Georgia Southern used a 61.5 percent shooting effort in the second half to overcome the FGCU men's basketball team 72-57 on Sunday evening at Alico Arena. After the Green and Blue held the visiting Eagles to under 30 percent in the first half, Georgia Southern connected on 16-of-26 field goals in the second half to come back from a five-point halftime deficit.
"Unfortunately, tonight was a tale of two halves – we were the more aggressive team in the first half, we were up double-figures in the first half, we had the most energy in the first half, but Georgia Southern made a run in the second half to counter-punch us," said head coach Michael Fly. "We talked at the break that the first four minutes would be critical, but they won that stretch and we couldn't recover unfortunately. Credit Georgia Southern for how they were able to turn things around the last three minutes of the first half and into the second half."
Junior Sam Gagliardi led FGCU with 13 points highlighted by four three pointers. Junior Justus Rainwater nearly posted a double-double with 10 rebounds and eight points. Redshirt sophomore Malik Hardy rounded out the top scorers with nine points while adding four rebounds and two assists.
Georgia Southern (5-3) was led by 16 points from both Elijah McCadden and Ike Smith, while Quan Jackson added 15 points.
The first half saw the FGCU (2-8) take a 35-30 lead into the locker room as the defense held Georgia Southern under 30 percent shooting from the floor and Gagliardi hit all four of his three pointers for 12 points at the break. The home Eagles led by as many as 11, 35-24, with 1:55 before the intermission.
The second half was all Georgia Southern from the start, however, as the Eagles went on a 20-to-5 run opening up a 50-40 lead at the 11:40 mark.
FGCU cut the lead under double digits on five occasions after that including a jumper by freshman Jalen Harper, but Georgia Southern re-extended their lead to as many as 18 with 2:27 to go.
Freshman Dakota Rivers had a lay-up and a free throw in the last minute of play to give the final score.
Overall, FGCU shot 21-of-58 from the floor, while Georgia Southern finished 26-of-60. Georgia Southern also held a slight edge on the glass, 39-to-34, but were able to convert 12 rebounds into 17 second chance points compared to seven for FGCU.
FGCU will return to action on Wednesday night when the Eagles travel to Miami to face FIU (7 PM). The game will be streamed live on CUSA.tv.
About Me
FGCU MBB vs Campbell Recap
A nip-and-tuck battle for much of the night went the way of the visiting Camels as Campbell defeated the FGCU men's basketball team 51-46 on Saturday evening at Alico Arena. The game featured nine lead changes and six ties including 41-41 with 6:18 remaining in regulation.
The Eagles (2-7) will take on Georgia Southern on Sunday (5 PM) in the finale of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic. The defending Big South regular-season champion Camels (5-2) will take on North Dakota at Noon.
Redshirt sophomore Malik Hardy led all scorers with 13 points and had a game-high 12 rebounds – both career highs as well. Junior Jalen Warren added 10 points and five rebounds, while junior Justus Rainwater had nine points and seven rebounds to lead the Eagles.
Campbell was led by Cedric Henderson (seven rebounds) and Trey Spencer (six rebounds) who each had 10 points.
"I thought we had effort tonight, I thought we competed tonight and I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win the game," said head coach Michael Fly. "Their press slowed us down and obviously we are at our best when we're running and playing fast. I thought multiple times tonight we slowed down and got bogged down because of that. We held them to 38 percent shooting; normally when you hold a team to that, out-rebound them and get to the free throw line more you win the game – we just had a tough night shooting and couldn't convert on some key plays."
The Eagles led 26-25 at the break thanks to a jumper by sophomore Calen Catto and a triple by Hardy. In the final 2:16 of play.
In the second half, the Camels were able to go ahead early building out a five point lead for much of the first 10 minutes of the half. The Eagles were able to briefly retake the lead by a point, 39-38, with 8:12 to go after a Catto free throw.
After Campbell retook the lead on a pair of Henderson lay ups, a three-point play by Warren knotted the score at 41 each at the 6:18 mark.
Campbell then used a 8-to-0 run to take the largest lead of the game before five consecutive free throws by sophomore Zach Scott pulled the Eagles within three with seven seconds to go.
FGCU fouled on the ensuing possession with Austin McCullough hitting a pair of free throws putting Campbell back up 51-46. The Eagles were able to get a look at a three-pointer just after that, but it was off the mark allowing time to expire.
The Eagles were able to hold a 40-to-34 advantage on the glass, but struggled from the floor hitting just 12-of-55 field goals (22%). Defensively, FGCU was able to hold Campbell to 38 percent shooting (18-of-47). The tough shooting night for the Eagles negated a plus-10 advantage in free throws where they converted 19-of-22.
The Eagles (2-7) will take on Georgia Southern on Sunday (5 PM) in the finale of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic. The defending Big South regular-season champion Camels (5-2) will take on North Dakota at Noon.
Redshirt sophomore Malik Hardy led all scorers with 13 points and had a game-high 12 rebounds – both career highs as well. Junior Jalen Warren added 10 points and five rebounds, while junior Justus Rainwater had nine points and seven rebounds to lead the Eagles.
Campbell was led by Cedric Henderson (seven rebounds) and Trey Spencer (six rebounds) who each had 10 points.
"I thought we had effort tonight, I thought we competed tonight and I thought we gave ourselves a chance to win the game," said head coach Michael Fly. "Their press slowed us down and obviously we are at our best when we're running and playing fast. I thought multiple times tonight we slowed down and got bogged down because of that. We held them to 38 percent shooting; normally when you hold a team to that, out-rebound them and get to the free throw line more you win the game – we just had a tough night shooting and couldn't convert on some key plays."
The Eagles led 26-25 at the break thanks to a jumper by sophomore Calen Catto and a triple by Hardy. In the final 2:16 of play.
In the second half, the Camels were able to go ahead early building out a five point lead for much of the first 10 minutes of the half. The Eagles were able to briefly retake the lead by a point, 39-38, with 8:12 to go after a Catto free throw.
After Campbell retook the lead on a pair of Henderson lay ups, a three-point play by Warren knotted the score at 41 each at the 6:18 mark.
Campbell then used a 8-to-0 run to take the largest lead of the game before five consecutive free throws by sophomore Zach Scott pulled the Eagles within three with seven seconds to go.
FGCU fouled on the ensuing possession with Austin McCullough hitting a pair of free throws putting Campbell back up 51-46. The Eagles were able to get a look at a three-pointer just after that, but it was off the mark allowing time to expire.
The Eagles were able to hold a 40-to-34 advantage on the glass, but struggled from the floor hitting just 12-of-55 field goals (22%). Defensively, FGCU was able to hold Campbell to 38 percent shooting (18-of-47). The tough shooting night for the Eagles negated a plus-10 advantage in free throws where they converted 19-of-22.
FGCU WBB vs USF: Cancun Challenge Day Two Recap
Nasrin Ulel scored a game-high 23 points, while Keri Jewett-Giles scored 12 of her 19 points in the final quarter as the FGCU women's basketball team (7-1) knocked off No. 20 USF 81-77 in the Hard Rock Hotel as part of the Cancun Challenge on Friday.
With the win, FGCU produced its fourth all-time win over a ranked team, and USF is the second-highest ranked team they've defeated behind No. 15 Missouri in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The Eagles will now meet South Dakota State (5-2) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday for the championship after the Jackrabbits also defeated Notre Dame and USF over the past two days.
"We beat a very good and well-coached team," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "It was great to see so many people make positive contributions. Nasrin was excellent. Ashli hit all those free throws down the stretch. Ty played great, and players that maybe weren't feeling 100 percent like Phills came in and really battled for us. It was just a great all-around win. To beat a team that good, you have to have a lot of people contributing. I thought Keri had an excellent second half. Whenever we needed a basket or needed to do something, someone stepped up."
USF scored 19 of the game's first 28 points and led by 10 with 2:03 left in the first quarter. In response, Kerstie Phills and Alyssa Blair hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Ashli O'Neal found Tytionia Adderly for a buzzer-beating layup to pull the Eagles within four through the first 10 minutes.
A 3-pointer from Ulel pulled FGCU within one with 7:46 left in the half, but the Bulls pushed their lead back to six twice over the next three minutes. Davion Wingate, who had been held scoreless up to that point, caught fire by sinking a pair of free throws and converting back-to-back layups to pull the Eagles within two. USF converted a layup with 23 seconds left, but Wingate found Ulel for another buzzer-beater, which came via a 3-pointer.
With that shot, Ulel surpassed 1,000 points in the Green and Blue. She ranks 10th on the program's Division I era scoring list with 1,015, just one shy of Courtney Chihil (1,016, 2008-12) for ninth-place. Her milestone marked the third-consecutive game that an Eagle has reached 1,000 points in her NCAA career - joining Jewett-Giles against Saint Francis and Wingate against Notre Dame.
FGCU couldn't seem to gain the lead to open the second half as USF took a five-point lead twice. Adderly, though, changed all that with her second 3-pointer of the game with 5:24 left in the third. Moments later, Adderly found Ulel for another one from long distance to push the lead to five, although the Bulls trimmed their deficit to one entering the fourth.
The Eagles opened the fourth on a 5-0 run, and a trio of free throws and a layup from Jewett-Giles pushed the margin to nine with 6:31 left. The senior guard also hit two key free throws with 1:14 left after USF trimmed its deficit to three.
From there, O'Neal made 5-of-6 from the foul line and drew an offensive foul that wiped out a made 3-pointer from USF that would have pulled the Bulls within three with 26 seconds left. The Eagles then sealed the game at the foul line as USF's last-second layup proved meaningless.
O'Neal finished 7-for-8 from the foul line in the final quarter while drawing five fouls and adding two assists. Wingate (8-for-8) became the 11th player in the program's Division I era to make at least eight free throw attempts without a miss.
Offensively, Ulel (23), Jewett-Giles (19) and Wingate (12) combined for 54 of FGCU's 81 points, while Adderly and O'Neal each added nine. In fact, Adderly had a team-high 10 rebounds along with four assists and two steals while falling just one point shy of her second-consecutive double-double, while Jewett-Giles finished second in rebounds with six. O'Neal had a game-high six assists, and Ulel led the way with three steals.
Notes
Emma List earned her first start of the season.
After getting outrebounded 25-12 in the first half, FGCU responded with an 18-16 advantage in the second half while shooting 10-for-22 from the field, including 5-for-10 from 3-point range with three of those coming from Ulel, who had the second-most field goal attempts in a game in the program's Division I era with 22, falling just shy of Kaneisha Atwater's 24 vs Western Michigan on Dec. 21, 2015.
FGCU is now 3-2 all-time against USF after winning the first neutral site matchup between the two programs. The Eagles have also won two in a row in the series dating back to a home win on Dec. 4, 2013.
South Dakota State defeated Notre Dame 65-59 in the other game of the day.
With the win, FGCU produced its fourth all-time win over a ranked team, and USF is the second-highest ranked team they've defeated behind No. 15 Missouri in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. The Eagles will now meet South Dakota State (5-2) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday for the championship after the Jackrabbits also defeated Notre Dame and USF over the past two days.
"We beat a very good and well-coached team," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "It was great to see so many people make positive contributions. Nasrin was excellent. Ashli hit all those free throws down the stretch. Ty played great, and players that maybe weren't feeling 100 percent like Phills came in and really battled for us. It was just a great all-around win. To beat a team that good, you have to have a lot of people contributing. I thought Keri had an excellent second half. Whenever we needed a basket or needed to do something, someone stepped up."
USF scored 19 of the game's first 28 points and led by 10 with 2:03 left in the first quarter. In response, Kerstie Phills and Alyssa Blair hit a pair of 3-pointers, and Ashli O'Neal found Tytionia Adderly for a buzzer-beating layup to pull the Eagles within four through the first 10 minutes.
A 3-pointer from Ulel pulled FGCU within one with 7:46 left in the half, but the Bulls pushed their lead back to six twice over the next three minutes. Davion Wingate, who had been held scoreless up to that point, caught fire by sinking a pair of free throws and converting back-to-back layups to pull the Eagles within two. USF converted a layup with 23 seconds left, but Wingate found Ulel for another buzzer-beater, which came via a 3-pointer.
With that shot, Ulel surpassed 1,000 points in the Green and Blue. She ranks 10th on the program's Division I era scoring list with 1,015, just one shy of Courtney Chihil (1,016, 2008-12) for ninth-place. Her milestone marked the third-consecutive game that an Eagle has reached 1,000 points in her NCAA career - joining Jewett-Giles against Saint Francis and Wingate against Notre Dame.
FGCU couldn't seem to gain the lead to open the second half as USF took a five-point lead twice. Adderly, though, changed all that with her second 3-pointer of the game with 5:24 left in the third. Moments later, Adderly found Ulel for another one from long distance to push the lead to five, although the Bulls trimmed their deficit to one entering the fourth.
The Eagles opened the fourth on a 5-0 run, and a trio of free throws and a layup from Jewett-Giles pushed the margin to nine with 6:31 left. The senior guard also hit two key free throws with 1:14 left after USF trimmed its deficit to three.
From there, O'Neal made 5-of-6 from the foul line and drew an offensive foul that wiped out a made 3-pointer from USF that would have pulled the Bulls within three with 26 seconds left. The Eagles then sealed the game at the foul line as USF's last-second layup proved meaningless.
O'Neal finished 7-for-8 from the foul line in the final quarter while drawing five fouls and adding two assists. Wingate (8-for-8) became the 11th player in the program's Division I era to make at least eight free throw attempts without a miss.
Offensively, Ulel (23), Jewett-Giles (19) and Wingate (12) combined for 54 of FGCU's 81 points, while Adderly and O'Neal each added nine. In fact, Adderly had a team-high 10 rebounds along with four assists and two steals while falling just one point shy of her second-consecutive double-double, while Jewett-Giles finished second in rebounds with six. O'Neal had a game-high six assists, and Ulel led the way with three steals.
Notes
Emma List earned her first start of the season.
After getting outrebounded 25-12 in the first half, FGCU responded with an 18-16 advantage in the second half while shooting 10-for-22 from the field, including 5-for-10 from 3-point range with three of those coming from Ulel, who had the second-most field goal attempts in a game in the program's Division I era with 22, falling just shy of Kaneisha Atwater's 24 vs Western Michigan on Dec. 21, 2015.
FGCU is now 3-2 all-time against USF after winning the first neutral site matchup between the two programs. The Eagles have also won two in a row in the series dating back to a home win on Dec. 4, 2013.
South Dakota State defeated Notre Dame 65-59 in the other game of the day.
FGCU WBB vs Notre Dame: Cancun Challenge Day One Recap
Senior Tytionia Adderly produced a season-high 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds as the FGCU women's basketball team (6-1) stunned defending national runner-up Notre Dame (4-3) 69-60 in the opener of the Cancun Challenge on Thursday afternoon in the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
The Eagles will now face No. 20 USF at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
"That was one of the best games that Ty has ever played," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "She was fantastic - rebounding, defending and looking to score a lot more. It was just a great performance."
