SCF VB Opens Season @ Santa Fe/Campus USA Classic

After three exhibition matches against Palm Beach State, College of Central Florida (CCF) and Polk State, the SCF volleyball team begin the 2019-20 season on the road with the two-day Santa Fe/Campus USA Classic at the Santa Fe Gymnasium in Gainsville. The Manatees will take on host Santa Fe College on Friday, August 23 at 7 pm before turning their attention to two matches on Saturday, August 24 against Daytona State at noon before wrapping up against Palm Beach State at 2:30 pm.

Last Time Out:

The Manatees are looking to move on and bounce back from last season as they went 7-25 overall with an 0-6 record in the Suncoast. The team is looking to win the Suncoast Conference Regular Season Championship for the first time since 2014 and the first time in the Byrd era.

The team is led by head coach Angela Byrd, who enters her fourth season as head coach. She is joined by longtime assistant coach, Billie Timmons, recruiting coordinator Doug Byrd and Kathilia Colon.

Returners and New Bloods:
The team will bring back six sophomores to the squad: Sydney Jaco, Hannah Strickland, Emily Sauceda, Lakeesha "Keke" Esseboom, Daviya "Day" Bernard and Barbora Tichackova. Jaco and Sauceda were named on last season's All-Suncoast First Team.

Jaco, a libero and local product from Braden River, finished her freshman campaign 784 digs (7.06 digs per set). In fact, Jaco's 784 digs were the second most in the nation, behind Vincennes Allison Ruddick, while her 7.06 digs per set were #1 in the nation. Furthermore, Jaco's 784 digs surpassed her older sister, Brittany (2012-13) as she finished with 555 digs. Jaco is looking to surpass her own record.

Byrd has also brought in six freshman to join the team: Bailey Sikkema, Jazmin Spencer, Lisa Jaunet, Brooke Henry, Gracee Carpino and Leilani Wilcox-Nanai.

Scouting Santa Fe:
The Lady Saints finished last season 20-5 overall with a 5-1 record in the Panhandle Conference. They were named the Panhandle Regular Season Champions before finishing 1-2 in the state tournament. They will begin the tournament against Lake Sumter State State College on the August 21 prior to playing in the Santa Fe/Campus USA Classic.

The team is led by head coach Nick Cheronis. Cheronis is entering his fifth season as head coach for the Lady Saints, while possessing a 109-49 record. Last season, Cheronis was named Panhandle Conference Coach of the Year while leading four players on the All-Panhandle First Team, one on the All-Panhandle Second Team and two on the FCSAA All-State Team.

The team will lose seven players as they graduated: Jordan Shoemaker, Hannah Rodriguez, Leah Wilcox, Brooke Ruud, Aspen Dangren, Jocelyn Garcia and  Maggie Mathews.

They will be bringing back seven players, which include setter Jordyn Goracke and right side hitter Grace Daugherty.

Goracke finished behind Shoemaker with 297 assists and was fifth in aces (12). Daughtry finished fifth on the team in kills (77) and fourth in aces (13).

Scouting Daytona State:
The Falcons are coming off of a 20-8 overall record with a 4-4 record in the Mid-Florida Conference. They did not make it to the postseason.

The team is led by head coach Laura Stegall. Stegall enters her sixth season as head coach while posting a 125-67 record.

The team will lose five sophomores as they graduated: Shelby Glawson, Tycee Bates, Yasmin Kuck, Taylor Garcia and Gardieliz Laureano, but they will bring back 11 returners which include outside hitter Carla Hernandez, libero Nicole Rodriguez and setter Bruna Avila.

Hernandez led the team with 254 kills and was second with 247 digs.

Rodriguez led the team with 560 digs and was fourth on the team with 12 aces. Rodriguez was named a member of the All-Mid-Florida Second Team.

Avila led the team with 489 assists as the starting setter.

Scouting Palm Beach State:
The Panthers are coming off finishing last in the Southern Conference after going 11-15 with a 2-7 record in conference. The team is led by Drew Colvin. Colvin enters his fourth season as head coach.

The team will lose five players, Jennevy Santos, Madison Adkins, Nicole Dasalla, Amanda Gross and Joanne Dania as they graduated, but will have six returners which include Madison Monahan, Sydney Asher and Martha Torres.

Leading the way offensively, Monahan led the team with 201 kills and 50 blocks. Monahan was named a member of the All-Southern Conference Second Team.

Asher led the team with 491 assists and was third on the team with 22 service aces. Asher was also named a member of the All-Southern Conference Second Team.

Torres finished third on the team in kills (125), second in total blocks (73) and first in solo blocks (21).

Series History (2012-present):
Overall, the Manatees are 2-2 against the Saints, 1-11 against the Falcons and 7-6 against the Panthers.

