The No. 3-seeded Sharks, (24-6, 8-0 Southern Conference), will play in the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships starting Thursday in Council Bluffs, Iowa, against qualifier North Idaho College.
Since taking over the reins in 2005 after serving as an assistant under legendary coach Ilida Medero for 12 years, Benoit has, by all accounts, done a bang-up job. Benoit, a native of the Dominican Republic, has taken the Sharks to four state titles and qualified for four national tournaments while maintaining the global recruiting edge that has made his teams as diverse as Miami-Dade County.
But 2008 has been a quixotic season for a team accustomed to being atop the National Junior College rankings. After finishing as the national runner-up in 2007 and starting 2008 with a preseason No. 1 ranking, Benoit's team battled chemistry issues that spilled onto the court, turning into losses to inferior competition.
A loss to No. 1 Iowa Western on Oct. 8 was followed by two more losses to Hillsborough Community College and Missouri West Plains at the MDC Shark Tournament -- an annual event usually dominated by the host.
Adding to the drama was the midseason exodus of three players who left the team for personal reasons. The Sharks' season teetered on the brink of disaster. Since then, the Sharks have won eight matches in a row. The team points to a 3-1 win over Hillsborough -- a Nov. 1 rematch -- as the defining moment of the season.
''That was the win that put us over,'' said sophomore outside hitter Rosa Medrano.
Medrano, an All-State and All-Region team selection who also won the FCCAA Tournament MVP, is a high-flying, front-line force from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, coveted by Division I programs across the United States.
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