December 23, 2025
Makinen & Gamboa Named AVCA All-Americans
The Florida SouthWestern Buccaneers list of AVCA All-Americans grew by two on Tuesday as Irina Makinen was announced as a 1st Team selection while Sara Gamboa picked up 2nd Team honors for the Bucs.
LEXINGTON, Ky.- The Florida SouthWestern Buccaneers list of AVCA All-Americans grew by two on Tuesday as Irina Makinen was announced as a 1st Team selection while Sara Gamboa picked up 2nd Team honors for the Bucs.
Makinen doubles up with 1st Team AVCA All-American honors after earning 1st Team NJCAA All-American honors earlier this month. The sophomore setter led the Bucs to their second straight appearance in the NJCAA National Championship game averaging 10.49 assists per set which ranked 3rd among Division I setters this season. She set a new FSW single season record with 1,143 assists on the year which included five matches with 50 or more helpers.
Gamboa, who was a 3rd Team AVCA All-American last season as a freshman, moved up a team as a sophomore this season, picking up 2nd Team honors. She finished 6th in the country this season with 3.85 kills per set while attacking at a .258 clip on the year. She had 11 matches of 15 or more kills including three straight at the NJCAA National Tournament to pick up All-Tournament Team honors for the Bucs.
Different from the NJCAA All-American award that honors players by division, the AVCA All-American honorees are chosen between all five factions of two-year college Volleyball including NJCAA Divisions I, II, and III as well as the CCCAA in California and the NWAC.
The pair are the 10th and 11th Bucs to be honored with AVCA All-American accolades all time.