How to Keep Up:
Fans can keep up to date with all four teams on their Twitter accounts:
SCF: @SCFVolleyball
Santa Fe: @santafesaints
Daytona State: @DSCFalconSports
PBSC: @PBSCPanthers

SCF Volleyball Scheduled Released

The SCF volleyball team is now preparing themselves for a new season after going through a struggle last year. The Manatees finished last season 7-25 with an 0-6 record in the Suncoast and did not qualify for the Suncoast Conference Tournament.

Meet the Coaching Staff:
The Manatees are led by head coach Angela Byrd. Byrd enters her fourth season as head coach for the Manatees and enters with a 28-63 overall record. Byrd was named head coach for SCF after the departure of Dr. Lonnie Wilson.

Byrd is joined by her assistant coaches, Doug Byrd (recruiting coordinator), Kathilia Colon and Lynn Burnett.

Meet the Players:
This season, the Manatees will have six sophomores returning which include Sydney Jaco, Emily Sauceda, Lakeesha Esseboom and Barbora Tichackova, while Byrd brings in seven freshmen which include right side hitter Lisa Jaunet from France and outside hitter Leilani Wilcox-Nanai from New Zealand.

Jaco, a defensive specialist/libero that follows the footsteps of her older sister, Brittany, is coming off of last season finishing with 784 digs, 22 aces and 59 assists while being named a member of the All-Suncoast First Team. Jaco's 784 digs were the second highest in the nation behind Vincennes University's Allison Ruddick, while her digs per set (7.06) led the nation. In fact, Jaco's 784 digs broke her older sister's record and will be looking to break her own record.

Sauceda, a right side hitter and product of Sarasota High, is coming off finishing her freshman campaign with 98 total blocks and 89 kills while joining Jaco on the All-Suncoast First Team.

Esseboom, an outside hitter from Paramaribo, Suriname, is coming off of finishing with 179 kills and 36 blocks.

Tichackova, a middle blocker from Liberec, Czech Republic, is coming off of 159 kills and 79 blocks for her freshman campaign.

Schedule Breakdown:
The Manatees will play three exhibition matches against Palm Beach State College (Aug 10), College of Central Florida (CCF) (Aug 16) and Polk State (Aug 20). They will then open the season on neutral grounds as they play in a tri-match against Daytona State and Palm Beach State (Aug 24).

The Manatees then have their home opener against Pasco-Hernando State (August 28) before playing eight road trip matches before returning home to face Webber International JV.

On September 24, the Manatees will open Suncoast Conference play on the road against Hillsborough and defending Suncoast Conference Regular Season Champion St. Pete College before returning home for their first ever matchup against Florida Southwestern State (FSW) on October 1. In fact, FSW will be making their volleyball program debut on August 23.

On October 18, the Manatees will play Monroe College for their final home match, which will be dubbed as sophomore night for Jaco, Sauceda, Esseboom, Tichackova, Hannah Strickland and Daviya Bernard before finishing the regular season on the road against Florida Gateway College (October 29) and hopefully preparing for the FCSAA State Tournament in Jacksonville (Nov 1-3), NJCAA District Tournament (Nov 8-9) and NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchison, Kansas (Nov 21-23).

FGCU Volleyball Releases Schedule

The FGCU volleyball team, on the heels of its best season in program history, will commence its 2019 schedule with three matches in the Homewood Suites Fort Myers Classic in Alico Arena Aug. 30-31.

Within the first several weeks of the season, the Eagles will face six teams that finished within the top 100 of the final RPI last year - No. 8 Kentucky, No. 10 Central Florida, No. 68 Kennesaw State, No. 71 Indiana, No. 75 Florida Atlantic, No. 79 Miami (Fla.) and No. 98 South Florida.

"This is going to be an exciting year for FGCU volleyball, and the chance to kick things off at home is a big plus for our team," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "2018 was such a magical season for our program, and I know there are a lot of local supporters who are eager to celebrate last year's successes while also getting an early glimpse at this talented group."

The Green and Blue went 27-7 last year, won the program's fourth A-SUN regular season championship behind a 15-1 record, knocked off defending champion Kennesaw State in the A-SUN tournament championship match on the road and upset 21st-ranked and 13th-seeded UCF in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In fact, last year's team will be recognized prior to the Aug. 30 matchup against Akron at 7 p.m.

The premier matchup in the Homewood Suites Fort Myers Classic will be against Bryant, who went 22-13 last year, won its first-ever Northeast Conference (NEC) title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 2 Minnesota in the opening round. The Bulldogs, who will return a pair of all-conference selections in junior Erika Ward and sophomore Caroline Kennedy, will square off against FGCU at 11 a.m. on Aug. 31.