Notre Dame had not lost to a mid-major since DePaul handed them a 70-69 loss on Feb. 28, 2011 and likely their biggest upset loss since Northwestern State defeated them on March 24, 1995 in the WNIT. It was the second win of the season for FGCU over a reigning NCAA Tournament participant (UCF) and the program's 17th all-time against a Power 5 school, including its sixth over an ACC team.
redshirt senior Davion Wingate (19), Adderly (16), redshirt senior Keri Jewett-Giles (12) and senior Nasrin Ulel (11) all scored in double-figures for the Eagles, while 11 of Adderly's 14 rebounds came on the offensive glass. Jewett-Giles led all players with five assists and added four steals, while junior Alyssa Blair also had four steals in her third consecutive start.
Over the game's first few minutes, FGCU struggled to find its shot as the Eagles opened 1-for-11 from the field, which allowed Notre Dame to open up a 9-2 lead. A 3-pointer from Ulel ended the drought, however, and grad student Ashli O'Neal scored five straight off the bench as FGCU went on a 16-0 run over a six-and-a-half-minute stretch that lasted into the second quarter.
The Green and Blue never trailed again, but it wasn't easy. Notre Dame trimmed the deficit to one with 5:24 left in the first half, but Wingate hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and FGCU eventually took a nine-point lead into the break following another 3-pointer from O'Neal, who finished with eight points.
Both teams then combined for 49 points in the third quarter, although FGCU withstood Notre Dame's surge behind two key baskets from Jewett-Giles, who made a layup and a 3-pointer after the Fighting Irish trimmed their deficit to three on a pair of occasions with under three minutes left in the frame.
Redshirt sophomore Tyra Cox then subbed in late in the quarter and banked in a 3-pointer from the right wing to give FGCU a 10-point lead through three. In that crucial quarter, both teams combined to shoot 19-for-30, but FGCU turned it over just once compared to four times for Notre Dame and outscored the Fighting Irish 16-6 in the paint and 5-2 off turnovers.
Following the 3-pointer from Cox, the Eagles concluded a 13-2 run with a straightaway 3-pointer from Ulel with 6:56 left to push the margin to 63-47, their largest of the game.
Notre Dame, however, responded with a 10-0 run as the Green and Blue committed four of its 10 total turnovers over the next four minutes. Wingate answered with back-to-back layups, with the second one on a beautiful pump fake and finish. Adderly then sealed the game from the foul line in the final minute.
"You have to give (Notre Dame) a lot of credit," Smesko said. "They didn't quit and really started attacking us. They were able to score quickly and get back in the game. We did a good job taking care of the ball until the end of the game and then we kind of fumbled it a couple times, which really hurt us. Fortunately, we made plays down the stretch and were able to pull out a very good victory."
Despite the size differential, FGCU outscored Notre Dame 34-26 in the paint and 13-2 in second chance points. They also held a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Notes:
Adderly fell just one shy of matching her season-high rebound total while tallying double-digits for the fourth time in five games.
With her first of the back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter, Wingate joined Jewett-Giles as a member of the 1,000 point club. She now has 1,015 in her NCAA career. Ulel is eight points away from joining the duo.
Thursday's game was the first time Smesko and Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw faced each other. Smesko (3rd, .815) and McGraw (5th, .770) both ranked among the top five winningest active women's basketball coaches in Division I history. Each of them has led their programs to nine-straight 25-win seasons, two of only four teams to do that along with UConn and Baylor.
South Dakota State knocked off No. 20 USF 61-50 in the other game on Thursday.
The Eagles will now face No. 20 USF at 1:30 p.m. on Friday.
"That was one of the best games that Ty has ever played," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "She was fantastic - rebounding, defending and looking to score a lot more. It was just a great performance."
Notre Dame had not lost to a mid-major since DePaul handed them a 70-69 loss on Feb. 28, 2011 and likely their biggest upset loss since Northwestern State defeated them on March 24, 1995 in the WNIT. It was the second win of the season for FGCU over a reigning NCAA Tournament participant (UCF) and the program's 17th all-time against a Power 5 school, including its sixth over an ACC team.
redshirt senior Davion Wingate (19), Adderly (16), redshirt senior Keri Jewett-Giles (12) and senior Nasrin Ulel (11) all scored in double-figures for the Eagles, while 11 of Adderly's 14 rebounds came on the offensive glass. Jewett-Giles led all players with five assists and added four steals, while junior Alyssa Blair also had four steals in her third consecutive start.
Over the game's first few minutes, FGCU struggled to find its shot as the Eagles opened 1-for-11 from the field, which allowed Notre Dame to open up a 9-2 lead. A 3-pointer from Ulel ended the drought, however, and grad student Ashli O'Neal scored five straight off the bench as FGCU went on a 16-0 run over a six-and-a-half-minute stretch that lasted into the second quarter.
The Green and Blue never trailed again, but it wasn't easy. Notre Dame trimmed the deficit to one with 5:24 left in the first half, but Wingate hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and FGCU eventually took a nine-point lead into the break following another 3-pointer from O'Neal, who finished with eight points.
Both teams then combined for 49 points in the third quarter, although FGCU withstood Notre Dame's surge behind two key baskets from Jewett-Giles, who made a layup and a 3-pointer after the Fighting Irish trimmed their deficit to three on a pair of occasions with under three minutes left in the frame.
Redshirt sophomore Tyra Cox then subbed in late in the quarter and banked in a 3-pointer from the right wing to give FGCU a 10-point lead through three. In that crucial quarter, both teams combined to shoot 19-for-30, but FGCU turned it over just once compared to four times for Notre Dame and outscored the Fighting Irish 16-6 in the paint and 5-2 off turnovers.
Following the 3-pointer from Cox, the Eagles concluded a 13-2 run with a straightaway 3-pointer from Ulel with 6:56 left to push the margin to 63-47, their largest of the game.
Notre Dame, however, responded with a 10-0 run as the Green and Blue committed four of its 10 total turnovers over the next four minutes. Wingate answered with back-to-back layups, with the second one on a beautiful pump fake and finish. Adderly then sealed the game from the foul line in the final minute.
"You have to give (Notre Dame) a lot of credit," Smesko said. "They didn't quit and really started attacking us. They were able to score quickly and get back in the game. We did a good job taking care of the ball until the end of the game and then we kind of fumbled it a couple times, which really hurt us. Fortunately, we made plays down the stretch and were able to pull out a very good victory."
Despite the size differential, FGCU outscored Notre Dame 34-26 in the paint and 13-2 in second chance points. They also held a 20-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
Notes:
Adderly fell just one shy of matching her season-high rebound total while tallying double-digits for the fourth time in five games.
With her first of the back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter, Wingate joined Jewett-Giles as a member of the 1,000 point club. She now has 1,015 in her NCAA career. Ulel is eight points away from joining the duo.
Thursday's game was the first time Smesko and Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw faced each other. Smesko (3rd, .815) and McGraw (5th, .770) both ranked among the top five winningest active women's basketball coaches in Division I history. Each of them has led their programs to nine-straight 25-win seasons, two of only four teams to do that along with UConn and Baylor.
South Dakota State knocked off No. 20 USF 61-50 in the other game on Thursday.
FGCU WBB: Cancun Challenge Preview
The FGCU women's basketball team (5-1) will face tough competition this week in the Cancun Challenge at the Hard Rock Riviera Maya Hotel.
The Eagles are slated for a Thanksgiving Day meeting with defending national runner-up Notre Dame (4-2) before facing No. 20 USF (5-1) on Friday and defending Sweet 16 participant South Dakota State (3-2) on Saturday with all three games at 1:30 p.m. ET. FGCU's game against Florida Memorial on Dec. 9 in Alico Arena will also be considered part of the event.
Cancun Challenge:
The 15th edition of the Cancun Challenge features 10 teams in two groups:
Mayan - FGCU, Notre Dame, South Dakota State and South Florida
Riviera - Creighton, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Temple and West Virginia
The games will take place in the modified ballroom of the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in a setting where teams and fans can walk from their rooms to the restaurants to the games.
The full schedule is as follows, with all game times being in the Eastern time zone and the home teams being listed second.
Thursday, Nov. 28
Mayan Tournament
South Dakota State vs. South Florida, 11 a.m.
FGCU vs. Notre Dame, 1:30 p.m.
Riviera Tournament
Missouri vs. New Mexico, 4 p.m.
West Virginia vs. Creighton, 6 :30 p.m.
Temple vs. North Carolina, 9 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29
Mayan Tournament
Notre Dame vs. South Dakota State, 11 a.m.
South Florida vs. FGCU, 1:30 p.m.
Riviera Tournament
New Mexico vs. West Virginia, 4 p.m.
North Carolina vs. Missouri, 6:30 p.m.
Creighton vs. Temple, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 30
Mayan Tournament
South Florida vs. Notre Dame, 11 a.m.
South Dakota State vs. FGCU, 1:30 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 9
Florida Memorial vs FGCU, 7 p.m.
In-Depth:
The Notre Dame matchup is an intriguing one for several reasons. It will be the first time Karl Smesko and Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw have faced each other. McGraw (2nd, .853) and Smesko (3rd, .815) both rank among the top three winningest women's basketball coaches in Division I history. The duo has combined for 1,109 career victories. Furthermore, each of them has led their programs to nine-straight 25-win seasons, two of only four teams to do that along with UConn and Baylor.
FGCU, meanwhile, owns a 2-2 record all-time against USF with the home team winning each game, although the teams haven't faced each other since the Eagles produced a 60-55 win in Alico Arena on Dec. 4, 2013. Current WNBA star Courtney Williams of the Connecticut Sun scored seven points in that game for USF. This will be the first neutral site matchup in the history of the series. The Eagles are 3-14 all-time against ranked teams at the Division I level - although they're 3-4 in the last seven of those.
South Dakota State, meanwhile, knocked off FGCU 80-62 in Brookings, S.D. last year in the season opener for the Eagles, who own a 2-1 record all-time against the Jackrabbits. Interestingly, the Green and Blue has defeated South Dakota State in Mexico once already - 84-59 on Nov. 29, 2013 in Puerto Vallarta.
FGCU vs. Power-5:
The Notre Dame game will be the first of at least three Power-5 matchups for the Green and Blue in 2019-20, including two in Alico Arena - LSU on Dec. 19 and Duke on Dec. 29. The Eagles are 16-27 all-time in 43 games against such schools.
Power 5 history by location
10-3 in Alico Arena
5-11 in neutral site matchups
1-13 in true road matchups
Power 5 history by conference
5-7 vs SEC
5-10 vs ACC
4-5 vs B1G
1-2 vs Big 12
1-3 vs Pac 12
Power 5 history game-by-game
*11/09/07 - L 93-53 vs No. 19/19 Florida State (Fort Myers, Fla.)
12/04/07 - L 78-52 @ Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
#03/24/08 - L 60-55 @ Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
11/14/08 - W 88-86 vs Florida (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/16/08 - L 81-62 @ No. 21/24 Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.)
11/21/09 - L 58-48 @ Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.)
12/13/09 - L 94-71 @ No. 21/24 Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.)
#03/18/10 - L 70-57 @ Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.)
11/25/10 - W 73-65 vs Virginia Tech (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
12/21/10 - W 73-69 vs Indiana (Fort Myers, Fla.)
#03/21/11 - L 74-69 vs Florida (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/19/11 - W 59-58 vs Michigan State (Fort Myers, Fla.)
12/21/11 - W 69-41 vs Virginia Tech (Fort Myers, Fla.)
12/28/11 - L 69-64 vs NC State (Honolulu, Hawaii)
11/23/12 - L 65-46 vs South Carolina (U.S. Virgin Islands)
12/16/12 - W 63-56 @ Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Va.)
12/28/12 - W 76-70 vs LSU (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/26/13 - L 68-47 vs TCU (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
11/27/13 - L 83-59 vs No. 6/5 Stanford (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
12/17/13 - L 69-46 @ No. 12/12 LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
12/21/13 - L 85-56 vs Virginia (Fort Myers, Fla.)
^03/22/14 - L 61-60 (OT) vs Oklahoma State (West Lafayette, Ind.)
11/20/14 - L 72-69 @ Auburn (Auburn, Ala.)
11/28/14 - W 86-61 vs Clemson (U.S. Virgin Islands)
11/29/14 - L 90-83 (2 OT) vs Ohio State (U.S. Virgin Islands)
^03/21/15 - W 75-67 vs Oklahoma State (Tallahassee, Fla.)
^03/23/15 - L 65-47 @ Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.)
12/19/15 - L 65-60 vs No. 9/9 Mississippi State (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
12/20/15 - W 57-55 vs Arizona (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
12/30/15 - W 52-45 vs Auburn (Fort Myers, Fla.)
#03/21/16 - W 67-48 vs Wake Forest (Fort Myers, Fla.)
#03/31/16 - W 71-62 vs Michigan (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/25/16 - L 79-66 vs No. 8/8 Ohio State (Estero, Fla.)
12/17/16 - L 82-73 @ Illinois (Champaign, Ill.)
^03/18/17 - L 62-60 @ Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.)
11/12/17 - W 85-61 vs Illinois (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/24/17 - L 104-62 vs No. 9/8 Ohio State (Las Vegas, Nev.)
12/08/17 - W 70-64 vs No. 20/23 Kentucky (Fort Myers, Fla.)
^03/17/18 - W 80-70 vs No. 17/15 Missouri (Stanford, Calif.)
^03/19/18 - L 90-70 @ No. 15/19 Stanford (Stanford, Calif.)
11/23/18 - L 88-65 vs No. 8/7 Stanford (Honolulu, Hawaii)
12/30/18 - L 57-41 @ Duke (Durham, N.C.)
^03/22/19 - L 69-62 @ Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.)
*FGCU's Division-I debut
^ NCAA Tournament
#WNIT
Road Trippin' with the Green and Blue:
Over the past 10 seasons, FGCU has hit the road to face big-name opponents and tough competition nine times - in addition to hosting the Gulf Coast Showcase in November 2016. This is the team's third trip to Mexico, including the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta in 2013-14 and the Caribbean Challenge in Riviera Maya in 2010-11.
2010-11 - Caribbean Challenge (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
2011-12 - Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Honolulu, Hawaii)
2012-13 - U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands)
2013-14 - Hardwood Tournament of Hope (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
2014-15 - U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands)
2015-16 - Puerto Rico Classic (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
2016-17 - Gulf Coast Showcase (Estero, Fla.)
2017-18 - Play4Kay Shootout (Las Vegas, Nevada)
2018-19 - Rainbow Wahine Showdown (Honolulu, Hawaii)
2019-20 - Cancun Challenge (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
Rebounding Legend:
Senior forward Tytionia Adderly pulled down 21 rebounds over two games last week to break Sarah Hansen's (887, 2010-14) career record among players to wear the Green and Blue. She pushed her total to 905 and is now attempting to become the first player in program history with 1,000 rebounds, which would also make her only the 12th in ASUN history to achieve that milestone. She currently ranks 17th in conference history and is 27 away from surpassing Tamika Coley (UCF, 1993-96, 931) for 16th.
