ORLANDO, Fla. – Three teams from the Sunshine State are competing to win it all this year in the Women’s NCAA Tournament: (6) Florida State, (12) South Florida, and (14) Florida Gulf Coast are all looking to cut down the nets in April.
[RELATED: Meet the Central Floridians playing in the Men’s NCAA Tournament]
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If your team didn’t make the Tournament, or you’re looking for a team to root for, here are some of the local athletes competing on the court this March:
Georgia Tech:
Kayla Blackshear (Orlando): The forward played significant minutes in all 32 games for the Yellowjackets this year, averaging 6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, across 23.3 minutes per game.
(9) Georgia Tech tips off against (8) Richmond Friday at 7:30 P.M.
UNC Greensboro:
Nasia Powell (Ocala): The guard played in 16 of the Spartans’ 31 games this year, playing an average of 8.1 minutes per game, and scoring an average of 2.2 points.
(16) UNC Greensboro looks to pull off the upset over (1) USC Saturday at 3:00 P.M.
Kentucky:
Lexi Blue (Orlando): The guard averaged 9.4 minutes played per game this year for the Wildcats, contributing an average of 1.7 points per game and 1.5 rebounds per game.
(4) Kentucky tries to hold off (13) Liberty Friday at 12:00 P.M.
Florida Gulf Coast:
Cerina Rolle (Eustis): The guard is looking to bounce back from a scoreless performance in the ASUN Championship game, though she added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in the Eagles’ win over Central Arkansas.
(14) Florida Gulf Coast looks to upset (3) Oklahoma Saturday at 2:30 P.M.
South Carolina:
Chloe Kitts (Oviedo): The forward looks to help the Gamecocks win back-to-back National Titles, something no team has done since Connecticut won four straight titles from 2013-2016. She led the team in rebounds this year with 7.9 per game, and scored the most points (15) in their SEC Championship win over Texas.
(1) South Carolina begins their quest for back-to-back NCAA Women’s titles when they play (16) Tennessee Tech Friday at 4:00 P.M.
Texas:
Jordana Codio (Winter Garden): The guard appeared in 21 of the Longhorns’ 34 games this season, averaging 1.2 points per game in an average 4.9 minutes played.
(1) Texas plays the winner of (16) High Point - William & Mary Saturday at 9:45 P.M.
Notre Dame:
Emma Risch (Melbourne): The guard has been ruled out for the remainder of the season because of a hip injury. She was a key contributor for the Irish when she was healthy this season, averaging an efficient 5.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists across an average of 13.7 minutes played in 13 games this season.
(3) Notre Dame looks to advance against (14) Stephen F. Austin Friday at 2:00 P.M.
Louisville:
Nyla Harris (Orlando): The forward was a key piece in the Cardinals’ success this season, leading the team in shooting percentage (54.5%), and averaging 9 points and 5.5 assists in all 31 of Louisville’s games this year.
(7) Louisville has a coin-flip game against (10) Nebraska Friday at 6:00 P.M.
A number of alumni from Montverde Academy in Lake County are also playing in the NCAA Women’s Tournament:
Jaloni Cambridge - Ohio State
Cori Allen - Illinois
Vivian Iwuchukwu - USC
Janiah Barker - UCLA
Rusne Augustinaite - Georgia Tech
Mariana Valenzuela - Florida State
Mjracle Sheppard - LSU
Eris Lester - Alabama