Sharks dethrone the Bucs to claim FCSAA State Championship

Miami Dade College and Kiko Benoit finally broke through. After three straight years of heartbreak at the hands of Florida SouthWestern, the Sharks flipped the script Saturday afternoon at Suncoast Credit Union Arena, sweeping the three-time defending champions 25-22, 28-26, 25-22 to capture the 2025 FCSAA State Championship  and hand the Bucs their first home sweep loss since 2019.

Miami Dade leaned on a complete team performance highlighted by sophomore Luyeisy Márquez-Moreno, who hammered a match-high 16 kills on .310 hitting, and Azra Arslanoğlu, who added 13 kills and several clutch points down the stretch. Setter Eleonora Gicheva steered the offense with 30 assists and anchored a blocking front that frustrated the Bucs' hitters all afternoon. The Sharks out-blocked FSW 28-6 and held them to a .137 hitting percentage, a rare sight for a Buccaneers team that had dominated the state for years.

In the opening set, Miami Dade fell behind early but clawed back behind Márquez's relentless attack, using a 6-1 run capped by back-to-back blocks from Gicheva and Eduarda Fabricio to grab control. A final kill by Márquez sealed the 25-22 win and an early 1-0 lead.

With the championship within reach, the Sharks refused to let go. In the third set, Márquez and Angelica Rodríguez sparked a 6–2 run to build a 20–17 cushion. FSW attempted one final push, cutting it to 24–22, but fittingly, a Buccaneer service error ended the rally and sealed Miami Dade's long-awaited championship sweep sending the bench into a frenzy.

Angelica Rodríguez chipped in eight kills and five block assists, while libero Katianna Mejía Betancur anchored the defense with 15 digs. FSW's Aleksandra Lucic paced the Bucs with nine kills, but the defending champs couldn't overcome Miami Dade's suffocating net presence and momentum swings.

The title marks Miami Dade's first FCSAA championship since 2021 and halts Florida SouthWestern's three-year reign.