In the wake of the Eagles' name being drawn, so many other names were drawn and was unbearable to find out. Of course, I was at home in Bradenton watching the show, and my how I wish I was there. I bet the team would be so happy to see that I traveled all the way to Ft. Myers just to watch the selection show with them.
How We Got There:
The Eagles began their season on the road for the first six matches on the road as they finished 4-2 including big wins against FAU (11-3) and Power 5 Miami (13-11) in the Sunshine State Classic and a win against New Mexico State (24-7) in the Lobo.
At home, the Eagles had their home opener in the Alico Arena with the Homewood Suites Fort Myers/FGCU Classic where they finished 1-2, which included a heartbreaking, nail biting 3-2 loss to Power 5 West Virginia (11-18).
The Eagles would return on the road for their final non-conference tournament in the VolleyKnights Invitational in Orlando 2-1 with wins over Ivy League Champion Yale (19-4) and SWAC Champion Alabama State (23-16) before beginning A-SUN Conference play.
At the start of conference, the Eagles began their first four matches on the road in success before returning to the Alico Arena for their three straight home matches. During their road trip, the Eagles face A-SUN newcomer North Alabama (4-21) where they won 3-0 in which it was head coach Matt Botsford's 100th win with FGCU.
After starting their conference home opener with a loss to Kennesaw State (24-7) and a win against Lipscomb (18-12), the Eagles continued to push forward and win their matches in conference play, which included a 3-2 win against the second A-SUN newcomer Liberty (15-17) and the exclusions of their final two non-conference against Bethune-Cookman (16-16) and FIU (19-12).
In their second match against Kennesaw State, the Eagles managed to get payback with a 3-1 win at Kennesaw before wrapping up their part of the regular season with a 3-1 win against Liberty at their final home match, in which it was senior day for five seniors: Karissa Rhoades, Maggie Rick, Kaiti Krivdo, Sharonda Pickering and Amanda Carroll. As a result of the win, the Eagles were named the A-SUN Regular Season Champions for the first time since 2012 before winning the A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament Championship for the first time in program history.
Prior to the A-SUN tournament, the Eagles earned a combined 16 A-SUN awards and accolades:
A-SUN Player of the Year: sophomore Cortney VanLiew
A-SUN Coach of the Year: Botsford
A-SUN Defensive Player and A-SUN Freshman of the Year: Dana Axner
A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year: senior Maggie Rick
A-SUN All-Conference First Team: VanLiew, Axner and Pickering
A-SUN All-Conference Second Team: Rick and junior Daniele Serrano
A-SUN All-Freshman Team: Axner, Tori Morris and Chelsea Lockey
A-SUN All-Academic Team: Rick and VanLiew
Google Cloud CoSIDA All-Academic District 4 First Team: VanLiew
A-SUN All-Tournament Team: Axner, VanLiew and Serrano (MVP)
A-SUN All-Conference Second Team: Rick and junior Daniele Serrano
A-SUN All-Freshman Team: Axner, Tori Morris and Chelsea Lockey
A-SUN All-Academic Team: Rick and VanLiew
Google Cloud CoSIDA All-Academic District 4 First Team: VanLiew
A-SUN All-Tournament Team: Axner, VanLiew and Serrano (MVP)
Tournament Coaching Experience:
For Botsford, this is not his first time in the NCAA DI National Tournament. In fact, Botsford has been to the national tournament on four different occasions prior to FGCU as an assistant coach with Notre Dame ('09 First Round) and Colorado ('11 2nd Round, '12-'13 First Round). This will actually be his first time he will go to the national tournament as a head coach.
Along with Botsford, long time assistant volleyball coach Daniel Mahy also has NCAA tournament experience with FGCU. In fact, in Mahy's first two seasons, when FGCU was a NCAA DII independent school, the Eagles went to the NCAA South Regionals as a semifinalist ('04) and as a regional runner-up ('05). When he was in his first season with Barry in 2006, the Buccaneers went to the 2nd round of the NCAA South Regional Tournament.