Jewett-Giles reaches 1,000, others looking to join her:
With a 3-pointer late in the second half against Saint Francis, Keri Jewett-Giles eclipsed 1,000 points in her NCAA career, which includes 499 in the Green and Blue. Meanwhile, three others are looking to join her this season, including Davion Wingate (996), Nasrin Ulel (981) and Ashli O'Neal (901).
Should all four reach the milestone, it would give FGCU four players on the roster that scored at least 1,000 points in their NCAA career for the first time since the 2015-16 season - Whitney Knight (1,574), Kaneisha Atwater (1,498), Taylor Gradinjan (1,234) and Stephanie Haas (1,138). However, it would be the first season in program history in which four players reached 1,000 points in the same year.
O'Neal wins ASUN newcomer of the week award:
On Tuesday, graduate transfer guard Ashli O'Neal was named the ASUN's newcomer of the week following her season-best 20-point performance off the bench in the team's win over Saint Francis. She tied her career-high with five 3-point field goals in 10 attempts. In doing so, she became the first Eagle this year to win a weekly award from the conference.
Livestats Links: http://cancuntournament.sidearmsports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Livestream Link: https://www.flohoops.com/signup?redirect=%2Flive%2F12024-2019-women-s-cancun-challenge&utm_campaign=43193womenscancun&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=participatingschools&utm_content=participatingschools&rtid=43193&coverage_id=6356495
Audio Links:
vs Notre Dame: https://und.com/wbb-live-radio-broadcast/
vs USF: https://www.iheart.com/live/usf-bulls-unlimited-7424/
vs South Dakota State: https://gojacks.com/watch/?Live=2775&type=Live
The Eagles are slated for a Thanksgiving Day meeting with defending national runner-up Notre Dame (4-2) before facing No. 20 USF (5-1) on Friday and defending Sweet 16 participant South Dakota State (3-2) on Saturday with all three games at 1:30 p.m. ET. FGCU's game against Florida Memorial on Dec. 9 in Alico Arena will also be considered part of the event.
Cancun Challenge:
The 15th edition of the Cancun Challenge features 10 teams in two groups:
Mayan - FGCU, Notre Dame, South Dakota State and South Florida
Riviera - Creighton, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Temple and West Virginia
The games will take place in the modified ballroom of the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya in a setting where teams and fans can walk from their rooms to the restaurants to the games.
The full schedule is as follows, with all game times being in the Eastern time zone and the home teams being listed second.
Thursday, Nov. 28
Mayan Tournament
South Dakota State vs. South Florida, 11 a.m.
FGCU vs. Notre Dame, 1:30 p.m.
Riviera Tournament
Missouri vs. New Mexico, 4 p.m.
West Virginia vs. Creighton, 6 :30 p.m.
Temple vs. North Carolina, 9 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29
Mayan Tournament
Notre Dame vs. South Dakota State, 11 a.m.
South Florida vs. FGCU, 1:30 p.m.
Riviera Tournament
New Mexico vs. West Virginia, 4 p.m.
North Carolina vs. Missouri, 6:30 p.m.
Creighton vs. Temple, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 30
Mayan Tournament
South Florida vs. Notre Dame, 11 a.m.
South Dakota State vs. FGCU, 1:30 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 9
Florida Memorial vs FGCU, 7 p.m.
In-Depth:
The Notre Dame matchup is an intriguing one for several reasons. It will be the first time Karl Smesko and Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw have faced each other. McGraw (2nd, .853) and Smesko (3rd, .815) both rank among the top three winningest women's basketball coaches in Division I history. The duo has combined for 1,109 career victories. Furthermore, each of them has led their programs to nine-straight 25-win seasons, two of only four teams to do that along with UConn and Baylor.
FGCU, meanwhile, owns a 2-2 record all-time against USF with the home team winning each game, although the teams haven't faced each other since the Eagles produced a 60-55 win in Alico Arena on Dec. 4, 2013. Current WNBA star Courtney Williams of the Connecticut Sun scored seven points in that game for USF. This will be the first neutral site matchup in the history of the series. The Eagles are 3-14 all-time against ranked teams at the Division I level - although they're 3-4 in the last seven of those.
South Dakota State, meanwhile, knocked off FGCU 80-62 in Brookings, S.D. last year in the season opener for the Eagles, who own a 2-1 record all-time against the Jackrabbits. Interestingly, the Green and Blue has defeated South Dakota State in Mexico once already - 84-59 on Nov. 29, 2013 in Puerto Vallarta.
FGCU vs. Power-5:
The Notre Dame game will be the first of at least three Power-5 matchups for the Green and Blue in 2019-20, including two in Alico Arena - LSU on Dec. 19 and Duke on Dec. 29. The Eagles are 16-27 all-time in 43 games against such schools.
Power 5 history by location
10-3 in Alico Arena
5-11 in neutral site matchups
1-13 in true road matchups
Power 5 history by conference
5-7 vs SEC
5-10 vs ACC
4-5 vs B1G
1-2 vs Big 12
1-3 vs Pac 12
Power 5 history game-by-game
*11/09/07 - L 93-53 vs No. 19/19 Florida State (Fort Myers, Fla.)
12/04/07 - L 78-52 @ Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
#03/24/08 - L 60-55 @ Florida (Gainesville, Fla.)
11/14/08 - W 88-86 vs Florida (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/16/08 - L 81-62 @ No. 21/24 Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.)
11/21/09 - L 58-48 @ Georgia Tech (Atlanta, Ga.)
12/13/09 - L 94-71 @ No. 21/24 Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.)
#03/18/10 - L 70-57 @ Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.)
11/25/10 - W 73-65 vs Virginia Tech (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
12/21/10 - W 73-69 vs Indiana (Fort Myers, Fla.)
#03/21/11 - L 74-69 vs Florida (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/19/11 - W 59-58 vs Michigan State (Fort Myers, Fla.)
12/21/11 - W 69-41 vs Virginia Tech (Fort Myers, Fla.)
12/28/11 - L 69-64 vs NC State (Honolulu, Hawaii)
11/23/12 - L 65-46 vs South Carolina (U.S. Virgin Islands)
12/16/12 - W 63-56 @ Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, Va.)
12/28/12 - W 76-70 vs LSU (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/26/13 - L 68-47 vs TCU (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
11/27/13 - L 83-59 vs No. 6/5 Stanford (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
12/17/13 - L 69-46 @ No. 12/12 LSU (Baton Rouge, La.)
12/21/13 - L 85-56 vs Virginia (Fort Myers, Fla.)
^03/22/14 - L 61-60 (OT) vs Oklahoma State (West Lafayette, Ind.)
11/20/14 - L 72-69 @ Auburn (Auburn, Ala.)
11/28/14 - W 86-61 vs Clemson (U.S. Virgin Islands)
11/29/14 - L 90-83 (2 OT) vs Ohio State (U.S. Virgin Islands)
^03/21/15 - W 75-67 vs Oklahoma State (Tallahassee, Fla.)
^03/23/15 - L 65-47 @ Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.)
12/19/15 - L 65-60 vs No. 9/9 Mississippi State (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
12/20/15 - W 57-55 vs Arizona (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
12/30/15 - W 52-45 vs Auburn (Fort Myers, Fla.)
#03/21/16 - W 67-48 vs Wake Forest (Fort Myers, Fla.)
#03/31/16 - W 71-62 vs Michigan (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/25/16 - L 79-66 vs No. 8/8 Ohio State (Estero, Fla.)
12/17/16 - L 82-73 @ Illinois (Champaign, Ill.)
^03/18/17 - L 62-60 @ Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.)
11/12/17 - W 85-61 vs Illinois (Fort Myers, Fla.)
11/24/17 - L 104-62 vs No. 9/8 Ohio State (Las Vegas, Nev.)
12/08/17 - W 70-64 vs No. 20/23 Kentucky (Fort Myers, Fla.)
^03/17/18 - W 80-70 vs No. 17/15 Missouri (Stanford, Calif.)
^03/19/18 - L 90-70 @ No. 15/19 Stanford (Stanford, Calif.)
11/23/18 - L 88-65 vs No. 8/7 Stanford (Honolulu, Hawaii)
12/30/18 - L 57-41 @ Duke (Durham, N.C.)
^03/22/19 - L 69-62 @ Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.)
*FGCU's Division-I debut
^ NCAA Tournament
#WNIT
Road Trippin' with the Green and Blue:
Over the past 10 seasons, FGCU has hit the road to face big-name opponents and tough competition nine times - in addition to hosting the Gulf Coast Showcase in November 2016. This is the team's third trip to Mexico, including the Hardwood Tournament of Hope in Puerto Vallarta in 2013-14 and the Caribbean Challenge in Riviera Maya in 2010-11.
2010-11 - Caribbean Challenge (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
2011-12 - Rainbow Wahine Invitational (Honolulu, Hawaii)
2012-13 - U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands)
2013-14 - Hardwood Tournament of Hope (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico)
2014-15 - U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands)
2015-16 - Puerto Rico Classic (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
2016-17 - Gulf Coast Showcase (Estero, Fla.)
2017-18 - Play4Kay Shootout (Las Vegas, Nevada)
2018-19 - Rainbow Wahine Showdown (Honolulu, Hawaii)
2019-20 - Cancun Challenge (Riviera Maya, Mexico)
Rebounding Legend:
Senior forward Tytionia Adderly pulled down 21 rebounds over two games last week to break Sarah Hansen's (887, 2010-14) career record among players to wear the Green and Blue. She pushed her total to 905 and is now attempting to become the first player in program history with 1,000 rebounds, which would also make her only the 12th in ASUN history to achieve that milestone. She currently ranks 17th in conference history and is 27 away from surpassing Tamika Coley (UCF, 1993-96, 931) for 16th.
Jewett-Giles reaches 1,000, others looking to join her:
With a 3-pointer late in the second half against Saint Francis, Keri Jewett-Giles eclipsed 1,000 points in her NCAA career, which includes 499 in the Green and Blue. Meanwhile, three others are looking to join her this season, including Davion Wingate (996), Nasrin Ulel (981) and Ashli O'Neal (901).
Should all four reach the milestone, it would give FGCU four players on the roster that scored at least 1,000 points in their NCAA career for the first time since the 2015-16 season - Whitney Knight (1,574), Kaneisha Atwater (1,498), Taylor Gradinjan (1,234) and Stephanie Haas (1,138). However, it would be the first season in program history in which four players reached 1,000 points in the same year.
O'Neal wins ASUN newcomer of the week award:
On Tuesday, graduate transfer guard Ashli O'Neal was named the ASUN's newcomer of the week following her season-best 20-point performance off the bench in the team's win over Saint Francis. She tied her career-high with five 3-point field goals in 10 attempts. In doing so, she became the first Eagle this year to win a weekly award from the conference.
Livestats Links: http://cancuntournament.sidearmsports.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
Livestream Link: https://www.flohoops.com/signup?redirect=%2Flive%2F12024-2019-women-s-cancun-challenge&utm_campaign=43193womenscancun&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=participatingschools&utm_content=participatingschools&rtid=43193&coverage_id=6356495
Audio Links:
vs Notre Dame: https://und.com/wbb-live-radio-broadcast/
vs USF: https://www.iheart.com/live/usf-bulls-unlimited-7424/
vs South Dakota State: https://gojacks.com/watch/?Live=2775&type=Live
FGCU MBB vs Florida Tech Recap
Behind 18 points from both junior Sam Gagliardi and freshman Dakota Rivers, the FGCU men's basketball team (2-5) rolled past Florida Tech, 73-59, on Tuesday night at Alico Arena. The 18 points for both players were season-highs with Gagliardi hitting six three pointers and Rivers going 7-of-10 from the floor.
The game marked the opening contest of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic which will resume with six more games from Friday through Sunday. The Eagles will next be in action on Friday at 7 PM against North Dakota. Fans are encouraged to bring canned food items to benefit the FGCU and Harry Chapin Food Banks along with new, unwrapped toys to donate to Toys for Tots and Golisano's Childrens Hospital.
Friday, Nov. 29
Campbell vs. Georgia Southern - 4:30 PM
FGCU vs. North Dakota - 7 PM
Saturday, Nov. 30
Georgia Southern vs. North Dakota - 4:30 PM
FGCU vs. Campbell - 7 PM
Sunday, Dec. 1
North Dakota vs. Campbell - Noon
FGCU vs. Georgia Southern - 5 PM
In Tuesday night's action, Gagliardi's six three pointers marked a season high as the junior has averaged 11.0 points over the last four games including tonight. In that same span, Rivers has also had a break-out stretch with three double-figure games and an average of 11.5 points. Nine players overall tallied points in the game including redshirt sophomore Malik Hardy who saw his first action as an Eagle recording five points in 13 minutes. Junior Justus Rainwater hauled in a season-high 12 rebounds which also served as a game-high.
"I thought Florida Tech did a great job being competitive against us tonight," said head coach Michael Fly. "We still need to improve on closing games out, especially when we have a double-digit lead. But I was encouraged that we out-rebounded them because they had some physical players and I was extremely pleased that we took care of the ball and had just 12 turnovers. We showed a lot of positives in the game and it's always good to get a win, especially at home. We still have some growth to see in certain areas, but I was happy overall with how we performed."
Sesan Russell led Florida Tech with 23 points as the top scorer on the night while adding nine rebounds. Mate Papai added nine points, while Trey Schaneville had eight points to lead the Panthers (2-3).
Overall, FGCU was bolstered by going 12-of-26 from beyond the arc compared to 6-of-18 for Florida Tech. The Eagles also converted 22 points off 17 FIT turnovers.
FGCU built out an early 13-2 lead in the first four minutes of play thanks to a pair of sophomore Zach Scott three pointers and the first of six for Gagliardi. Over the next six minutes, the Eagles lead stretched to 16 before going into the break up 42-24 on a Jalen Warren lay-up just before time expired.
The lead swelled to 19, 45-26, early in the second half on another Gagliardi three pointer and never dipped below double-figures for the remainder of the game. Florida Tech did manage to whittle it down to 57-47 with 9:40 to go, but the Eagles pushed it back to 19 over the next seven minutes.
The game marked the opening contest of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic which will resume with six more games from Friday through Sunday. The Eagles will next be in action on Friday at 7 PM against North Dakota. Fans are encouraged to bring canned food items to benefit the FGCU and Harry Chapin Food Banks along with new, unwrapped toys to donate to Toys for Tots and Golisano's Childrens Hospital.
Friday, Nov. 29
Campbell vs. Georgia Southern - 4:30 PM
FGCU vs. North Dakota - 7 PM
Saturday, Nov. 30
Georgia Southern vs. North Dakota - 4:30 PM
FGCU vs. Campbell - 7 PM
Sunday, Dec. 1
North Dakota vs. Campbell - Noon
FGCU vs. Georgia Southern - 5 PM
In Tuesday night's action, Gagliardi's six three pointers marked a season high as the junior has averaged 11.0 points over the last four games including tonight. In that same span, Rivers has also had a break-out stretch with three double-figure games and an average of 11.5 points. Nine players overall tallied points in the game including redshirt sophomore Malik Hardy who saw his first action as an Eagle recording five points in 13 minutes. Junior Justus Rainwater hauled in a season-high 12 rebounds which also served as a game-high.
