The 2014 USCAA Volleyball National Championship returns to Canton, New York for the third straight year. Held at the Convention, Athletic, and Recreation Center on the SUNY Canton campus, the tournament field will take on a different look this year. Two-time defending National Champion Daemen College failed to earn a bid, opening up the door for perennial USCAA powers Florida College, Rochester College, University of Cincinnati-Clermont, Penn State Fayette, Carlow, and SUNY Canton. Joining them in the field will be first time participants Alfred State College, Berea College, Tennessee Temple University, and Concordia College Alabama. Below is a brief look at all ten teams that will be making the trip to Canton.

Florida College

• Eight-time winners of the USCAA Volleyball National Championship, Florida College is looking to get back to its winning ways after an impressive record of 19-6 in 2014. With two trips to the finals the two previous years, they will be looking to turn the corner and bring home the title.
• Florida College is ranked number one in the nation for assists per set averaging 11.72. Malea Kalina is ranked third in kills for the season with 359.
• They are led by senior captain Camille Crim who made the All-Tournament Team last year.

Alfred State College

• Their coach, Gene Doorley, has over 255 wins for Alfred State College and would like to add a National Championship to his list of big wins.
• The third best hitting percentage in the nation of .393 belongs to middle hitter Janae Hamilton.
• Kay Pfleghardt is ranked seventh in kills with 269 so far this season.

Berea College

• The Berea College Mountaineers come into the tournament with stellar defense as they are ranked fourth in the nation, averaging 2.21 blocks per set.
• The Mountaineers will be facing familiar foes when they square off against Carlow University, whom they beat 3-1 in the Rochester College Classic earlier this season. They also have a big win against Pool B’s number three seed, University of Cincinnati-Clermont, who they have beaten twice (3-1 and 3-2).  
• Berea will look to coach Paul Cantrell, who has over 150 career wins, for experience as they enter their first USCAA Volleyball National Championship.

Tennessee Temple University

• The Lady Crusaders (17-11) have four of the top five players in digs per set, with Naomi Posada leading the team with an average of 9.78.
• Tennessee Temple is ranked second in the country in solo blocks with 254 recorded on the season. They will look for their blocks and digs to carry them into the later stages of the tournament.
• Coach Mary Willis is in her first season with previous success in her career as a player. She hopes to use her experience in her first national tournament.

Carlow University

• The Carlow University Celtics come into the tournament with three wins over Penn State Fayette who are seeded in the fourth spot in Pool B.
• Amber Bussard is ranked seventh in the country in block assists with 52.

Rochester College

• The Lady Warriors come into the 2014 National Championship Tournament looking to win the school’s third national title.
• The team has two players ranked in the top five in kills for the season. Paige TenBrink is ranked second with 362 and Lexus Medina is ranked fourth with 293.
• The Warriors have seven wins against teams that will be in attendance at the tournament, including a win over Penn State Fayette who they played in mid-September. These two teams will face in their opening pool play match.

SUNY Canton

• The host institution posted an impressive 19-5 record this season and hope to continue their good form and win the National Championship on their home court.
• Morgan Bills leads the team in hitting percentage and is ranked fifth in the country with an average of .298. Mackenzie Mynter is ranked fifth in the country in assists per set with an impressive 9.01 average.
• The Kangaroos coach Carol LaMarche won her 100^th game this season and is finishing up her fourth season as the head coach. She will use her experience from the past two USCAA Volleyball National Championships in this year’s tournament.

University of Cincinnati-Clermont

• The Crusaders (14-5) are coming into the National Championship with two players ranked in the top five in separate categories. Alex Robb is second in the nation in assists per game with an average of 10.42 and Amber Lawrence is fourth in hitting percentage (.316) and service aces (45).
• Lost to Berea earlier in their season in a hard fought four match duel. They will be looking for revenge should the teams face each other later in the tournament.
• They are also familiar with Florida College, who is the number one seed in Pool A. The teams played in the first round of last year’s tournament.

Penn State Fayette

• Defeated tournament participant Berea College early in the year (3-2).
• Emily Conter is ranked third in the nation, averaging just under one ace per match.
• The Lady Lions look to rebound after a rough tournament last year and bring home their first USCAA Volleyball National Championship.

Concordia College of Alabama

• Arieta Vaimaona has a nation leading 373 kills this season and hitting percentage of .450.
• The team has over 3000 digs this season and over 1200 assists.
• Their coach, Brandon Reeves, has the Lady Hornets at an impressive 22-8 record in only his second season in charge.