Your future, our focus
Heading to Florida for Challenge of Building New Program
BY RANDAL HOROBIK
Tribune Sports Editor
Northwest College women’s volleyball coach Flavia Siqueira has resigned her position at the helm of the Trappers’ program after three seasons. Siqueira has accepted a position as the head coach at the College of Central Florida, a two-year school that will be fielding its first-ever volleyball team in 2011.
“Every year that I have been here, I’ve been very fortunate to receive offers,” Siqueira said. “None of them really looked attractive to me. This time, the challenge of building a new program from scratch, in a tough region, was a little different, and I decided to go.”
During her brief tenure in Powell, Siqueira made a definite impression on the Northwest College program, going 90-38 in three seasons with the Trappers.
After going 12-34 the year prior to her arrival at NWC, the Trappers’ record exploded to 41-10 during the 2008 campaign. Northwest advanced to the Region IX North championship before dropping back-to-back contests against Casper College to fall one win shy of a national tournament appearance that season.
Northwest made up for that the following year, sweeping through the Region IX tournament after spending a chunk of the season ranked nationally. The Trappers finished 27-10, including a 1-2 stint at the NJCAA national tournament. By winning in the second round of the national tournament, the Trappers became the first Region IX North team in a number of years to win a match on the NJCAA national tournament stage.
Following her accomplishments that season, Siqueira was honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association with a “Thirty under 30” award. The honor was designed to “spotlight up-and-coming professionals” in volleyball. Of the 30 individuals recognized, Siqueira was one of just two community college coaches to make the list, as 25 of the 30 coaches honored occupied positions at four-year colleges.
Compared to her first two seasons with the Trappers, Siqueira’s 2010 season took a dip in team record. After opening the year ranked among the top 25 programs in the nation, Northwest saw a string of nonstop injuries rob the team of three starters by late September.
Despite the rash of mishaps, Northwest battled to a regular season runner-up finish in the Region IX North standings. The Trappers finished with a 22-18 mark, which Siqueira notes did not play a factor in her decision to accept the position at Central Florida.
“Injuries happen wherever you’re at,” Siqueira said. “You just have to deal with them, and that’s definitely a lesson I learned this season as a coach. As for whether they influenced my decision to stay or go — no, not at all.”
Northwest College athletic director Andy Ward noted that Siqueira’s resignation is effective Dec. 10. The school, Ward said, will begin a national search immediately.
“It will be very difficult to find someone of Flavia’s caliber, but I think we’ll see a substantial group of applicants,” Ward said. “She’s taken our program to such a level that it is going to be absolutely attractive for a lot of people.”
Northwest College indicated in a press release that some of Siqueira’s players are considering the possibility of following her to Florida.
“It has been a joy to work with the community,” said Siqueira. “It has been a pleasure working with everybody and having them support me, support my players and the program. It’s sad to leave, because I’ve made great friends, but I also have a great opportunity.”