.”

The three Division II finalists are joined by the Division I group (Hillary Bach, Arizona State, softball; Brooke Pancake, Alabama, golf and Alexi Pappas, Dartmouth, cross country/track) and the Division III group (Kelsey Kittleson, Luther, softball; Sarah Jane Otey, Coast Guard, rowing/swimming and Elizabeth Phillips, Washington-St. Louis, cross country/track) to form the top-9 finalists.

The nine finalists, along with the other honorees who made the Top 30, will be invited to Indianapolis for the Woman of the Year festivities. The award weekend (Oct. 12-14) will include a community service project that gives honorees the opportunity to interact with young girls in the city of Indianapolis and serve as role models for them. The NCAA will also host a reception in their honor.

The NCAA’s Woman of the Year Award, now in its 22nd year, honors female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership. Every NCAA member institution is encouraged to honor its top graduating female student-athlete by submitting her name for consideration. Each conference assesses the eligibility of its members’ nominees and selects at least one student-athlete to represent the conference.

To be eligible for the award, a female student-athlete must have completed eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2012 spring season, graduated no later than the end of the summer 2012 term and achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics selects the national winner from the nine finalists.

Bucs Setter Selected as SSC Offensive Player of Week

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 17:36:00 GMT

Barry University senior setter Mima Hajdukovic (Belgrade, Serbia) was named the Sunshine State Conference Volleyball Player of the Week.

Hajdukovic had a triple-double with 44 assists, 11 kills and 10 digs in a four-set win over Seton Hill at the Grand Rapids Classic hosted by Grand Valley State in Allendale, Mich. In four matches at the tournament, she had 144 assists, and attacked at a .415 clip. She had 41 assists in a four-set win over Lake Superior State to open the weekend.

She had seven kills, hit .600, had three block assists and dished out 30 assists in the Buccaneers three-set win over Stonehill to cap a 3-1 weekend in Michigan. She had double-digit digs in two matches.

Hajdukovic is leading the Buccaneers in assists with 277 for an average of 9.55 per set. She is hitting .239.

Barry improved to 5-3 overall in the trip to Michigan, and will host an Alumni Match at 7 p.m. Friday at Health & Sports Center.

Torres Named to Grand Rapids All-Tourney Team

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 16:14:00 GMT

ALLENDALE, Mich. -- Senior middle blocker/outside hitter Tania Torres was named to the Grand Rapids Classic All-Tournament team as selected by host Grand Valley State University.

Torres, a Camuy, Puerto Rico native, pounded a team-high 54 kills in the four-match tournament, helping Barry go 3-1 and place third at the event. Torres hit .256, and had nine blocks while starting all four matches.

She was one of seven players named to the team.

Torres leads Barry with 89 kills for an average of 3.07 per set. She is hitting .226, having started all eight matches this season for the Buccaneers, who improved to 5-3 overall.

Barry will host the Alumni Match at 7 p.m. Friday in the Health & Sports Center.

Riverfront Hotel Grand Rapids Classic
All-Tournament Team

Abby Aiken, Grand Valley State
Makenzie Fahnestock, Wisconsin-Parkside
Meaghan Lee, Stonehill
Bridget Nickel, Wisconsin-Parkside
Betsy Ronda, Grand Valley State
Tania Torres, Barry

Most Valuable Player: Eno Umoh, Grand Valley State