FSW’s revered volleyball coach taking over FGCU program

Writer: Sylvie Sparks
Published: Updated:

One of the best coaches in junior college volleyball is stepping up to the NCAA.

Thais Baziquetto-Allen started Florida Southwestern’s volleyball program in 2019 and turned it into a powerhouse.

Now she’s headed across town to take over at FGCU.

“It just has so much potential at FGCU to go in there and continue to grow the program,” Baziquetto-Allen said. “I love the community. I love the support. We have gotten so much support at FSW with volleyball and we have a really good community base so I’m excited to continue that community just down the street.”

Baziquetto-Allen takes over from FGCU’s 11-year head coach Matt Botsford, who is taking over at the University of Central Florida.

FGCU won the ASUN tournament and competed in the NCAA Tournament the last four years.

A proven champion, Baziquetto-Allen is determined to uphold and extend the Eagles’ success.

“I think the biggest piece is the recruiting. I have a lot of international background and network in recruiting and I do want to translate that a lot more with some domestic players.”

Her recruiting worked wonders at FSW.

In the program’s first six years she led the Bucs to a 145-25 record and five straight NJCAA National Tournaments.

In 2024, FSW became the first NJCAA Division I program to ever win three straight national championships.

She earned the NJCAA National Coach of the yYear award from 2022-2024 and recruited and coached the NJCAA National Player of the Year those three years as well.

“That’s something that I’m really passionate about: a deep connection with my student athletes. Obviously I have high expectations for them on and off the court, but I also have high expectations for them as people and create that connection with them.”

Baziquetto-Allen met with her new team over zoom on Wednesday and will hit the ground running on campus at FGCU next week.

FSW told WINK News it will begin searching for a new head coach immediately.

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