"I thought Florida Tech did a great job being competitive against us tonight," said head coach Michael Fly. "We still need to improve on closing games out, especially when we have a double-digit lead. But I was encouraged that we out-rebounded them because they had some physical players and I was extremely pleased that we took care of the ball and had just 12 turnovers. We showed a lot of positives in the game and it's always good to get a win, especially at home. We still have some growth to see in certain areas, but I was happy overall with how we performed."
Sesan Russell led Florida Tech with 23 points as the top scorer on the night while adding nine rebounds. Mate Papai added nine points, while Trey Schaneville had eight points to lead the Panthers (2-3).
Overall, FGCU was bolstered by going 12-of-26 from beyond the arc compared to 6-of-18 for Florida Tech. The Eagles also converted 22 points off 17 FIT turnovers.
FGCU built out an early 13-2 lead in the first four minutes of play thanks to a pair of sophomore Zach Scott three pointers and the first of six for Gagliardi. Over the next six minutes, the Eagles lead stretched to 16 before going into the break up 42-24 on a Jalen Warren lay-up just before time expired.
The lead swelled to 19, 45-26, early in the second half on another Gagliardi three pointer and never dipped below double-figures for the remainder of the game. Florida Tech did manage to whittle it down to 57-47 with 9:40 to go, but the Eagles pushed it back to 19 over the next seven minutes.
2nd Herd Earns Vengeance Win Over Indian River
The SCF basketball team (7-3) got their revenge at Hal Chasey Gymnasium as they defeated Indian River State (4-5) 84-80 in a nail biter. With the win, the Manatees are now 4-13 against the Pioneers.
"We did a good job in the first half because we made a lot of shots, but they weren't falling as much early as they were in the second half," said head coach Tom Parks. "We had to make adjustments on where we put people and made some defensive subs. It's one of those things that say you almost have to be up 20 points to Indian River at the half to expect a win because they're gonna make a lot of adjustments."
It was sophomores D'Moi Hodge and Isiah Dasher that led the Manatees offensively. Hodge, who was named NJCAA Region 8 Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, finished with 28 points (10-for-21 FG, 6-for-13 3PT, 2-for-3 FT), six rebounds, four assists, three steals and four blocks, while Dasher followed with 24 points (11-for-15 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
"I did miss a lot of shots that were really easy and rushed them," said Hodge on his performance. "But then I made big shots for the team and they relied that on me which was in great success."
"I'm really trying to focus on being a better defender," said Dasher on his performance. "My offense always comes out of the coaches. I'm also trying to be a better rebounder and want to commit myself on rebounding."
"D'Moi is the best player in the country at any position," said Parks on Hodge. "There's no argument because the kid is averaging 27 points per game. He averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds in three games last week, including two double-doubles. He also averages six assists, two blocks and two steals per game. It's great having the best player in the country on our team, but it's also have other guys step up."
"It's great to have Isiah out on the floor," said Parks on Dasher. "He definitely takes pressure on D'Moi and he's so crafty on the basket to a point where he's a good finisher. He can make some plays that nobody else could make. It's great to have him some of the load off of that."
Hodge and Dasher have faced Indian River four times in the past including this season and talked about getting the win after five attempts.
"We lost four times to them (Indian River) previously that included one at home last season," said Hodge on the win. "This win meant a lot being the last time I faced them. I just wanted to go out there and have fun, even if I wanted to win."
"I felt like we played good with a great first half," said Dasher. "A lot of our guys coming off the bench like Michael (Gavin) made a lot of shots and played really good. They bought in finally and we were up by 25."
Freshman Michael Gavin rounded out the Manatees in double digit scoring as he finished with 11 points (4-for-7 FG, 3-for-6 3 PT) and a steal.
"It was a fun game with a great atmosphere," said Gavin. "The crowd was really into it when we came out hot and ready to go. Overall it was a fun game to play."
"I'm getting more comfortable in my role as the games go by, adjusting to my role and just doing what's best for the team," said Gavin on his performance.
"Mike (Gavin) has been a kid who on the very first day of practice rolled his ankle it was bad, so he's still not 100% healthy," said Parks on Gavin. "Mike on the breakaway would have dunked it two-handed, but he doesn't have the lift he has right now which really effected him defensively, but he's now figuring it all out and being able to guard with his ankle probably at 80%, so he's still working on that but we're excited to get him full speed and the way he's contributing."
Freshman Marshall Kearing finished with six points, 12 rebounds and three assists, two steals, while sophomore Remy Robert II followed with five points, a rebound, an assist and a steal.
"We did a good job in the first half because we made a lot of shots, but they weren't falling as much early as they were in the second half," said head coach Tom Parks. "We had to make adjustments on where we put people and made some defensive subs. It's one of those things that say you almost have to be up 20 points to Indian River at the half to expect a win because they're gonna make a lot of adjustments."
It was sophomores D'Moi Hodge and Isiah Dasher that led the Manatees offensively. Hodge, who was named NJCAA Region 8 Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, finished with 28 points (10-for-21 FG, 6-for-13 3PT, 2-for-3 FT), six rebounds, four assists, three steals and four blocks, while Dasher followed with 24 points (11-for-15 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 1-for-2 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
"I did miss a lot of shots that were really easy and rushed them," said Hodge on his performance. "But then I made big shots for the team and they relied that on me which was in great success."
"I'm really trying to focus on being a better defender," said Dasher on his performance. "My offense always comes out of the coaches. I'm also trying to be a better rebounder and want to commit myself on rebounding."
"D'Moi is the best player in the country at any position," said Parks on Hodge. "There's no argument because the kid is averaging 27 points per game. He averaged 27 points and 13 rebounds in three games last week, including two double-doubles. He also averages six assists, two blocks and two steals per game. It's great having the best player in the country on our team, but it's also have other guys step up."
"It's great to have Isiah out on the floor," said Parks on Dasher. "He definitely takes pressure on D'Moi and he's so crafty on the basket to a point where he's a good finisher. He can make some plays that nobody else could make. It's great to have him some of the load off of that."
Hodge and Dasher have faced Indian River four times in the past including this season and talked about getting the win after five attempts.
"We lost four times to them (Indian River) previously that included one at home last season," said Hodge on the win. "This win meant a lot being the last time I faced them. I just wanted to go out there and have fun, even if I wanted to win."
"I felt like we played good with a great first half," said Dasher. "A lot of our guys coming off the bench like Michael (Gavin) made a lot of shots and played really good. They bought in finally and we were up by 25."
Freshman Michael Gavin rounded out the Manatees in double digit scoring as he finished with 11 points (4-for-7 FG, 3-for-6 3 PT) and a steal.
"It was a fun game with a great atmosphere," said Gavin. "The crowd was really into it when we came out hot and ready to go. Overall it was a fun game to play."
"I'm getting more comfortable in my role as the games go by, adjusting to my role and just doing what's best for the team," said Gavin on his performance.
"Mike (Gavin) has been a kid who on the very first day of practice rolled his ankle it was bad, so he's still not 100% healthy," said Parks on Gavin. "Mike on the breakaway would have dunked it two-handed, but he doesn't have the lift he has right now which really effected him defensively, but he's now figuring it all out and being able to guard with his ankle probably at 80%, so he's still working on that but we're excited to get him full speed and the way he's contributing."
Freshman Marshall Kearing finished with six points, 12 rebounds and three assists, two steals, while sophomore Remy Robert II followed with five points, a rebound, an assist and a steal.
Sophomores Max Bell-Ramos (three rebounds) and Chris Scarborough (one block), redshirt freshmen Jaylen Jones (four points, three rebounds and three assists) and Calvin McCutcheon (two points, two rebounds and three assists) and freshmen J-Quon Ferrol (one rebound and one steal), Jordan Clark (two points, four rebounds and four assists) and Sam Grayson (two points) also contributed in the game.
In the first three minutes of the first half, the Manatees scored the first two points off of a fadeaway shot by Dasher until Hodge hit a thunderous dunk to extend the Manatees lead to 4-0 before sophomore Miles Coleman got the Pioneers on the board making two successful free throws to make it 4-2 SCF. After that, the Manatees went on a 6-2 scoring before going on and off on baskets.
Throughout the first half, the Manatees were holding down the Pioneers offense and keeping them in single digits as they continued the onslaught of rebounding, steals and blocks with the addition of several threes by Hodge. A little over the 10 minute mark, the Pioneers got into double digit points after a basket by freshman Nathan Outten.
Not even a minute entering into the game, when the Pioneers attempted an inbound play to no avail, Gavin seized an opportunity for a steal and took it all the way for a coast to coast layup. A little under seven minutes, Gavin took a crack at back-to-back 3-pointers in success which included a buzzer beater. After a final dunk by Clark, the Manatees held on to a 46-25 lead at the end of the first half.
"We got off to a really good start and our first half was probably our best defensive half that we played this year while we held them to 25 points," said Parks on the first half. "We started off with a lot of energy defensively, flying around, did some things that we haven't done in terms of our rotation and having early helpers to force the ball baseline. It was really good to see our team step up not only the guys that started the game but it was a team effort in the whole first half because everyone contributed especially on the defensive end."
At the start of the second half, things seemed to go according to plan for the Manatees as they continued to hold on to the lead, but Indian River's defense started to kick and began running a zone defense that gave them a slight edge from the Manatees scoring opportunities with some of their own that cut the Manatees' lead from 25 to five at the eight minute mark, but the Manatees continued to hold onto the lead with the overwhelming support of the fans and extended the lead back-and-forth.
"Our crowd brings us a lot of energy especially when we're down and starting 'defense' chants," said Dasher on the fan support. "And they get into it and start heckling the other players. It's great to have a really good crowd and we appreciate the love they give us at the games."
With 1:15 left before the end of the game, Hodge pushed up two 3-pointers to give the Manatees a six-point lead as the Pioneers continued to try and cut the lead. This would then lead to Robert II to shoot three of his four free throws before one final Pioneer shot and a win for the Manatees.
"I think that to everyone watching, they probably saw us play a really good first half and a sub-par second half," said Parks on the second half. "What really hurt us was Indian River's zone because they did it in a way where it was a little unorthodox. They stacked their top two guys and we had to change who they were screening in the zone which took us a little while to figure out."
"We did a good job in the first half because we made a lot of shots, but they weren't falling as much early as they were in the second half, so we had to make adjustments on where we put people and made some defensive subs. It's one of things that say you almost have to be up 20 points to Indian River at the half to expect a win because they're gonna make a lot of adjustments."
"In the second half, the offense kind of died down," said Dasher on the team in the second half. "But we picked it back up and got the win and that's what matters."
"The first half, we started off hot and we were hitting our shots," said Gavin. "But when we came out in the second half, we came out nonchalant and Indian River made some adjustments that we had to get use to. Overall, we adjusted well as the game went on and did what we had to do to win."
The Manatees' defense ended up with nine blocks and seven steals in the game.
"The one thing on our defense that was huge was Isiah (Dasher), D'Moi (Hodge), Jaylen (Jones) and Remy (Robert) all took charges," said Parks on the team's defense. "I expect Remy to take a charge because he's always done it, but the fact that we had D'Moi, Jaylen and Isiah take a charge in one game, that just shows you they're buying. They would never have done that before. I guarantee Isiah's friends back in Jersey were laughing on the livestream saying 'No way that was Isiah Dasher' and that just shows you that he's to the point where he's so committed that he'll put his body on the line for the team, which is unbelievable."
Parks went on to say some positive words on Indian River's head coach Charlie Wilson.
"Their coach is one of the best in Florida, said Parks on Wilson. "I really don't care what anyone else. Charlie Wilson is one of the best coaches in Florida, maybe the best in making adjustments. He does a really good job keeping me on my toes. As a young coach, I want to learn from him because I'm trying constantly to figure out what they're doing so we can make an adjustment and be one step ahead of which was really hard."
Other Suncoast Scores:
FSW (9-1) defeated ASA Miami by a score of 69-61. The Buccaneers were ranked at #2 in the nation, but a loss to Snow College at the FSW Classic pushed them down to #6. The Buccaneers will return to action at home as they face ASA Miami in a rematch Sunday afternoon, December 1 at 2 pm.
RV Polk State (6-2) fell to Central Florida by a score of 86-77.
Hillsborough (4-5) will return to action as they face Indian River State Tuesday night, December 3 at 7 pm.
St. Pete College (4-6) defeated Pasco-Hernando by a score of 91-82. The Titans will return to action on the road as they travel to Georgia to take on Southern Crescent Technical College (NJCAA Region 17) Friday night, December 6 at 7 pm.
Up Next:
SCF remain at home as they host the SCF Classic at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. The Manatees will welcome #16 USC Salkahatchie (7-1) Friday night at 7 pm and Impact Academy Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. The Indians lost their first game of the season as they fell to South Georgia State by a score of 70-68. RV Polk State will also be competing in the classic, but will not play SCF.
"Salkahatchie is the best #16 team in the country there has ever been," said Parks on Salkahatchie. "I don't know how they go lose to a really good team on the road and they drop by that much. They're a top five in the country, even though they're ranked 16. They play with great energy and fly around as a defense oriented team, so it's going to be really fun to see our high-powered offense against their very effective and long athletic defense. They have the best shot blocker and second best shooting guard in the country. Vince Cole is a ridiculously talented guard that can shoot from anywhere. Whoever comes out is going to see a lot of high level players that know how to put the ball in the basket with a lot of defensive-minded coaches. It's gonna be crazy."
We're going to use our game with Impact Academy as an opportunity to get better," said Parks on facing Impact Academy. "We're not gonna take them lightly because teams lose to prep school all the time and we're not gonna lose sight that this is about the process and need to continue to get better and not take anyone for advantage."
In the first three minutes of the first half, the Manatees scored the first two points off of a fadeaway shot by Dasher until Hodge hit a thunderous dunk to extend the Manatees lead to 4-0 before sophomore Miles Coleman got the Pioneers on the board making two successful free throws to make it 4-2 SCF. After that, the Manatees went on a 6-2 scoring before going on and off on baskets.
Throughout the first half, the Manatees were holding down the Pioneers offense and keeping them in single digits as they continued the onslaught of rebounding, steals and blocks with the addition of several threes by Hodge. A little over the 10 minute mark, the Pioneers got into double digit points after a basket by freshman Nathan Outten.
Not even a minute entering into the game, when the Pioneers attempted an inbound play to no avail, Gavin seized an opportunity for a steal and took it all the way for a coast to coast layup. A little under seven minutes, Gavin took a crack at back-to-back 3-pointers in success which included a buzzer beater. After a final dunk by Clark, the Manatees held on to a 46-25 lead at the end of the first half.
"We got off to a really good start and our first half was probably our best defensive half that we played this year while we held them to 25 points," said Parks on the first half. "We started off with a lot of energy defensively, flying around, did some things that we haven't done in terms of our rotation and having early helpers to force the ball baseline. It was really good to see our team step up not only the guys that started the game but it was a team effort in the whole first half because everyone contributed especially on the defensive end."