In the championship match against Kennesaw, Mahy got his 265th win with FGCU and his 293rd overall while first-time FGCU assistant coach and former Rutgers All-American Stephanie Zelinski earned her 54th career win. For Zelinski, this is her first taste of the NCAA Tournament as a coach.
What it do VanLiew:
Since Carroll's injury in the Lobo Classic, VanLiew has been stepping up to the plate offensively and defensively. Offensively, the reigning A-SUN Player of the Year leads the team with 445 kills and is second in aces (26). Defensively, VanLiew is second in digs (295) while also adding 45 blocks.
In the A-SUN championship match, VanLiew had a double-double of 13 kills and 12 digs. In her career, VanLiew has 753 kills and 518 digs. She was the ninth Eagle to reach 700 kills and the 18th to reach 500 digs.
Spice Burns:
Serrano still remains hot both on offense and defense. Offensively, Serrano currently has 222 kills in her name (third on the team) while defensively leads in total blocks (157). Serrano, who was named on the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and A-SUN All-Tournament Team, has made history on a few occasions as she is the all-time leader in total blocks (358) and block assists (304). In solo blocks, Serrano has 54 (2nd all-time) and is nine away from passing Olivia Mesner (62, 2011-14) as the all-time leader. Serrano has 612 career kills on the offensive front. In the championship match against Kennesaw, Serrano had 13 kills and five blocks (two solo) while being named the A-SUN All-Tournament Team MVP.
400 to 500:
As I was looking at the program's record book, I somehow stumbled upon a few other accolades that I didn't even realize. It turned that junior Giovanna Borgiotti and sophomore Snowy Burnam have made accolades of their own.
Borgiotti is currently fifth on the team in kills (181) and blocks (56). In fact, Borgiotti has 486 career kills and is 14 away from being the 16th player to reach 500 career kills as she passed Brittany Muse (480, 2009-12) for 16th all-time. In the championship match against Kennesaw, the Vienna, Virginia native had five kills and three blocks.
Burnam is second on the team in kills (237) and fourth in blocks (58). In the championship match against Kennesaw, Burnam had a double-double of 12 kills and 16 digs. In fact, Burnam has 424 kills in her career as she was the 22nd Eagle to reach 400 career kills. This season, Burnam has six double-doubles and 10 in her career.
Sharpen the Ax:
Axner came in clutch as the starting libero. The reigning A-SUN Freshman and Defensive of the Year is the first player in the A-SUN to earn both awards in the same season while she leads the team and the A-SUN with 578 digs (5.16 digs per set).
The Dublin, Ohio native is third all-time in most digs in a single season after she passed Whitney Hendry (514 digs) and is 23 away from passing Vanessa Benke (558) for second all-time. In fact, Axner already ranks 12th in career digs just 30 matches into her career. Axner is 29 away from passing Whitney Hendry's 2005 season dig record (606) and holding the all-time single season digs record and is 27 away from passing Christine Pinder (603, 2012-13) for 14th all-time in career digs. In the championship match against Kennesaw, Axner had 27 digs, three aces and an assist.
Pick Your Hits:
Senior Sharonda Pickering is second in the nation in hitting percentage at .426 this season. The native of Sea Cow's Bay, Tortola, BVI is one point behind Wisconsin's 6-8 Dana Retteke (.427). Pickering is fourth on the team with 211 kills and second behind Serrano in total blocks (123). In the championship match against Kennesaw, Pickering had nine kills and five blocks.
Block Party in Alico:
The Block Party (Serrano, VanLiew, Burnam, Pickering, Krivdo, Borgiotti and Morris) have a combined 553 total blocks with Serrano leading the team and the A-SUN in total blocks (157). The squad had 23 total blocks (six solo) in the championship match against Kennesaw.
