MDC LADY SHARKS WIN STATE TITLE AND HEAD FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
MIAMI, November 12, 2007 – The Miami Dade College (MDC) Lady Sharks Volleyball Team are the new 2007 State Champions with an undefeated record of 30-0. Now, they are set to compete at the National Junior College Athletic Association Championship Tournament (NJCAA) in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where they will face off with Spartanburg Methodist College of South Carolina on Thursday, Nov. 15 at 12 p.m.
The Lady Sharks will attempt to continue through the single elimination tournament leading up to the championship match scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. The ladies qualified to compete in the national tournament after winning the Atlantic District Championships. They also took home the 2007 Southern Conference Championship.
“We are certainly pleased with the way our season has gone to date,” said third-year Head Coach Origenes “Kiko” Benoit. “However, at Miami Dade College, we strive for the national championship title each and every year before we are satisfied with our season.”
Benoit has compiled an overall record of 87-11 in his three seasons at MDC, including the 2005 and 2007 Florida State Championship and three consecutive Atlantic District Championships. He led the Lady Sharks to a second-place finish at the national tournament in 2005 and a tenth-place finish in 2006.
In addition to their victories as a team, outside hitter Paola Ampudia was named 2007 Florida Player of the Year, 2007 Southern Conference Player of the Year and ranks fifth in the nation in hitting efficiency. Rosa Medrano, who was named to the Florida Community College Activities Association (FCCAA) All Tournament Team along with Ampudia and Deyla Caceres, ranks sixth in the nation in service aces per game.
Miami Dade College teams have won eight National Volleyball Championships and been ranked in the NJCAA Top 10 every season since the ranking process began in 1977. Complete tournament information and results, including real-time scoring, can be found at the official tournament website, www.njcaavb.com
Contacts: To arrange an interview with coaches or players, please contact Alysia Dyer at 305-237-2193 or Jim Cox at 305-237-0730.
Media-only contacts: Juan Mendieta, MDC communications director, (305) 237-7611, jmendiet@mdc.edu; Beverly Counts Rodrigues, MDC media relations director, (305) 237-3949, brodrigu@mdc.edu or Sue Arrowsmith, (305) 237-3710, sue.arrowsmith@mdc.edu.