At the start of the second half, things seemed to go according to plan for the Manatees as they continued to hold on to the lead, but Indian River's defense started to kick and began running a zone defense that gave them a slight edge from the Manatees scoring opportunities with some of their own that cut the Manatees' lead from 25 to five at the eight minute mark, but the Manatees continued to hold onto the lead with the overwhelming support of the fans and extended the lead back-and-forth.
"Our crowd brings us a lot of energy especially when we're down and starting 'defense' chants," said Dasher on the fan support. "And they get into it and start heckling the other players. It's great to have a really good crowd and we appreciate the love they give us at the games."
With 1:15 left before the end of the game, Hodge pushed up two 3-pointers to give the Manatees a six-point lead as the Pioneers continued to try and cut the lead. This would then lead to Robert II to shoot three of his four free throws before one final Pioneer shot and a win for the Manatees.
"I think that to everyone watching, they probably saw us play a really good first half and a sub-par second half," said Parks on the second half. "What really hurt us was Indian River's zone because they did it in a way where it was a little unorthodox. They stacked their top two guys and we had to change who they were screening in the zone which took us a little while to figure out."
"We did a good job in the first half because we made a lot of shots, but they weren't falling as much early as they were in the second half, so we had to make adjustments on where we put people and made some defensive subs. It's one of things that say you almost have to be up 20 points to Indian River at the half to expect a win because they're gonna make a lot of adjustments."
"In the second half, the offense kind of died down," said Dasher on the team in the second half. "But we picked it back up and got the win and that's what matters."
"The first half, we started off hot and we were hitting our shots," said Gavin. "But when we came out in the second half, we came out nonchalant and Indian River made some adjustments that we had to get use to. Overall, we adjusted well as the game went on and did what we had to do to win."
The Manatees' defense ended up with nine blocks and seven steals in the game.
"The one thing on our defense that was huge was Isiah (Dasher), D'Moi (Hodge), Jaylen (Jones) and Remy (Robert) all took charges," said Parks on the team's defense. "I expect Remy to take a charge because he's always done it, but the fact that we had D'Moi, Jaylen and Isiah take a charge in one game, that just shows you they're buying. They would never have done that before. I guarantee Isiah's friends back in Jersey were laughing on the livestream saying 'No way that was Isiah Dasher' and that just shows you that he's to the point where he's so committed that he'll put his body on the line for the team, which is unbelievable."
Parks went on to say some positive words on Indian River's head coach Charlie Wilson.
"Their coach is one of the best in Florida, said Parks on Wilson. "I really don't care what anyone else. Charlie Wilson is one of the best coaches in Florida, maybe the best in making adjustments. He does a really good job keeping me on my toes. As a young coach, I want to learn from him because I'm trying constantly to figure out what they're doing so we can make an adjustment and be one step ahead of which was really hard."
Other Suncoast Scores:
FSW (9-1) defeated ASA Miami by a score of 69-61. The Buccaneers were ranked at #2 in the nation, but a loss to Snow College at the FSW Classic pushed them down to #6. The Buccaneers will return to action at home as they face ASA Miami in a rematch Sunday afternoon, December 1 at 2 pm.
RV Polk State (6-2) fell to Central Florida by a score of 86-77.
Hillsborough (4-5) will return to action as they face Indian River State Tuesday night, December 3 at 7 pm.
St. Pete College (4-6) defeated Pasco-Hernando by a score of 91-82. The Titans will return to action on the road as they travel to Georgia to take on Southern Crescent Technical College (NJCAA Region 17) Friday night, December 6 at 7 pm.
Up Next:
SCF remain at home as they host the SCF Classic at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. The Manatees will welcome #16 USC Salkahatchie (7-1) Friday night at 7 pm and Impact Academy Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. The Indians lost their first game of the season as they fell to South Georgia State by a score of 70-68. RV Polk State will also be competing in the classic, but will not play SCF.
"Salkahatchie is the best #16 team in the country there has ever been," said Parks on Salkahatchie. "I don't know how they go lose to a really good team on the road and they drop by that much. They're a top five in the country, even though they're ranked 16. They play with great energy and fly around as a defense oriented team, so it's going to be really fun to see our high-powered offense against their very effective and long athletic defense. They have the best shot blocker and second best shooting guard in the country. Vince Cole is a ridiculously talented guard that can shoot from anywhere. Whoever comes out is going to see a lot of high level players that know how to put the ball in the basket with a lot of defensive-minded coaches. It's gonna be crazy."
We're going to use our game with Impact Academy as an opportunity to get better," said Parks on facing Impact Academy. "We're not gonna take them lightly because teams lose to prep school all the time and we're not gonna lose sight that this is about the process and need to continue to get better and not take anyone for advantage."
2nd Herd Returns Home for Three Straight Games
The SCF basketball team (6-3) return home for three straight games at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. The Manatees will welcome Indian River State (4-4) Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm before hosting the two-day SCF Classic (11/29-11/30) welcoming #16 USC Salkehatchie (7-1) and Impact Academy. RV Polk State (6-1) will also be participating in the classic but will only play Salkehatchie on November 30. They will not face SCF until January 4, 2020.
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of competing in the two-day FSW Classic after defeating Denmark Tech and Snow College. They would defeat Denmark Tech 101-82 in the first game before falling 88-81 to Snow College. Snow College upset #2 Florida Southwestern State (8-1) following SCF's win over Denmark Tech.
Sophomores D'Moi Hodge and Isiah Dasher and freshman Jordan Clark continue to lead the Manatees offensively.
Hodge leads the team averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.2 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. Hodge had a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks against Denmark Tech and 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block against Snow.
Dasher finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and five steals against Denmark before finishing with nine points, two rebounds and five assists against Snow. The native of Jersey City is averaging 17.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Despite finishing with nine points and six rebounds against Snow, Clark finished his game against Denmark with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. The product of Booker High School is averaging 14.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Leading the big men are freshman Marshall Kearing and sophomore Chris Scarborough.
Kearing is averaging 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Kearing had his second collegiate double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds and three blocks and against Denmark before finishing nine points and six rebounds against Snow.
Scarborough is averaging 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Scarborough had six points and five rebounds against Denmark before being held scoreless against Snow.
Redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon had been one of the big wildcards for the Manatees as he is now averaging 5.4 points and 3.7 assists per game. Although he finished with three points and three assists, McCutcheon had one of his best games against Snow finishing with 12 points and three assists.
Another wildcard for the Manatees is freshman Michael Gavin, who averages 5.5 points per game. Gavin had one of his best games against Denmark as he finished with 13 points and went 3-for-4 behind the 3-point line before being held to two points against Snow.
1,000 Club:
For Hodge and Dasher, they are both looking to earning 1,000 career points with the Manatees. Currently, the native of Tortola, British Virgin Islands has 842 points in his name thus far and needs 158 to reach 1,000 while Dasher has 666 points and needs 334 to do so.
Scouting Indian River State:
The Pioneers are coming off of defeating Santa Fe Saturday by a score of 88-69.
Miles Coleman plays his role offensively and defensively as he leads the team averaging 18.7 points, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Tanahj Pettway follows Coleman averaging 15.1 points and 3.1 assists per game, while Drew LaMont is averaging 14.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and Linton Brown with 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Scouting USC Salkehatchie:
The Indians, who are a member of NJCAA Region 10 (Carolinas Junior College Conference), are coming off of falling to South Georgia State losing by score of 70-68. It was their first loss of the season. The Indians were ranked #8 in the nation, but the lost to South Georgia State dropped them to #16.
Vince Cole is averaging 21 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Cole came off the bench against South Georgia State scoring 15 points and four rebounds.
Keyon Wesley follows Cole with 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Against South Georgia State, Wesley was held to four points and two rebounds against South Georgia State.
Scouting Polk State:
The Eagles, who are receiving votes in the NJCAA National Polls, are coming off of splitting at their hosted two-day Josh Giles Memorial Classic. They would defeat Florida State College at Jacksonville by a score of 68-62 before falling 77-71 to #5 Chipola College. As noted, they will not play SCF in the SCF Classic.
Sophomore Tekorian "TK" Smith continues to lead the Eagles offense as he is averaging 15.3 points per game. Smith, who will be transferring to Georgia Southern, had 16 points and three rebounds off the bench against #5 Chipola.
Classmate Malcolm Stevenson is averaging 12.6 points and 2.3 assists per game. The transfer from CCCAA Cabrillo Collge that will continue his playing career at NCAA DII Queens University of Charlotte, had 11 points against #5 Chipola.
Freshman Clarence Jackson averages 12 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Jackson had 19 points and five rebounds against Chipola.
Series History (2011-present):
While this will be the first time in program history that they will be facing Salkehatchie, the Manatees are currently 3-14 against the Pioneers and 4-0 against Impact. Last time out, the Manatees fell to Indian River earlier in the season losing by a score of 111-98. The Manatees last win over Indian River was on December 28, 2012 where the Manatees won 93-66.
Meanwhile, the Manatees are 4-0 against Impact Academy. Last season, the Manatees defeated Impact 95-65 at home. That game was when former Manatee Clearance Miles played and scored 29 points with all nine of his field goals being behind the 3-point line.
How to Keep Up:
All three games will air on the SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up to day with all four teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
IRS: @IRSC_Pioneers
USCS: @Salk_Hoops
Impact: @impactbball
Last Time Out:
The Manatees are coming off of competing in the two-day FSW Classic after defeating Denmark Tech and Snow College. They would defeat Denmark Tech 101-82 in the first game before falling 88-81 to Snow College. Snow College upset #2 Florida Southwestern State (8-1) following SCF's win over Denmark Tech.
Sophomores D'Moi Hodge and Isiah Dasher and freshman Jordan Clark continue to lead the Manatees offensively.
Hodge leads the team averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 2.2 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. Hodge had a double-double of 19 points and 14 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks against Denmark Tech and 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block against Snow.
Dasher finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists and five steals against Denmark before finishing with nine points, two rebounds and five assists against Snow. The native of Jersey City is averaging 17.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Despite finishing with nine points and six rebounds against Snow, Clark finished his game against Denmark with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists. The product of Booker High School is averaging 14.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Leading the big men are freshman Marshall Kearing and sophomore Chris Scarborough.
Kearing is averaging 10.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Kearing had his second collegiate double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds and three blocks and against Denmark before finishing nine points and six rebounds against Snow.
Scarborough is averaging 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Scarborough had six points and five rebounds against Denmark before being held scoreless against Snow.
Redshirt freshman Calvin McCutcheon had been one of the big wildcards for the Manatees as he is now averaging 5.4 points and 3.7 assists per game. Although he finished with three points and three assists, McCutcheon had one of his best games against Snow finishing with 12 points and three assists.
Another wildcard for the Manatees is freshman Michael Gavin, who averages 5.5 points per game. Gavin had one of his best games against Denmark as he finished with 13 points and went 3-for-4 behind the 3-point line before being held to two points against Snow.
1,000 Club:
For Hodge and Dasher, they are both looking to earning 1,000 career points with the Manatees. Currently, the native of Tortola, British Virgin Islands has 842 points in his name thus far and needs 158 to reach 1,000 while Dasher has 666 points and needs 334 to do so.
Scouting Indian River State:
The Pioneers are coming off of defeating Santa Fe Saturday by a score of 88-69.
Miles Coleman plays his role offensively and defensively as he leads the team averaging 18.7 points, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Tanahj Pettway follows Coleman averaging 15.1 points and 3.1 assists per game, while Drew LaMont is averaging 14.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and Linton Brown with 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Scouting USC Salkehatchie:
The Indians, who are a member of NJCAA Region 10 (Carolinas Junior College Conference), are coming off of falling to South Georgia State losing by score of 70-68. It was their first loss of the season. The Indians were ranked #8 in the nation, but the lost to South Georgia State dropped them to #16.
Vince Cole is averaging 21 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Cole came off the bench against South Georgia State scoring 15 points and four rebounds.
Keyon Wesley follows Cole with 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Against South Georgia State, Wesley was held to four points and two rebounds against South Georgia State.
Scouting Polk State:
The Eagles, who are receiving votes in the NJCAA National Polls, are coming off of splitting at their hosted two-day Josh Giles Memorial Classic. They would defeat Florida State College at Jacksonville by a score of 68-62 before falling 77-71 to #5 Chipola College. As noted, they will not play SCF in the SCF Classic.
Sophomore Tekorian "TK" Smith continues to lead the Eagles offense as he is averaging 15.3 points per game. Smith, who will be transferring to Georgia Southern, had 16 points and three rebounds off the bench against #5 Chipola.
Classmate Malcolm Stevenson is averaging 12.6 points and 2.3 assists per game. The transfer from CCCAA Cabrillo Collge that will continue his playing career at NCAA DII Queens University of Charlotte, had 11 points against #5 Chipola.
Freshman Clarence Jackson averages 12 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. Jackson had 19 points and five rebounds against Chipola.
Series History (2011-present):
While this will be the first time in program history that they will be facing Salkehatchie, the Manatees are currently 3-14 against the Pioneers and 4-0 against Impact. Last time out, the Manatees fell to Indian River earlier in the season losing by a score of 111-98. The Manatees last win over Indian River was on December 28, 2012 where the Manatees won 93-66.
Meanwhile, the Manatees are 4-0 against Impact Academy. Last season, the Manatees defeated Impact 95-65 at home. That game was when former Manatee Clearance Miles played and scored 29 points with all nine of his field goals being behind the 3-point line.
How to Keep Up:
All three games will air on the SCF Sports Network. Fans can also keep up to day with all four teams on Twitter:
SCF: @SCF_Basketball
IRS: @IRSC_Pioneers
USCS: @Salk_Hoops
Impact: @impactbball
Livestream Link: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/scf/
2nd Herd Splits at FSW Classic
The SCF basketball team (6-3) ended up with a split at the FSW Classic at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. The Manatees defeated Denmark Tech (0-5) 101-82 in the first game before falling 88-81 to Snow College (5-4). Snow College upset #2 Florida Southwestern State following the Manatees' win over Denmark Tech.
SCF vs Denmark Tech:
Six Manatees finished in double digit scoring. Sophomore D'Moi Hodge and freshman Marshall Kearing each finished with a double-double of points and rebounds. Hodge had 19 points (8-for-18 FG, 3-for-5 FT) and 14 rebounds, while Kearing had 16 points (8-for-11 FG) and 12 rebounds. Hodge added five assists, three steals and two blocks, while Kearing added one assist, one steal and three blocks.
Sophomore Isiah Dasher and freshman Michael Gavin had 13 points each. Dasher (6-for-12 FG, 1-for-2 FT) added seven rebounds, two assists, five steals and a block, while Gavin (5-for-7 FG, 3-for-4 3PT) added a rebound and two steals.
Sophomore Max Bell-Ramos and freshman Jordan Clark rounded out the double digit scoring. Bell-Ramos had 12 points (5-for-8 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 1-for-1 FT), three rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Clark had 11 points (4-for-8 FG, 3-for-4 3PT), five rebounds and two assists.