The Eagles are ranked in the top 50 in a few other categories in the nation:
1. Opponent hitting percentage (.139, #2)
2. Blocks per set (2.88, #7)
3. Hitting percentage (.266, #18)
4. Kills per set (13.67, #47)
5. Winning percentage (.813, #18)
6. Total blocks (323, #5)
Automatic Entries:
Before the selection show, 32 teams claimed their conference and earned an automatic bid in the tournament. 10 of the teams do not have a conference tournament and are determined by their regular season.
Teams without a conference tournament:
Teams without a conference tournament:
*SEC: #10 Kentucky (22-4)
*ACC: #11 Pittsburgh (29-1)
*Big Ten: #2 Minnesota (25-3): #2 seed
*Big 12: #5 Texas (20-4)
*PAC 12: #1 Stanford (28-1): #1 seed
*AAC: #21 UCF (27-3)
*Ivy: Yale (19-4)
*Big West: #13 Cal Poly (25-2)
*WCC: #4 BYU (27-1): #4 seed
*MW: Colorado State (23-7)
*ACC: #11 Pittsburgh (29-1)
*Big Ten: #2 Minnesota (25-3): #2 seed
*Big 12: #5 Texas (20-4)
*PAC 12: #1 Stanford (28-1): #1 seed
*AAC: #21 UCF (27-3)
*Ivy: Yale (19-4)
*Big West: #13 Cal Poly (25-2)
*WCC: #4 BYU (27-1): #4 seed
*MW: Colorado State (23-7)
*Determined by regular season championship
Teams with a conference tournament and final scores:
A-SUN: FGCU (26-6) def Kennesaw 3-2
AEC: Stony Brook (21-8) def Albany 3-2
MEAC: Howard (20-10) def NC A&T 3-0
SWAC: Alabama State (23-16) def Alabama A&M 3-1
C-USA: Rice (24-6) def FIU 3-0
NEC: Bryant (22-12) def Sacred Heart 3-0
OVC; Murray State (22-9) def Austin Peay 3-0
MAC: Eastern Michigan (21-13) def Miami (OH) 3-2
MAAC: Iona (20-7) def Canisus 3-1
CAA: Hofstra (25-7) def James Madsion 3-2
Summit: South Dakota (21-9) def Denver 3-2
Horizon: Green Bay (20-10) def North Kentucky 3-0
Southland: Stephen F. Austin (32-2) def Central Arkansas 3-0
SoCon: Samford (19-14) def ETSU 3-1
Patriot: Navy (23-8) def American 3-2
Big South: High Point (21-9) def Radford 3-0
Sun Belt: Texas State (26-6) def Appalachian St 3-0
A-10: Dayton (23-7) def VCU 3-2
WAC: New Mexico State (24-7) def Utah Valley 3-1
Big East: #9 Creighton (28-4) def #15 Marquette 3-1
MVC: RV Northern Iowa (24-9) def Illinois State 3-1
Big Sky: Northern Arizona (26-6) def Idaho 3-0
Teams with a conference tournament and final scores:
A-SUN: FGCU (26-6) def Kennesaw 3-2
AEC: Stony Brook (21-8) def Albany 3-2
MEAC: Howard (20-10) def NC A&T 3-0
SWAC: Alabama State (23-16) def Alabama A&M 3-1
C-USA: Rice (24-6) def FIU 3-0
NEC: Bryant (22-12) def Sacred Heart 3-0
OVC; Murray State (22-9) def Austin Peay 3-0
MAC: Eastern Michigan (21-13) def Miami (OH) 3-2
MAAC: Iona (20-7) def Canisus 3-1
CAA: Hofstra (25-7) def James Madsion 3-2
Summit: South Dakota (21-9) def Denver 3-2
Horizon: Green Bay (20-10) def North Kentucky 3-0
Southland: Stephen F. Austin (32-2) def Central Arkansas 3-0
SoCon: Samford (19-14) def ETSU 3-1
Patriot: Navy (23-8) def American 3-2
Big South: High Point (21-9) def Radford 3-0
Sun Belt: Texas State (26-6) def Appalachian St 3-0
A-10: Dayton (23-7) def VCU 3-2
WAC: New Mexico State (24-7) def Utah Valley 3-1
Big East: #9 Creighton (28-4) def #15 Marquette 3-1
MVC: RV Northern Iowa (24-9) def Illinois State 3-1
Big Sky: Northern Arizona (26-6) def Idaho 3-0
As for at-large bids, the following 32 teams qualified for the tournament:
#3 Illinois (28-3): #3 seed
#6 Nebraska (24-4)
#7 Penn State (23-7)
#8 Wisconsin (22-6)
#12 Purdue (23-8)
#14 Oregon (20-10)
#15 Marquette (26-6)
#16 Florida (24-6)
#17 USC (21-10)
#18 Michigan (22-9)
#T-19 Washington State (21-9)
#T-19 Tennessee (25-5)
#22 Washington (18-12)
#23 Arizona (22-10)
#24 Missouri (23-7)
#25 Baylor (19-8)
RV Utah (18-13)
RV Colorado (18-13)
RV Florida State (19-9)
