Jaguars’ volleyball team looks to make history, while Tampa seeks fourth national title
By Chris Rickerson | Sports editor
Eighth-seeded Augusta University volleyball will face top-seeded and NCAA Division II Championship host Tampa University on Thursday, Dec. 9, at the Bob Martinez Athletic Center at 7:30 p.m.
Both teams have a lot of momentum right now as the Jaguars head into this Elite Eight matchup on a seven-match win streak and the Spartans with 18 wins in a row.
Tampa (30-2) will look to capture there fourth national title after their last championship came in 2018. The Spartans other National Championship wins came in 2006 and 2014.
The Spartans are coached by Chris Catanach, who has a 1,111-211-career record at Tampa in his 37 seasons and has helped them to 34 NCAA appearances.
Catanach is impressed with the Jaguars.
“Everybody that made it here is deserving and an awesome team; there is no overlooking anybody,” said Catanach. “Augusta presents some really unique things that we have to figure out how to defend. Their players play with a ton of heart and are scrappy and keep the ball alive. They are very similar to us, and they are scary for us because they present some strengths that we don’t have and pass at a very high rate.”
Catanach also spoke on the toughness of being on your home court and competing for a national title.
“Our kids are really excited, but it is overwhelming all the things we have to do the travel teams are not dealing with and that’s been unique,” said Catanach. “I will say I wish we were on the road in some way because we would just be focused on our team, but we are excited to be playing at home.”
AU (25-8) is making its first Elite Eight appearance in school history. The Jaguars have been the underdogs throughout the NCAA tournament. The Jaguars were the lower seed in each matchup, upsetting Tusculum, Anderson and Lenoir-Rhyne on their path to the Elite Eight.
“It was not an easy road, but that motivation of tackling and getting through those opponents, that’s what were conditioned to and trained to do, and that is what we will see again here,” said AU Coach Sharon Quarles.
Quarles also said tempo and defense is a key factor in this matchup.
“You have to serve aggressively at this team and stay defensively minded,” said Quarles. “If we can run a tempo that our hitters can move and our setters can move their block, that’s what we need to do. If we slow things down, that’s where it will create more trouble for us.”
The match will begin at 7:30 p.m. The winner of this matchup will advance to the Final Four and face the winner of Hillsdale versus Gannon.
Contact Chris Rickerson at crickerson@augusta.edu.