Other players that contributed to the game were sophomores Chris Scarborough (six points, five rebounds and three blocks) and Remy Robert II (one assist), redshirt freshmen Jaylen Jones (two points) and Calvin McCutcheon (three points, one rebound, three assists and a steal) and freshmen Sam Grayson (five points and a rebound) and J-Quon Ferrol (one point, a rebound and a block).
Freshman Nigel Lawson Jr. led the Panthers with a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists, while sophomore Isaiah Odom followed with 17 points and six rebounds and freshman Carieon Robbins rounded out with 12 points and three rebounds off the bench.
SCF vs Snow:
Hodge led the Manatees offensively as he finished with 27 points (9-for-19 FG, 5-for-11 3PT, 4-for-5 FT), eight rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block, while McCutcheon followed with his first double digit scoring performance with 12 points (5-for-9 FG, 2-for-3 3PT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Dasher and Kearing finished with nine points each. Dasher added two rebounds and five assists, while Kearing added six rebounds.
Sophomore Brayden Johnson led the Badger with 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while freshman Matt Norman followed with 19 points and three rebounds. Sophomore Trey Farrer rounded out the Badgers in double digit scoring as he finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Other Suncoast Scores:
#2 FSW (7-1) suffered their first loss of the season as they were upsetted by Snow College by a 81-79 before defeating Denmark College 111-70 in their hosted FSW Classic. The Buccaneers will be on the road as they face Miami Dade Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm.
RV Polk State (6-1) split at their hosted Josh Giles Memorial Classic defeating Florida State College at Jacksonville 68-62 before falling to Chipola College by a score of 77-71. The Eagles will face College of Central Florida Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm.
Hillsborough (4-5) fell their last two road games to Santa Fe (89-66) and College of Central Florida (99-61). The Hawks were initially scheduled to face Johnson Faith Athletics College Tuesday night, November 26, but it was cancelled. They will return to action on Tuesday night, December 3 at 7 pm against Broward College.
St. Pete College (3-6) fell to Miami Dade College on the road losing by a score of 83-81 Wednesday night, November 20 before defeating Red Devil Academy 105-58 on Saturday at home. The Titans will return on the road as they face Pasco-Hernando Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm.
SCF Fun Fact (s):
Hodge now has 842 points in his name and needs 158 to reach 1,000 career points.
SCF is 7-4 against junior colleges that are not from Florida.
Up Next:
The Manatees will return home for three straight home games at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. They will welcome Indian River State (4-4) Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm before hosting the two-day SCF Classic November 29-30. The Manatees will welcome #8 USC Salkahatchie (7-1) Friday night at 7 pm and Impact Academy Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. The Indians lost their first game of the season as they fell to South Georgia State by a score of 70-68.
SCF vs Denmark Tech:
Six Manatees finished in double digit scoring. Sophomore D'Moi Hodge and freshman Marshall Kearing each finished with a double-double of points and rebounds. Hodge had 19 points (8-for-18 FG, 3-for-5 FT) and 14 rebounds, while Kearing had 16 points (8-for-11 FG) and 12 rebounds. Hodge added five assists, three steals and two blocks, while Kearing added one assist, one steal and three blocks.
Sophomore Isiah Dasher and freshman Michael Gavin had 13 points each. Dasher (6-for-12 FG, 1-for-2 FT) added seven rebounds, two assists, five steals and a block, while Gavin (5-for-7 FG, 3-for-4 3PT) added a rebound and two steals.
Sophomore Max Bell-Ramos and freshman Jordan Clark rounded out the double digit scoring. Bell-Ramos had 12 points (5-for-8 FG, 1-for-2 3PT, 1-for-1 FT), three rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Clark had 11 points (4-for-8 FG, 3-for-4 3PT), five rebounds and two assists.
Other players that contributed to the game were sophomores Chris Scarborough (six points, five rebounds and three blocks) and Remy Robert II (one assist), redshirt freshmen Jaylen Jones (two points) and Calvin McCutcheon (three points, one rebound, three assists and a steal) and freshmen Sam Grayson (five points and a rebound) and J-Quon Ferrol (one point, a rebound and a block).
Freshman Nigel Lawson Jr. led the Panthers with a double-double of 21 points and 10 assists, while sophomore Isaiah Odom followed with 17 points and six rebounds and freshman Carieon Robbins rounded out with 12 points and three rebounds off the bench.
SCF vs Snow:
Hodge led the Manatees offensively as he finished with 27 points (9-for-19 FG, 5-for-11 3PT, 4-for-5 FT), eight rebounds, six assists, a steal and a block, while McCutcheon followed with his first double digit scoring performance with 12 points (5-for-9 FG, 2-for-3 3PT), three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Dasher and Kearing finished with nine points each. Dasher added two rebounds and five assists, while Kearing added six rebounds.
Sophomore Brayden Johnson led the Badger with 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists, while freshman Matt Norman followed with 19 points and three rebounds. Sophomore Trey Farrer rounded out the Badgers in double digit scoring as he finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Other Suncoast Scores:
#2 FSW (7-1) suffered their first loss of the season as they were upsetted by Snow College by a 81-79 before defeating Denmark College 111-70 in their hosted FSW Classic. The Buccaneers will be on the road as they face Miami Dade Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm.
RV Polk State (6-1) split at their hosted Josh Giles Memorial Classic defeating Florida State College at Jacksonville 68-62 before falling to Chipola College by a score of 77-71. The Eagles will face College of Central Florida Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm.
Hillsborough (4-5) fell their last two road games to Santa Fe (89-66) and College of Central Florida (99-61). The Hawks were initially scheduled to face Johnson Faith Athletics College Tuesday night, November 26, but it was cancelled. They will return to action on Tuesday night, December 3 at 7 pm against Broward College.
St. Pete College (3-6) fell to Miami Dade College on the road losing by a score of 83-81 Wednesday night, November 20 before defeating Red Devil Academy 105-58 on Saturday at home. The Titans will return on the road as they face Pasco-Hernando Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm.
SCF Fun Fact (s):
Hodge now has 842 points in his name and needs 158 to reach 1,000 career points.
SCF is 7-4 against junior colleges that are not from Florida.
Up Next:
The Manatees will return home for three straight home games at Hal Chasey Gymnasium. They will welcome Indian River State (4-4) Tuesday night, November 26 at 7 pm before hosting the two-day SCF Classic November 29-30. The Manatees will welcome #8 USC Salkahatchie (7-1) Friday night at 7 pm and Impact Academy Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. The Indians lost their first game of the season as they fell to South Georgia State by a score of 70-68.
FGCU MBB vs Florida Tech Preview
After a tough night offensively in a 78-48 loss at No. 19 VCU, one of the top defenses in the Atlantic 10, the FGCU men's basketball team returns to action on Tuesday night as Florida Tech visits Alico Arena. The game is set for a 7 PM tip and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The game will be a White Out with a 'FansGiving' promotion. There will also be a Food Drive by the Department of Athletics collecting non-perishable items to be donated to the FGCU Food Pantry and the Harry Chapin Food Bank as part of #FeedFGCU which helps provide resources for those in need - particularly around the holidays. This Friday, Nov. 29, FGCU will also be accepting toy donations through Dec. 21 to benefit the Golisano Children's Hospital and Toys For Tots.
The match-up with Florida Tech will be the seventh meeting all-time with the Eagles holding a 6-0 record in the series. It will also mark the beginning of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic this week with games against North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern set for Friday (7 PM), Saturday (7 PM) and Sunday (5 PM).
The FGCU Classic will also feature non-conference games during the Thanksgiving weekend. On Friday, Campbell will face Georgia Southern at 4:30 PM, while Saturday will see North Dakota take on Georgia Southern. North Dakota and Campbell will then play on Sunday at Noon.
In Saturday's loss at No. 19 VCU, the Rams defense was the key to the game converting 27 FGCU turnovers into 37 points. A 20-2 run by VCU closed out the first half. The Eagles made strides to cut into the lead in the second half, but were unable to bridge the gap.
FGCU's opening stretch of road games to begin the year has racked up the frequent flyer mileage. The Eagles have traveled to the Midwest, covered nearly 95 percent of the Eastern Seaboard with the trip to Dartmouth and still have a cross country flight (2,650 miles) to USC later this season. The trip to Mercer was the shortest (510 miles), while the Eagles trip to Richmond to face VCU was 928 miles.
Sophomore Zach Scott continues to lead the Eagles with a career-best 14.0 points per game with Catto just behind with 12.7 points per outing - also a career-best mark. After leading the way in the win over FAU, Warren is now averaging 9.7 points per game which is third-best on the team.
After a slow start to the year, freshman Dakota Rivers had a breakout stretch in the Mercer and FAU games where he averaged 12 points after scoring seven total in the first three contests. Junior Sam Gagliardi averaged 10.5 points in those two games as well thanks to a combined 7-of-17 shooting from deep. Gagliardi opened the first three games going 3-of-16 and averaging 4.3 per game.
Of the five loses, UMBC and Dartmouth were by a combined 10 points with the Eagles in a spot to lead or tie the game late. In each of those games, FGCU played solid defensively overall holding each team to a combined 34.8 percent from the floor which would have ranked 37th nationally going into the Mercer game.
Florida Tech is 2-3 on the year after wins over Johnson and Puerto Rico-Bayamon before taking a loss at Saint Leo on Saturday night.
Sesan Russell leads the Panthers with 25.0 points per game followed by 14.4 per night from Runako Ziegler. Mehil Noble rounds out the top scorers with 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per night.
Livestats Link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=285699
ESPN+ Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=f412cda3-6e61-45c0-a910-034feb8949c8
The game will be a White Out with a 'FansGiving' promotion. There will also be a Food Drive by the Department of Athletics collecting non-perishable items to be donated to the FGCU Food Pantry and the Harry Chapin Food Bank as part of #FeedFGCU which helps provide resources for those in need - particularly around the holidays. This Friday, Nov. 29, FGCU will also be accepting toy donations through Dec. 21 to benefit the Golisano Children's Hospital and Toys For Tots.
The match-up with Florida Tech will be the seventh meeting all-time with the Eagles holding a 6-0 record in the series. It will also mark the beginning of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic this week with games against North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern set for Friday (7 PM), Saturday (7 PM) and Sunday (5 PM).
The FGCU Classic will also feature non-conference games during the Thanksgiving weekend. On Friday, Campbell will face Georgia Southern at 4:30 PM, while Saturday will see North Dakota take on Georgia Southern. North Dakota and Campbell will then play on Sunday at Noon.
In Saturday's loss at No. 19 VCU, the Rams defense was the key to the game converting 27 FGCU turnovers into 37 points. A 20-2 run by VCU closed out the first half. The Eagles made strides to cut into the lead in the second half, but were unable to bridge the gap.
FGCU's opening stretch of road games to begin the year has racked up the frequent flyer mileage. The Eagles have traveled to the Midwest, covered nearly 95 percent of the Eastern Seaboard with the trip to Dartmouth and still have a cross country flight (2,650 miles) to USC later this season. The trip to Mercer was the shortest (510 miles), while the Eagles trip to Richmond to face VCU was 928 miles.
Sophomore Zach Scott continues to lead the Eagles with a career-best 14.0 points per game with Catto just behind with 12.7 points per outing - also a career-best mark. After leading the way in the win over FAU, Warren is now averaging 9.7 points per game which is third-best on the team.
After a slow start to the year, freshman Dakota Rivers had a breakout stretch in the Mercer and FAU games where he averaged 12 points after scoring seven total in the first three contests. Junior Sam Gagliardi averaged 10.5 points in those two games as well thanks to a combined 7-of-17 shooting from deep. Gagliardi opened the first three games going 3-of-16 and averaging 4.3 per game.
Of the five loses, UMBC and Dartmouth were by a combined 10 points with the Eagles in a spot to lead or tie the game late. In each of those games, FGCU played solid defensively overall holding each team to a combined 34.8 percent from the floor which would have ranked 37th nationally going into the Mercer game.
Florida Tech is 2-3 on the year after wins over Johnson and Puerto Rico-Bayamon before taking a loss at Saint Leo on Saturday night.
Sesan Russell leads the Panthers with 25.0 points per game followed by 14.4 per night from Runako Ziegler. Mehil Noble rounds out the top scorers with 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per night.
Livestats Link: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=285699
ESPN+ Link: https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=f412cda3-6e61-45c0-a910-034feb8949c8
FGCU MBB @ VCU Recap
Sophomore Caleb Catto scored 14 points to lead the FGCU men's basketball team (1-5), but No. 19 VCU (5-0) proved too much on the defensive side of the ball in a 78-48 win over the Eagles on Saturday night at the Siegel Center. The Rams forced 27 turnovers which kept the Eagles offense out of sync for much of the night.
"They played about as we thought they would. We were able to hold them at bay for a bit early in the first half, but once they jumped on that big run, we could never get back into it. I have tremendous respect for Coach Rhoades and his staff and how they run their program," said head coach Michael Fly. "I told our team this was a growing experience and that the same year we went to the Sweet 16, we had a loss like this to VCU. A of times that year we referenced VCU and said these teams aren't better than VCU, that they won't pressure the same as VCU or that their fans aren't as raucous as VCU. We want to play teams like VCU which will help us grow while also helping reinforce the type of program we're trying to build here."
Catto set a career-high with four three pointers in the game to lead the Eagles (1-5). Junior Jalen Warren had seven points and five assists, while sophomore Zach Scott had a career-high eight rebounds.
The Rams were led by 16 points from Marcus Evans and 11 points from De'Riante Jenkins. Marcus Santos-Silva nearly had a double-double nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Statistically, the story of the game came down to the Rams turning 27 FGCU turnovers into 37 points. Between that and 19 offensive rebounds which led to 18 second chance points, VCU attempted 26 more shots than the Eagles for the game.
Overall, FGCU shot 19-of-50 (41%), while the Rams were 28-of-76 (30%) from the floor.
The Rams used a 10-to-0 run in the first half to open up a 16-2 lead at the 12:37 mark, but a Catto three-pointer 15 seconds later halted the home team momentum. Catto added two more triples after that as the Eagles cut the deficit to nine, 23-14, with 7:35 left before intermission.
The Rams strung together the 20-2 run, including 17 straight, after the Eagles cut the deficit to single digits and stretched its lead to 43-16 at the break.
VCU's pressure defense sparked much of its offense in the opening stanza as the Rams converted 16 FGCU turnovers into 22 points.
After Catto hit his fourth three-pointer of the night two minutes into the second half, the Rams scored 11 straight extending their lead to 56-21 at the 15:01 mark.
The Eagles continued to fight late in the game putting together a 13-to-1 run which cut the deficit to 21, 66-45, with 5:07 to go, but the Rams closed out the game scoring 12 of the last 15 points to give the final margin.