RV Denver (27-2
RV Louisville (21-8)
Loyola Marymount (20-9)
Duke (16-11)
Saint Mary's (19-9)
Syracuse (18-8)
Cincinnati (25-7)
Illinois State (25-7)
San Diego (16-12)
Pepperdine (21-8)
ETSU (28-6)
South Carolina (19-9)
Hawaii (18-8)
Quotes From Coaches Winning Automatic Bids/Getting At-Large Bids:
Automatic Qualifiers-
Stony Brook: "That was exactly what a championship atmosphere should be like," said head coach Kristin Belzung. "Huge thank you to our crowd and students for making Pritchard a hostile environment tonight. Albany came to play. They defended and adjusted throughout the entire match but our group was on a mission. I am so proud of our team for earning the opportunity to represent Stony Brook and the America East in the NCAA Tournament."
Howard: "This was an ugly game offensively," said head coach Shaun Kupferberg. "And a lot of that has to do with A&T's defense. They're a defensive-minded team, just like us, and that showed through tonight."
Alabama State: "I learned more as a coach than I ever have with this team because I had to find a way to reach them and they had to find a way to me and that's the struggle we dealt with all year but I am so appreciative that we never stopped trying and we never stopped reaching out," said head coach Penny Lucas-White. "It was a phenomenal match. They were prepared. They were ready. They were excited. They just wanted to get to today and you could tell because they weren't really focused on yesterday's match even though they had to take care of business, but they were so excited to play today."
Rice: "I'm really proud of our team. It was a great match and we came out pretty strong and set the tone early on," said head coach Genny Volpe. "FIU has some tough offensive weapons who are difficult to defend. To watch our team flourish in a championship match was a lot of fun. Sometimes if you're the No. 1 seed you have a little bit of pressure on you but I didn't see that with this team. We were very composed, and confident and were never worried about rankings or outside distractions."
Bryant: "The team leadership, with our five seniors, made this possible and made it happen tonight," said head coach Theresa Garlacy. "It's not just the way they played, but the way they made their teammates feel comfortable. It gave them the confidence to step up and perform when they needed to. That's a huge part of the success we've had all season, and especially this weekend when we had some young players come in and play well in pressure situations."
Murray State: "I'm super excited that we put a lot of work into this year," said head coach David Schwepker. "We had adversity and things we had to go through, and we overcame those things."
South Dakota: "I am so incredibly happy for this team right now," said Coach Leanne Williamson. "The players fought so hard as a group and completely trusted each other.
"The team has been working for this moment since day one and we continued to learn throughout the year. Every experience led us to be prepared for today.
Stephen F. Austin: "It means a lot. It's a special, special day and it has been a special season. It has just been a season of firsts in a lot of areas," said head coach Debbie Humphreys. "We have had some long winning streaks in the history of our program and we have won a lot of matches but it was a lot of firsts for this group. September 1, really? That was the last time we lost a match and after thinking about that we thought we just have to finish this thing off. I'm just so proud of how we came out and played today. We played some fantastic volleyball at every position."
