Purashaj/Alarcon Earn 1st Team NJCAA All-American Honors
Fresh off their 2023 NJCAA National Championship victory, Florida SouthWestern sophomores Roberta Purashaj and Alondra Alarcon earned the ultimate individual honors on Tuesday as the dynamic duo were both named NJCAA First Team All-Americans.
CHARLOTTE, N.C.- Fresh off their 2023 NJCAA National Championship victory, Florida SouthWestern sophomores Roberta Purashaj and Alondra Alarcon earned the ultimate individual honors on Tuesday as the dynamic duo were both named NJCAA First Team All-Americans.
Purashaj becomes the first Buccaneer to earn All-American honors in both seasons at FSW, topping her 2022 2nd Team All-American nod with 1st Team All-American accolades in 2023. She became the first FSW setter in program history to compile 1,000 assists this season, finishing her storied Buccaneer career with 1,909, also a program record. Her 11.01 assists per set this season were third most Nationally while quarterbacking the Bucs offense to an NJCAA best 13.87 kills per set and .316 hitting percentage, the first team to do that in the past 10 seasons. Purashaj dished out 30 or more assists 22 times this season despite all but six of the Bucs games this season resulting in 3-0 sweeps. Purashaj is the only FSW setter in program history to top the 50 assist mark in a game, doing so twice this season including a season high 57 in a win over Polk State after setting the program record with 60 last season in a win over Trinity Valley. She adds 1st Team All-American honors to Citrus Conference and FCSAA Player of the Year accolades as well as National Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
Alarcon finished with a program record 374 kills this season, breaking the FSW all-time record with 646 in her Buccaneer career. She averaged 3.96 kills per set this season which ranked 6th Nationally while finishing the season as one of just five players in the country, along with teammate Victoria Zibecchi, to averaged 3.00 or more kills per set while hitting .300 on the year. She had 10 or more kills 21 times this season including all four matches at the National Tournament, giving her 10+ kills in all eight career matches at the big dance. It wasn't just offense that Alarcon excelled on though as she racked up 13 double-doubles on the season including a career high 24 kill, 22 dig effort against Polk State that earned her NJCAA National Player of the Week honors. She finishes her career as a two time 1st Team All-Conference, two time 1st Team All-State, two time NJCAA National Tournament All-Tournament Team selection, and now a 1st Team NJCAA All-American.
Purashaj and Alarcon's selection marks the fourth straight season that FSW has had two All-Americans and the second time in their five year program history that they have had two 1st Team All-Americans in the same season, joining Maria Petkova and Deborah Ribeiro from the 2021 season.
FSW was one of just two teams to have multiple 1st Team All-Americans (Northeastern) and one of just three teams total to have two players named to the All-American Teams (Northeastern, Indian Hills).