Homewood Suites Fort Myers Classic schedule (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Aug. 30 - San Diego State vs Akron, 10:30 a.m.
Aug. 30 - Bryant vs San Diego State, 4 p.m.
Aug. 30 - FGCU vs Akron, 7 p.m.
Aug. 31 - FGCU vs Bryant, 11 a.m.
Aug. 31 - Bryant vs Akron, 4 p.m.
Aug. 31 - FGCU vs San Diego State, 7 p.m.

Following that, FGCU will head to Coral Gables Sept. 6-7 to compete in the Hurricane Invitational, where they will face South Florida, Auburn and George Washington. Of the three matches, USF finished with the best season last year, compiling a 20-12 record and losing in the first round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Tournament. The Eagles swept a four-set scrimmage, 25-18, 25-19, 25-16, 25-23, against USF last year inside Alico Arena.

Hurricane Invitational Schedule (Coral Gables, Fla.)
Sept. 6 - South Florida, 11 a.m.
Sept. 6 - Auburn, 5 p.m.
Sept. 7 - George Washington, 3 p.m.

The road swing will continue in Lexington, Ky. Sept. 13-14 in the Wildcat Classic, which should provide the toughest part of the non-conference schedule as FGCU will face Indiana, Kentucky and Cleveland State. Those three teams combined to finish 59-32 last year, led by Kentucky's 26-5 finish and trip to the Sweet 16. The Wildcats return three key players - Leah Edmond, a junior outside hitter who is the reigning SEC player of the year, Madison Lilley, a sophomore setter who was an AVCA Second Team All-American, and Gabby Curry, an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and the SEC Libero of the Year in 2018.

Wildcat Classic Schedule (Lexington, Ky.)
Sept. 13 - Indiana, 10 a.m.
Sept. 13 - Kentucky, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 14 - Cleveland State, 1 p.m.

The final big weekend of the non-conference season takes place Sept. 20-21 in the Sunshine State Challenge in Orlando, Fla. The competition doesn't get any easier for the Green and Blue as they'll take on Miami, Central Florida and Florida Atlantic, who combined to finish 61-23 last year. FGCU swept Miami and Florida Atlantic last year, and the win over the Hurricanes represented the program's first-ever road victory over a Power 5 school. The UCF matchup will represent a rematch of last year's first round meeting in the NCAA Tournament where the Eagles won a five-set thriller after losing a pair of regular season meetings. FAU is led by eighth-year head coach Fernanda Nelson, a former assistant coach with the Green and Blue who led her team to a 21-7 finish and a Conference USA quarterfinal appearance in 2018.

Sunshine State Challenge Schedule (Orlando, Fla.)
Sept. 20 - Miami (Fla.), 10 a.m.
Sept. 20 - UCF, 7 p.m.
Sept. 21 - Florida Atlantic, 1:30 p.m.

FGCU's non-conference schedule will later conclude with an Oct. 22 home tilt against Bethune-Cookman, who went 16-16 last year for the program's best season since 2004.

"Overall our pre-conference schedule is ambitious and tough," Botsford said. "That continues to be a priority for our program as we look to establish ourselves among the nation's top teams. In an effort to grow collectively, we need to challenge ourselves and this season will provide that opportunity. We will be playing six top RPI 100 teams, two of which finished last year with top 10 RPI rankings. With three road tournaments against high level competition, I think we will be well prepared for A-SUN play."

The 16-match conference schedule will feature several key home matchups - Sept. 27 vs North Alabama (post-match pizza for fans while supplies last), Sept. 29 vs Lipscomb (the Bisons have won three of the past five A-SUN regular season championships), Oct. 11 vs Jacksonville (Pink out, Cancer Awareness Night), Oct. 13 vs Kennesaw State (rematch of last year's A-SUN tournament championship match), Oct. 29 vs Liberty (Halloween Costume Contest) and Nov. 3 vs North Florida (regular season home finale).

FGCU will also host this year's A-SUN tournament Nov. 21-23. The six-team event will decide the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2019 Volleyball Promo Schedule
Aug. 30 vs Akron - 2018 A-SUN championship celebration (white out)
Aug. 31 vs Bryant - Free Dunkin' Donuts while supplies last (blue out)
Aug. 31 vs San Diego State - Stars and Stripes Night (blue out)
Sept. 27 vs North Alabama - Free post-match pizza (blue out)
Sept. 29 vs Lipscomb - Azul's Peeps Kickoff Party and Family Day (white out)
Oct. 11 vs Jacksonville - Cancer Awareness Night (pink out)
Oct. 13 vs Kennesaw State - Beach Bash in The Nest (white out)
Oct. 19 vs NJIT - Alumni Night
Oct. 22 vs Bethune-Cookman - Eagles Bingo Night
Oct. 29 vs Liberty - Eagles Dig Halloween Night, costume contest and free candy (green out)
Nov. 1 vs Stetson - Senior Night
Nov. 3 vs North Florida - We are FGCU Day (green out)