Navy: "This win is a culmination of many years of hard work," said head coach Paco Labrador. "This group of seniors made the tournament as sophomores and reached the finals as juniors. It was clear from day one this year that these seniors were ready to win a championship this season.
"We are excited for the selection show and for the opportunity to spend more time together in our Navy volleyball family."
High Point: "It feels great to get to the NCAA tournament," head coach Ryan Meek said. "It is a goal we set at the beginning of the year. There have definitely been some ups and downs. This is a ten-month process for us. We are in January and February lifting weights and training to get to this point. It isn't just the three months of season we saw. It's that whole ten-month period of sacrifice on all of our parts. It feels great to get rewarded for that. These girls really set the precedent for what High Point volleyball is and is going to be. It is great to see them go out with, not just an NCAA Tournament, but with two conference championships."
Colorado State: "We did a good job blocking the middles early in the match, and then Katie Oleksak was great blocking on the right side today," said head coach Tom Hilbert. "She shut a bunch of people down and had a couple of really critical blocks. I was very, very pleased with how we got UNLV very off balance and shut down the things they like to do. We also hit the ball very well. It was a great overall match."
"I was sitting on my couch when we were 3-2, talking to my daughter and she's asking me, 'Are we getting in the NCAA Tournament?' and I said 'I think, because Fresno State is good, we're going to have to win the rest of our matches', and we won the rest of our matches. We have one more to complete that, and that's a pretty amazing thing that this team has been able to do."
At-Large Bids-
#8 Wisconsin: "You have 64 teams that are still playing and I'm sure there are 64 teams that are excited about the opportunities that are in front of them. We are certainly one of them," head coach Kelly Sheffield said. "It's cliché but it's true, you can't take anything for granted at this time. You're excited about playing but you're locked in on the opportunities that are in front of you."
"We feel good about the progression we've made this season and I like the progression we've made heading into the tournament," added Sheffield. "I think you want to go into the tournament being tested, which certainly we have in this league. You want to go in (to the tournament).
#14 Oregon: "I'm excited for our seniors, that they get to play in Matthew Knight Arena again, and I'm excited for our fans to have the chance to have the NCAA Tournament in Eugene for volleyball," said head coach Matt Ulmer. "I'm proud of our team. I'm proud that we put ourselves in position to be considered for a seed and to host, and that the committee recognized that. We play in a very tough conference and had a lot of good wins, so I'm just excited to be recognized and have a chance to play another day."
"It's exciting to be in your own gym and have that familiarity," said Ulmer, "and we're just excited to be able to play our best in front of our people."
"(New Mexico State) is always a good blocking team, they always play good floor defense and they always have a couple hitters that play at a really high level," said Ulmer. "We're going to have our hands full. Anytime you play teams that are used to winning, it's always going to be difficult."
#16 Marquette: "I am thrilled for this team and their efforts through the course of the season to now have the opportunity to host," head coach Ryan Theis said. "We hope our Milwaukee volleyball community and the Marquette students come out to create a great environment at the Al. After seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances it is fantastic that we enter the eighth as a national seeded team. It is a terrific honor and achievement for our program."
#22 Washington: "Just a wave of excitement to get to coach this group in the NCAA tournament," said Head Coach Keegan Cook. "Starting a little different than we have in years past, hitting the road, but it always feels a little more like the tournament when you're on the road."
#25 Baylor: "We feel grateful to be in the tournament," head coach Ryan McGuyre said. "It's something we come to expect from ourselves. With all the injuries we've had and the up-and-down moments and to battle and finish second in the Big 12, we're pleased with that. We've come a long way at Baylor."
#23 Arizona: "It's always exciting when you're an at-large team and you don't know where you're going to go or who you're going to play against," said head coach Dave Rubio. "It's exciting for us to see that we were selected and we will play Missouri at the at-large regional."
