Your future, our focus
POWELL, Wyo. - It took only two years for Flavia Siqueira to put the Northwest College Volleyball Program on the national map. She’ll leave Powell Friday, Dec. 10, for Ocala, Fla., to attempt the same there, launching a new program at the College of Central Florida.
Siqueira racked up a 90-38 record in her three years as the NWC Trapper coach. Her first-year team narrowly lost the north regional championship in a heartbreaking upset; her second team avenged that loss by claiming the number one spot to represent NWC at the 2009 national tournament, placing 11th there. This year’s team, plagued by injuries, still managed to post a respectable 22-18 season record.
Her shooting-star trajectory as a coach earned Siqueira a Thirty Under 30 Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association in February. She was one of only two community college coaches to make the list.
“It isn’t easy to leave Northwest,” Siqueira said, “but the challenge of starting a new program from the ground up is just too hard to resist.” The warmer climate and larger population base were also attractive to the Brazilian native (the three counties served by CCF claim over 510,000 residents, more than live in the entire state of Wyoming).
College of Central Florida (known as Central Florida Community College until May of this year) boasts five campuses and centers and nearly 18,000 students. The institution fields the Florida Patriots basketball, baseball and softball teams. The volleyball team is scheduled to go online in fall 2011.
“Flavia’s done a tremendous job in her three years here,” NWC Athletic Director Andy Ward said, “We’re sad to see her leave, but given her stellar record and performance, it was inevitable that she would be sought after by many institutions.”
Siqueira came to Northwest from College of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M., after the school decided to discontinue its volleyball team. In 2008, Siqueira’s CSW Mustangs finished third in the Red River Conference and were ranked in the top 10 in their region.
As a player, she accumulated a long list of All-America and Academic All-America honors, along with numerous all-conference and all-region awards, at Western Nebraska Community College and then the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D.
Some of Siqueira’s Trapper players are considering the possibility of following her to Florida.
Ward said the college will begin a national search right away. Siqueira’s success at Northwest may help the college attract top-notch coaching applicants.
“It will be very difficult to find someone of Flavia’s caliber, but I think we’ll see a substantial group of applicants,” Ward predicted. “She’s taken our program to such a level that it’s going to be absolutely attractive for a lot of people.”