Up Next:
FGCU returns home to Alico Arena for the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic next week. The Eagles will host Florida Tech on Tuesday night (7 PM) before then hosting North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
"They played about as we thought they would. We were able to hold them at bay for a bit early in the first half, but once they jumped on that big run, we could never get back into it. I have tremendous respect for Coach Rhoades and his staff and how they run their program," said head coach Michael Fly. "I told our team this was a growing experience and that the same year we went to the Sweet 16, we had a loss like this to VCU. A of times that year we referenced VCU and said these teams aren't better than VCU, that they won't pressure the same as VCU or that their fans aren't as raucous as VCU. We want to play teams like VCU which will help us grow while also helping reinforce the type of program we're trying to build here."
Catto set a career-high with four three pointers in the game to lead the Eagles (1-5). Junior Jalen Warren had seven points and five assists, while sophomore Zach Scott had a career-high eight rebounds.
The Rams were led by 16 points from Marcus Evans and 11 points from De'Riante Jenkins. Marcus Santos-Silva nearly had a double-double nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Statistically, the story of the game came down to the Rams turning 27 FGCU turnovers into 37 points. Between that and 19 offensive rebounds which led to 18 second chance points, VCU attempted 26 more shots than the Eagles for the game.
Overall, FGCU shot 19-of-50 (41%), while the Rams were 28-of-76 (30%) from the floor.
The Rams used a 10-to-0 run in the first half to open up a 16-2 lead at the 12:37 mark, but a Catto three-pointer 15 seconds later halted the home team momentum. Catto added two more triples after that as the Eagles cut the deficit to nine, 23-14, with 7:35 left before intermission.
The Rams strung together the 20-2 run, including 17 straight, after the Eagles cut the deficit to single digits and stretched its lead to 43-16 at the break.
VCU's pressure defense sparked much of its offense in the opening stanza as the Rams converted 16 FGCU turnovers into 22 points.
After Catto hit his fourth three-pointer of the night two minutes into the second half, the Rams scored 11 straight extending their lead to 56-21 at the 15:01 mark.
The Eagles continued to fight late in the game putting together a 13-to-1 run which cut the deficit to 21, 66-45, with 5:07 to go, but the Rams closed out the game scoring 12 of the last 15 points to give the final margin.
Up Next:
FGCU returns home to Alico Arena for the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic next week. The Eagles will host Florida Tech on Tuesday night (7 PM) before then hosting North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
FGCU S&D: Phill Hansel Invitational Day Three Recap
After the final day of competition at the Phill Hansel Invitational, FGCU swimming & diving (6-4, 4-0 CCSA) earned a ninth-place finish among the 13-team field. Day three of the invitational was highlighted by junior Petra Halmai's record-setting performance in the 200 Breast; Halmai's time of 2:10.86 eclipsed the previous school record, held by her, of 2:11.21. That time also stands as a new CCSA Conference record.
"What an incredible final session for our team," head coach Dave Rollins said. "Petra setting the school record in the 200 Breast was a big surprise, as she has her Olympic qualifying meet in a couple of weeks. Ultimately, the relay DQ and our lack of platform experience cost us in the team standings. However, the team did an incredible job competing and walking away with new season and lifetime bests. We are starting to see the potential of our program and are setting up well for CCSAs."
In addition to Halmai's heroics, the Eagles were represented by seven different athletes in today's finals.
Freshman Michaela Sizemore and classmate Hannah VanDress tallied a combined 20 points in the 1650-yard freestyle, finishing within one second of each other at 16th and 17th, respectively. Sizemore's 17:19.86 was good for a season-best.
In the 200 Back finals, FGCU was also represented by a pair of Eagles, as senior Elizabeth Zeiger and freshman Julia Rodriguez collected points for the team. Zeiger earned a 15th-place finish, while Rodriguez swam a season-best 2:03.73 en route to finishing 21st.
Sophomore Wiktoria Czarnecka built on the strong performances she has posted throughout the invite, claiming fifth in the 100 Free. Earlier in the day, she notched a personal best in the prelims after swimming a 50.01. She was just 0.02 second off of that pace in the final.
The 200 Breast event saw a trio of Eagles qualify for the finals. Halmai's record-setting performance was good for second place overall, while freshman Anna Hogan and senior Elizabeth White finished 21st and 23rd, respectively.
Halmia and Rodriguez scored the final points of the invitational for the Green and Blue, as the pair combined for 39 points in the 200 Fly. Halmai earned another second-place finish after swimming a 1:59.35 in the final. Rodriguez' 2:07.69 was good for 16th.
Excluding the teams that brought just diving, the Eagles would have earned a sixth-place finish among the highly-competitive 13-team field. The Houston Cougars, who hosted the invitational, finished the weekend atop the final team standings.
Team Standings:
1. Houston – 1,737 points
2. Rice – 1,144 points
3. Washington State – 913 points
4. Tulane – 716 points
5. University of Nevada – 699 points
6. UC Davis – 621 points
7. Colorado State – 614 points
8. Air Force – 568 points
9. FGCU – 554 points
10. Northern Colorado – 403 points
11. North Texas – 81 points
12. New Mexico – 8 points
13. University of Nebraska Omaha – 2 points
Up Next:
The Phill Hansel Invitational concluded the 2019 competition slate for the Eagles, who will have a break before returning to action on Saturday, Jan. 4. That day, FGCU is set to host Tulane, Illinois State and conference rival Liberty in a noon meet at the FGCU Aquatics Complex.
"What an incredible final session for our team," head coach Dave Rollins said. "Petra setting the school record in the 200 Breast was a big surprise, as she has her Olympic qualifying meet in a couple of weeks. Ultimately, the relay DQ and our lack of platform experience cost us in the team standings. However, the team did an incredible job competing and walking away with new season and lifetime bests. We are starting to see the potential of our program and are setting up well for CCSAs."
In addition to Halmai's heroics, the Eagles were represented by seven different athletes in today's finals.
Freshman Michaela Sizemore and classmate Hannah VanDress tallied a combined 20 points in the 1650-yard freestyle, finishing within one second of each other at 16th and 17th, respectively. Sizemore's 17:19.86 was good for a season-best.
In the 200 Back finals, FGCU was also represented by a pair of Eagles, as senior Elizabeth Zeiger and freshman Julia Rodriguez collected points for the team. Zeiger earned a 15th-place finish, while Rodriguez swam a season-best 2:03.73 en route to finishing 21st.
Sophomore Wiktoria Czarnecka built on the strong performances she has posted throughout the invite, claiming fifth in the 100 Free. Earlier in the day, she notched a personal best in the prelims after swimming a 50.01. She was just 0.02 second off of that pace in the final.
The 200 Breast event saw a trio of Eagles qualify for the finals. Halmai's record-setting performance was good for second place overall, while freshman Anna Hogan and senior Elizabeth White finished 21st and 23rd, respectively.
Halmia and Rodriguez scored the final points of the invitational for the Green and Blue, as the pair combined for 39 points in the 200 Fly. Halmai earned another second-place finish after swimming a 1:59.35 in the final. Rodriguez' 2:07.69 was good for 16th.
Excluding the teams that brought just diving, the Eagles would have earned a sixth-place finish among the highly-competitive 13-team field. The Houston Cougars, who hosted the invitational, finished the weekend atop the final team standings.
Team Standings:
1. Houston – 1,737 points
2. Rice – 1,144 points
3. Washington State – 913 points
4. Tulane – 716 points
5. University of Nevada – 699 points
6. UC Davis – 621 points
7. Colorado State – 614 points
8. Air Force – 568 points
9. FGCU – 554 points
10. Northern Colorado – 403 points
11. North Texas – 81 points
12. New Mexico – 8 points
13. University of Nebraska Omaha – 2 points
Up Next:
The Phill Hansel Invitational concluded the 2019 competition slate for the Eagles, who will have a break before returning to action on Saturday, Jan. 4. That day, FGCU is set to host Tulane, Illinois State and conference rival Liberty in a noon meet at the FGCU Aquatics Complex.
FGCU VB vs Kennesaw: ASUN Tournament Championship Finals Recap
In a five-set thriller that was decided by a total of 11 points, the FGCU volleyball team (27-5) dropped a heartbreaker to Kennesaw State (22-8) in the A-SUN championship match in Alico Arena on Saturday.
With the victory, Kennesaw State secured the A-SUN's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while the Eagles will have to wait and see if they get an at-large bid.
"Definitely proud, not surprised at all," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said of his team's comeback from two sets down. "That's been the hallmark of this team all season long, their toughness and grit. That's a lineup, after the second set, that we haven't played at all this year. For them to be able to adapt and put themselves in a position to get to the fifth set, just to get there alone was an accomplishment considering how things looked previously. Obviously, we would have liked a different result, but I just loved the way they performed tonight."
It was the fifth straight season that either Kennesaw State ended FGCU's season or vice versa, and it was the third consecutive season the two teams met in the championship match. The latest outing didn't disappoint as Saturday's match featured 54 ties and 25 lead changes. Outside of the second set, neither team held a lead of more than three points the entire match.
In the first set, which featured 11 ties and six lead changes, FGCU trailed 23-20 before rallying to earn a set point following a kill from junior Cortney VanLiew. However, Kennesaw State stuffed an attack and responded with the final three points for a 27-25 win. The momentum continued as the Owls opened up a 16-8 lead in the second set. FGCU rallied to pull within 24-22, but Quin Sutphin's kill gave Kennesaw State a two-set lead.
Following that, things got really interesting, starting with a wild third set that featured 18 ties, seven lead changes and neither team leading by more than two points. Trailing 21-19, FGCU reeled off three straight points, capped by a solo block from sophomore Tori Morris. After their first set point was stopped, freshman Shelby Beisner was forced to play front row after a substitution mishap. All she did was team with sophomore Chelsey Lockey to stuff a Lexi Broadwater attack and give FGCU the set.
The Eagles opened the fourth set with four of the first five points, but Kennesaw State responded, eventually led 23-21 and appeared to be on the verge of clinching the match. Senior Daniele Serrano teamed with junior Snowy Burnam on a block, however, and redshirt senior Amanda Carroll followed with back-to-back kills to give the Eagles a set point. A kill from Sutphin tied it up, but back-to-back double-blocks from FGCU gave the Green and Blue a 26-24 win and forced a fifth set.
The final set, which featured 10 ties and five lead changes, saw the Eagles hold leads of 10-8 and 12-10. Kennesaw State, however, responded with five of the final six points, including the final two, to clinch the match.
For FGCU, Saturday night featured a vintage performance from the program's all-time kills leader, Carroll, who produced a season-high 14 kills at a .400 clip along with 15 digs for her 44th career double-double. It was her eighth double-digit dig performance of the season.
VanLiew finished with a team-high 15 kills along with 11 digs and four block assists. Her 67 attacks is tied for the fifth most in a match in the program's Division I era. It was her eighth double-double of the season and the 27th of her career.
Serrano, who became the A-SUN's all-time career blocks leader on Friday, tallied 10 kills and seven blocks (two solo) against the Owls. The 2018 A-SUN tournament MVP also hit .385.
As a team, FGCU totaled a Division I era single-match record 35 blocks (five solo). The Green and Blue's 30 block assists also ties their Oct. 7, 2018 performance against Lipscomb for the most by a team in the Division I era.
The record-breaking night for the team was led by a record-breaking night individually from Morris, who had 12 blocks (three solo), which is the most in any Division I era match - topping five other previous outings of 10, including three from Serrano.
Defensively, sophomore Dana Axner had a team-high 30 digs. She finished the tournament with two 30-plus dig performances, which gives her three such performances in her career - led by a 39-dig outing last year against West Virginia. She also has at least 27 digs in three of four career ASUN tournament matches, and she now has the top two single-season dig totals in the Division I era.
Lockey recorded a team-high 49 assists along with nine digs and a career-high six blocks. She also added one ace.
Notes:
FGCU had never come back from down two sets at home to win a match in program history, and they had produced only three such performances on the road. On Saturday, they nearly did before the Owls closed the match on a 5-1 run.
The Eagles had their 21-match home winning streak snapped in the loss. It was tied with Texas for the third-longest streak in the nation.
FGCU will have to wait and see if they receive one of the NCAA's at-large bids. The selection show occurs next Sunday, Dec. 1.
Axner and Morris were named to the all-tournament team.
With the victory, Kennesaw State secured the A-SUN's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, while the Eagles will have to wait and see if they get an at-large bid.
"Definitely proud, not surprised at all," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said of his team's comeback from two sets down. "That's been the hallmark of this team all season long, their toughness and grit. That's a lineup, after the second set, that we haven't played at all this year. For them to be able to adapt and put themselves in a position to get to the fifth set, just to get there alone was an accomplishment considering how things looked previously. Obviously, we would have liked a different result, but I just loved the way they performed tonight."
It was the fifth straight season that either Kennesaw State ended FGCU's season or vice versa, and it was the third consecutive season the two teams met in the championship match. The latest outing didn't disappoint as Saturday's match featured 54 ties and 25 lead changes. Outside of the second set, neither team held a lead of more than three points the entire match.
In the first set, which featured 11 ties and six lead changes, FGCU trailed 23-20 before rallying to earn a set point following a kill from junior Cortney VanLiew. However, Kennesaw State stuffed an attack and responded with the final three points for a 27-25 win. The momentum continued as the Owls opened up a 16-8 lead in the second set. FGCU rallied to pull within 24-22, but Quin Sutphin's kill gave Kennesaw State a two-set lead.
Following that, things got really interesting, starting with a wild third set that featured 18 ties, seven lead changes and neither team leading by more than two points. Trailing 21-19, FGCU reeled off three straight points, capped by a solo block from sophomore Tori Morris. After their first set point was stopped, freshman Shelby Beisner was forced to play front row after a substitution mishap. All she did was team with sophomore Chelsey Lockey to stuff a Lexi Broadwater attack and give FGCU the set.
The Eagles opened the fourth set with four of the first five points, but Kennesaw State responded, eventually led 23-21 and appeared to be on the verge of clinching the match. Senior Daniele Serrano teamed with junior Snowy Burnam on a block, however, and redshirt senior Amanda Carroll followed with back-to-back kills to give the Eagles a set point. A kill from Sutphin tied it up, but back-to-back double-blocks from FGCU gave the Green and Blue a 26-24 win and forced a fifth set.
The final set, which featured 10 ties and five lead changes, saw the Eagles hold leads of 10-8 and 12-10. Kennesaw State, however, responded with five of the final six points, including the final two, to clinch the match.
For FGCU, Saturday night featured a vintage performance from the program's all-time kills leader, Carroll, who produced a season-high 14 kills at a .400 clip along with 15 digs for her 44th career double-double. It was her eighth double-digit dig performance of the season.
VanLiew finished with a team-high 15 kills along with 11 digs and four block assists. Her 67 attacks is tied for the fifth most in a match in the program's Division I era. It was her eighth double-double of the season and the 27th of her career.
Serrano, who became the A-SUN's all-time career blocks leader on Friday, tallied 10 kills and seven blocks (two solo) against the Owls. The 2018 A-SUN tournament MVP also hit .385.
As a team, FGCU totaled a Division I era single-match record 35 blocks (five solo). The Green and Blue's 30 block assists also ties their Oct. 7, 2018 performance against Lipscomb for the most by a team in the Division I era.
