Gaston College beach volleyball ready for historic run to NJCAA national championships
When the 2022-23 school year began for Gaston College, the Rhinos' athletic program knew it would have the opportunity to compete for National Junior College Athletic Association postseason glory after being ineligble as a startup program last season.
In the fall, Gaston College's Victoria Perez set school history by becoming the first student-athlete from the school to qualify for the NJCAA national championships.
And this spring, the Rhinos' beach volleyball program became the first team in school history to qualify for the NJCAA national championships that start Thursday in Tavares, Fla.
"It has been amazing," said Carli Phillips, a freshman from Cherryville. "It shows you that all we have to do is work our hardest and see how it goes and what we can accomplish."
Coached by Rachel Noreika, the Rhinos' program has only six student-athletes a year ago.
This season, with a roster of 13, the Rhinos have played in 25 matches, opened the school's first on-campus facility and competed in the Region 10 championships at Sandhills Community College in Southern Pines.
There, Gaston College won two of three matches to finish third in Region 10 and earn a berth to the NJCAA nationals.
The Rhinos defeated Wake Tech 3-2, lost to eventual Region 10 champion Richard Bland before edging Bryant & Stratton, Va., 3-2 in the third-place match to wrap up their national tournament berth on a rainy, chilly day.
"The clinching match was the highlight for me," said Leilani Nolasco, a sophomore from Gastonia. "The weather was not really in our favor and we had played from like 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"But we stuck through and didn't let the weather defeat us. As a young program to go as far as nationals when it was not expected showed the progress we've made throughout the season."
Elizabeth Jones, a sophomore from Mount Holly, says the team's foundation was laid in the fall semester when this team held its first practices.
"You look at us in the fall and we are a whole different team now," Jones said. "Knowing all the hard work we have put into it, we feel very grateful that we get to go (to the NJCAA nationals). It shows that all that hard work paid off."
The Rhinos will compete in one of four groups in pool play competition when the 2023 NJCAA Beach Volleyball Championships begin; Gaston College is the No. 8 seed in the 16-team field and has been placed in a group with No. 1 overall seed Palm Beach State and No. 9 seeded Region 10 rival Bryant & Stratton.
On Thursday, they'll face Bryant & Stratton at 11:30 a.m. and Palm Beach State at 2 p.m. and be re-seeded for games on Friday. Games will be livestreamed on www.gcrhinos.com and Team1Sports.