RV Utah: "It's very special whenever you make the NCAA Tournament," head coach Beth Launiere said. "I just told the team, there are about 280 teams that are home wishing they were playing in this tournament. You really have to be one of the best teams in the country to get in this tournament. Playing in the Pac-12, we play great teams all the time and sometimes we forget it takes a lot of hard work and is always special to make it to the NCAA Tournament."
"We had a battle with them the opening weekend so it's kind of ironic to play them in the NCAA tournament," Launiere said. "I remember they were a really good team and it was 16-14 in the fifth set. It was a really intense match. They have a number of seniors on their team and they have a very good program that is well coached."
RV Colorado: "This team played great down the stretch," said Head Coach Jesse Mahoney to the team after the announcement. "We had six matches on the road in our last eight and we had to win five of them to do this. Pretty special and good job by you guys. Really good teams (coming up), obviously. South Carolina in the first round is another very good team. We will get to work watching film and in practice. Congrats, you all played great down the stretch to put us in this situation."
RV Louisville: "First of all we are excited to be in the tournament, said head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. "We figured we would be but you never know for sure when you are at-large, so to see our names up on the board is exciting. I am happy that we are playing somewhere that we can drive which makes travelling less stressful. Dayton is very, very good. They won their conference and are having an awesome year. As a first round draw, they are really tough. As the third place team in the ACC, we expected to have to play a really good opponent. Then, should we advance, Illinois is a great team they want to host for the first two weekends."
The Selection:
The wins against Yale, Alabama State and New Mexico State actually helped the Eagles out because they beat them during the season while the three teams won their conferences. Along with FGCU, Bryant, Eastern Michigan, Syracuse, South Dakota and Navy are also making their first NCAA National Volleyball Tournament appearances.
NIVC:
Meanwhile, 32 teams will play in the second annual revamp of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
History Lesson of NIVC:
The original NIVC started in 1989 as a 20-team event and ended in 1995. The inaugural champion was Wisconsin, and the last champions in the tournament before shutting down and being defunct. 21 years later, the NCAA decided to bring back history and bring back the NIVC. In last year's NIVC, Ole Miss was the inaugural champions of the revamp of the tournament after they defeated Texas Tech 3-0.
The list of champions:
1989 – Wisconsin
1990 – Houston
1991 – Kentucky
1992 – Washington State
1993 – Louisiana State
1994 – Cal-State Northridge
1995 – Wisconsin
2017- Ole Miss
NIVC Setup:
The NIVC is simply like this:
1. 64 DI teams from all 32 conferences that did not get berths in the NCAA Tournament will be in line for their opportunity for the postseason.
2. Teams offered an automatic berth shall be the team that is the highest-finishing team in its conference’s regular-season standings, and not selected for the NCAA Tournament in which their overall record is not a criteria. There will, however, be a list of tiebreakers and other criteria involved.
3. The NIVC will give 32 at-large berths to the top teams available. Any team from a Division I conference, or a Division I independent team, will be considered.
4. It is a single-elimination tournament that will feature 32 first-round matches, followed by 16 second-round matches, eight third-round matches, four quarterfinal games, two semifinal matches, and the championship. It's similar to the NIT and WNIT in college basketball.
5. The 32-40 team field will be announced late Sunday, November 25. The first and second rounds will start Tuesday, November 29-30 and December 1-2, with the championship ending Tuesday, December 11.
Participating Teams and Conference Representing:
Iowa State (Big 12)
Drake (MVC)
Bradley (MVC)
North Texas (C-USA)
Bowling Green (MAC)
Tulsa (AAC)
Wichita State (AAC)
Central Arkansas (Southland)
UNLV (MWC)
UC Irvine (Big West)
Fresno State (MWC)
UC Santa Barbara (Big West)
Wyoming (MWC)
Utah Valley (WAC)
Portland (WCC)
Northern Colorado (Big Sky)
Tulane (AAC)
Arkansas State (Sun Belt)
Little Rock (Sun Belt)
Cal Baptist (WAC)
Miami (OH) (MAC)
Northern Kentucky (Horizon)
Valparaiso (MVC)
Ball State (MAC)
Georgia Tech (ACC)
USF (AAC)
College of Charleston (CAA)
St. Johns (Big East)
Clemson (SEC)
Alabama A&M (SWAC)
Appalachian State (Sun Belt)
Radford (Big South)
As everyone braced for the result, including myself, the result came and the Eagles were going to face UCF in Orlando for the first round as part of the BYU Region. The first and second round will take place at the The Venue at UCF on Thursday, November 29 and Friday, November 30. Joining the Eagles in Orlando will be Florida and Florida State. Florida will play Florida State for the second time this season, and will open the first round in Orlando at 4 P.M. while the UCF and FGCU will follow at 7:30 P.M.
Scouting UCF;
The Knights, who are ranked #21 in the nation, punched their ticket after they claimed the AAC as the regular season champions since they do not have a conference tournament. the Knights went 18-0 in conference with their last loss against #4 Florida
Freshman outside hitter McKenna Melville has been a force to be reckoned with this season, as the rookie ranks 15th and 16th in the nation in kills and points per set.
Fellow rookie Kathryn Wesolich is closing in on the single-season block assists record, and lone senior Jordan Pingel, who has already smashed the program’s career digs record, needs just two saves to break the single-season record.
The Eagles are 1-5 against the Knights as they fell to them in two matches this season. The Eagles' lone win was in 2008.
Scouting Florida:
After finishing third in the SEC, the Gators punched their ticket as an at-large bid.
Offensively, the Gators have five players with 200+ kills with redshirt sophomore Holly Carlton and SEC All-Freshman Team member Thayer Hall leading the Gators. Carlton lead the team in kills (275) while Hall is second (267).
Defensively, junior Allie Gregory leads the Gators in digs (443) while fellow junior All-SEC member Rachael Kramer leads the team in blocks (156).
Should the Eagles face the Gators, then it will be the second time the teams face each other. The first time was on August 25, 2012 where the Gators won 3-0 in Gainsville.
Scouting FSU:
Like their inner state rivals, the Seminoles, who finished second in the ACC, also punched their ticket as an at-large bid.
Offensively, junior Payton Caffrey leads the team in kills (462) and aces (25) while redshirt senior Christina Ambrose is second in kills (307).
Defensively, senior Kelsey Wicinski leads the team in digs (467) while sophomore Taryn Knuth leads in blocks (185) while being third in kills (258).
Should the Eagles face the Seminoles, then it will also be the second time the teams face each other. The first time was on September 7, 2013 where the Seminoles won 3-0 in Tallahassee.
What's at Stake:
Winners go to the second round and that winner will face either winners between #4 BYU, Stony Brook, Utah and Denver.
How to Keep Up:
Both matches will have livestats and will air livestream on the UCF athletics page, which will be free.
For the match between Florida and FSU, it will also be available in audio on ESPN Radio station WRUF 98.1 FM/850 AM
ESPN+:
The National Volleyball Tournament will air on the subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, which will be the new home for some of the NCAA volleyball matches broadcasted. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards.
Fans can also keep up on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
UCF: @UCF_Volleyball
Florida: @GatorsVB
FSU: @FSU_Volleyball
Tickets are also on sale for $6 for both matches.
Ticket sales are also available for the other matches and vary in price:
Livestats link:
UF vs FSU- https://www.ncaa.com/game/volleyball-women/d1/2018/11/29/florida-st-florida
FGCU vs UCF- https://www.ncaa.com/game/volleyball-women/d1/2018/11/29/fgcu-ucf
Livestream:
UF vs FSU- https://www.ucfknights.tv/game/florida-st-at-florida-on-11292018
FGCU vs UCF- https://www.ucfknights.tv/game/florida-gulf-coast-at-ucf-on-11292018
Audio stream for UF vs FSU: http://www.wruf.com/listen-live/
NCAA Tournament Bracket: https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/volleyball-women/d1/2018
NIVC Tournament Bracket: https://www.womensnivc.com/bracket1.html
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