The record-breaking night for the team was led by a record-breaking night individually from Morris, who had 12 blocks (three solo), which is the most in any Division I era match - topping five other previous outings of 10, including three from Serrano.
Defensively, sophomore Dana Axner had a team-high 30 digs. She finished the tournament with two 30-plus dig performances, which gives her three such performances in her career - led by a 39-dig outing last year against West Virginia. She also has at least 27 digs in three of four career ASUN tournament matches, and she now has the top two single-season dig totals in the Division I era.
Lockey recorded a team-high 49 assists along with nine digs and a career-high six blocks. She also added one ace.
Notes:
FGCU had never come back from down two sets at home to win a match in program history, and they had produced only three such performances on the road. On Saturday, they nearly did before the Owls closed the match on a 5-1 run.
The Eagles had their 21-match home winning streak snapped in the loss. It was tied with Texas for the third-longest streak in the nation.
FGCU will have to wait and see if they receive one of the NCAA's at-large bids. The selection show occurs next Sunday, Dec. 1.
Axner and Morris were named to the all-tournament team.
FGCU MBB @ VCU Preview
Coming off a thrilling 72-70 overtime win at home against FAU on Wednesday, the FGCU men's basketball team (1-4) hits the road to face #19 VCU (4-0) in Richmond, Va., on Saturday night (7 PM). The game will be televised regionally on MASN and streamed via ESPN+.
The match-up marks the first time the two teams have met since 2012 and is also the first time the Eagles have played a ranked team this year with the Rams checking in at No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll.
It is also the second time this season for FGCU to take on a team from the Atlantic 10. The Eagles opened the year at defending league champion Saint Louis.
In Wednesday's win at Alico Arena, junior Jalen Warren hit a floater in the lane just before the clock hit zero in overtime to seal a furious comeback win. The Eagles trailed by as many as 19 points in the game, but used a 41-point second half to force the extra session. Warren finished with a game-high and season-high 21 points with his game-winning bucket the No. 1 Play of the Day on ESPN's SportsCenter.
Four Eagles, including Warren, finished the FAU game in double figures. Freshman Dakota Rivers scored a season-high 13 points, while sophomore Zach Scott tallied 11. Sophomore Caleb Catto netted 10 points to round out the top scorers.
The win was much needed after a tough opening stretch to the season which saw FGCU logging the frequent flier mileage. The Eagles have traveled to the Midwest, covered nearly 95 percent of the Eastern Seaboard with the trip to Dartmouth and still have a cross country flight (2,650 miles) to USC later this season.
Scott continues to lead the Eagles with a career-best 15.6 points per game with Catto just behind with 12.6 points per outing - also a career-best mark. After leading the way in the win over FAU, Warren is now averaging 10.2 points per game which is third-best on the team.
After a slow start to the year, Rivers has had a breakout stretch in the last two games averaging 12 points after scoring seven total in the first three contests. Junior Sam Gagliardi has averaged 10.5 points over the last two games as well thanks to a combined 7-of-17 shooting from deep. Gagliardi opened the first three games going 3-of-16 and averaging 4.3 per game.
Of the four loses, UMBC and Dartmouth were by a combined 10 points with the Eagles in a spot to lead or tie the game late. In each of those games, FGCU played solid defensively overall holding each team to a combined 34.8 percent from the floor which would have ranked 37th nationally going into the Mercer game.
Scouting VCU:
VCU is 4-0 on the year including a three-point win over North Texas, an 84-82 win over No. 23 LSU and a 93-65 win over Jacksonville State.
Marcus Santos-Silva anchors the Rams averaging a double-double with 12.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Marcus Evans is the team's leading scorer at 12.5 points, while De'Riante Jenkins is averaing 10.8 points.
In the win over Jacksonville State, VCU forced 21 turnovers and had six players in double-figures. The Rams shot 57.6 percent for the game and built out a 43-24 lead after the first half.
The Eagles will return home next week to host the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic at Alico Arena during the Thanksgiving break. The action starts on Tuesday against Florida Tech (7 PM) before hosting North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
The match-up marks the first time the two teams have met since 2012 and is also the first time the Eagles have played a ranked team this year with the Rams checking in at No. 21 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll.
It is also the second time this season for FGCU to take on a team from the Atlantic 10. The Eagles opened the year at defending league champion Saint Louis.
In Wednesday's win at Alico Arena, junior Jalen Warren hit a floater in the lane just before the clock hit zero in overtime to seal a furious comeback win. The Eagles trailed by as many as 19 points in the game, but used a 41-point second half to force the extra session. Warren finished with a game-high and season-high 21 points with his game-winning bucket the No. 1 Play of the Day on ESPN's SportsCenter.
Four Eagles, including Warren, finished the FAU game in double figures. Freshman Dakota Rivers scored a season-high 13 points, while sophomore Zach Scott tallied 11. Sophomore Caleb Catto netted 10 points to round out the top scorers.
The win was much needed after a tough opening stretch to the season which saw FGCU logging the frequent flier mileage. The Eagles have traveled to the Midwest, covered nearly 95 percent of the Eastern Seaboard with the trip to Dartmouth and still have a cross country flight (2,650 miles) to USC later this season.
Scott continues to lead the Eagles with a career-best 15.6 points per game with Catto just behind with 12.6 points per outing - also a career-best mark. After leading the way in the win over FAU, Warren is now averaging 10.2 points per game which is third-best on the team.
After a slow start to the year, Rivers has had a breakout stretch in the last two games averaging 12 points after scoring seven total in the first three contests. Junior Sam Gagliardi has averaged 10.5 points over the last two games as well thanks to a combined 7-of-17 shooting from deep. Gagliardi opened the first three games going 3-of-16 and averaging 4.3 per game.
Of the four loses, UMBC and Dartmouth were by a combined 10 points with the Eagles in a spot to lead or tie the game late. In each of those games, FGCU played solid defensively overall holding each team to a combined 34.8 percent from the floor which would have ranked 37th nationally going into the Mercer game.
Scouting VCU:
VCU is 4-0 on the year including a three-point win over North Texas, an 84-82 win over No. 23 LSU and a 93-65 win over Jacksonville State.
Marcus Santos-Silva anchors the Rams averaging a double-double with 12.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Marcus Evans is the team's leading scorer at 12.5 points, while De'Riante Jenkins is averaing 10.8 points.
In the win over Jacksonville State, VCU forced 21 turnovers and had six players in double-figures. The Rams shot 57.6 percent for the game and built out a 43-24 lead after the first half.
The Eagles will return home next week to host the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic at Alico Arena during the Thanksgiving break. The action starts on Tuesday against Florida Tech (7 PM) before hosting North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
FGCU WBB vs Saint Francis Recap
Redshirt senior Keri Jewett-Giles poured in 21 points along with eight assists to lead the FGCU women's basketball team (5-1) to a 97-64 win over Saint Francis (1-4) at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Friday.
"I thought Keri and O'Neal were outstanding on the offensive end, and they actually played pretty good defense too," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Ty was outstanding defensively and on the boards. She actually looked to score a little bit more today so that was encouraging."
Jewett-Giles finished 9-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range, while adding three assists. With her final field goal, the senior guard reached 1,000 points in her NCAA career.
"It shows that she's had a very successful college career," Smesko said of Jewett-Giles reaching 1,000 points. "She's somebody that the local community can be very proud of. She's a great player. For point guards to score 1,000 points, that's pretty impressive."
Grad student Ashli O'Neal had her best game in the Green and Blue, pouring in a season-high 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting off the bench. She added two assists while redshirt senior Davion Wingate went 8-for-10 from the 19 points for her sixth consecutive game with at least 10 points to open the season. Another solid performance off the bench came from redshirt sophomore Tyra Cox, who had 12 points in 11 minutes on 4-for-5 shooting
Outside of those four players, who combined for 70 points on 28-for-39 shooting, seniors Nasrin Ulel and Tytionia Adderly each had nine points, while Adderly had a season-high 15 rebounds. In fact, the senior forward now has double-digit boards in three of six games this year and pushed her career total to 905, which puts her 26 shy of matching Tamika Coley (931, 1993-96, UCF) for the 16th-most in A-SUN history.
Wingate now has 996 career points, which puts her on the verge of joining Jewett-Giles in the prestigious club. Meanwhile, Ulel has 981, and O'Neal surpassed 900 on Friday.
Up Next:
The Eagles will leave for Cancun on Monday to take part in a daunting three-game slate Nov. 28-30 against defending national runner-up Notre Dame (3-2), nationally-ranked USF (4-1) and reigning Sweet 16 team South Dakota State (2-2) in the Cancun Challenge.
Notes:
Friday's game was moved to Suncoast Credit Union Arena to accommodate the FGCU volleyball team hosting the A-SUN tournament at Alico Arena.
FGCU outscored Saint Francis 27-2 in points off turnovers.
"I thought Keri and O'Neal were outstanding on the offensive end, and they actually played pretty good defense too," FGCU head coach Karl Smesko said. "Ty was outstanding defensively and on the boards. She actually looked to score a little bit more today so that was encouraging."
Jewett-Giles finished 9-for-12 from the field, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range, while adding three assists. With her final field goal, the senior guard reached 1,000 points in her NCAA career.
"It shows that she's had a very successful college career," Smesko said of Jewett-Giles reaching 1,000 points. "She's somebody that the local community can be very proud of. She's a great player. For point guards to score 1,000 points, that's pretty impressive."
Grad student Ashli O'Neal had her best game in the Green and Blue, pouring in a season-high 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting off the bench. She added two assists while redshirt senior Davion Wingate went 8-for-10 from the 19 points for her sixth consecutive game with at least 10 points to open the season. Another solid performance off the bench came from redshirt sophomore Tyra Cox, who had 12 points in 11 minutes on 4-for-5 shooting
Outside of those four players, who combined for 70 points on 28-for-39 shooting, seniors Nasrin Ulel and Tytionia Adderly each had nine points, while Adderly had a season-high 15 rebounds. In fact, the senior forward now has double-digit boards in three of six games this year and pushed her career total to 905, which puts her 26 shy of matching Tamika Coley (931, 1993-96, UCF) for the 16th-most in A-SUN history.
Wingate now has 996 career points, which puts her on the verge of joining Jewett-Giles in the prestigious club. Meanwhile, Ulel has 981, and O'Neal surpassed 900 on Friday.
Up Next:
The Eagles will leave for Cancun on Monday to take part in a daunting three-game slate Nov. 28-30 against defending national runner-up Notre Dame (3-2), nationally-ranked USF (4-1) and reigning Sweet 16 team South Dakota State (2-2) in the Cancun Challenge.
Notes:
Friday's game was moved to Suncoast Credit Union Arena to accommodate the FGCU volleyball team hosting the A-SUN tournament at Alico Arena.
FGCU outscored Saint Francis 27-2 in points off turnovers.
FGCU VB vs Lipscomb: ASUN Tournament Semifinals Recap
The #1 seed FGCU volleyball team (27-4) advanced to the championship match in A-SUN Conference Tournament for the fourth straight season as they beat #4 seed Lipscomb (16-12) 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 21-25, 25-23). With the win, the Eagles are now 12-16 against the Lady Bison and will face #2 seed Kennesaw State (21-8), who defeated Liberty (19-11) 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-20) in the second semifinals match.
"In that fourth set, there was a few moments where I was wondering where that competitive spirit was," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "We got down four or five points and all it takes is one play. I think it was Tori that got a big block, and we felt the energy start to shift. More than that, the execution level improved. Our first contact was much better towards the second half of that final set, and it allowed us to do some things offensively. At that point, Lipscomb was really making it difficult for our hitters, so it was nice that we were able to get that."
"First off, congrats to Florida Gulf Coast," head coach Brandon Rosenthal said. "That was a very high-level match and its tough to be on the bad side of it, but in the end, I asked our players to give it everything they had and they did. I couldn't be more proud of this group and everything they represented. They truly embody what we want this program to be all about and tonight's performance was awesome. Awesome to watch, awesome to be apart of and awesome to lead."
A-SUN Quarterfinals:
Prior to the semifinals, Lipscomb defeated #5 Stetson (12-15) 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 30-28, 25-20) while #3 seed Liberty defeated #6 seed UNF (15-18) 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-17).
Lipscomb: “First off, this was a gritty performance by our girls,” Rosenthal said in the quarterfinals. “Stetson is a tough team to play against and they caused us problems in each of the matches we’ve played them this year with their defensive pressure. I am really, really proud of the girls for battling through more mentally than anything. When you have that back up against the wall mentality it wears on you, but I am proud of them and the way they played tonight.”
Stetson: "Overall, it was a good season," Stetson head coach Yang Deng said. "There are moments we have to learn that being consistently good is how the results come. When you get to a certain level, the margin for error gets smaller and smaller. That means you have to be even more consistent. You have to earn your points and play your own game at the highest level."
Liberty: "All glory to God, what a great team win tonight," said head coach Trevor Johnson. "I'm so proud of everyone stepping up and doing their jobs! I thought we did a great job of dealing with the adversity of losing the first set and responded to the challenge. We showed a lot of heart tonight! I loved the energy from our bench as well!"
UNF: "The girls showed up in the first set and they were ready to play," head coach Kristen Wright said. "We really had a great game plan and it threw them off their heels. Even in the second set we outscored them, although unforced errors, matchups and their two big players put balls away [Amelia Johnson and Casey Goodwin]. The thing I leave with this is that it was a tight match and we had four or five underclassmen on the court and it's exciting that we are returning 15 players. We have a lot of work to do but we are bringing in some nice pieces."
Going to the semifinals, it was the duo of junior A-SUN Player of the Year and A-SUN All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team member Cortney VanLiew and A-SUN Freshman of the Year Erin Shoemaker that took over the majority of the Eagles defense as they finished with 16 kills each. VanLiew was two digs shy of a double-double as she added eight digs, a block and an assist, while Shoemaker added four blocks and three digs.
Sophomore Tori Morris was two blocks shy of a double-double as she rounded out the Eagles in double-digit kills as she finished with 10 kills and eight blocks.
Sophomore All-Conference Second Team member Chelsea Lockey finished two digs shy of a double-double as she finished with 52 assists, eight digs, an ace and two blocks.
Junior All-Conference Second Team member Snowy Burnam finished with seven kills, eight digs and five blocks, while redshirt senior Amanda Carroll added one kill, one ace and eight digs and freshman Shelby Beisner added one ace and two digs.
Senior All-Conference Second Team member Daniele Serrano made A-SUN history as she surpassed ETSU's Meredith Hardy (474, 2010-13) as the all-time leader in total blocks in the A-SUN finishing with 475. In the match, Serrano had five kills, four blocks (one solo) and a dig. With her five kills, Serrano now has 817 career kills (eighth all-time) and is 21 shy of surpassing Ericka Fonseca (837, 2005-06) for seventh all-time.
"It means a lot to me," Serrano said. "Before college, I wasn't much of a stats person. I never looked at the numbers. It wasn't a big deal. Once I got here, into my sophomore year, Matt (Botsford) made it kind of based around stats. If our numbers are good, we're doing good and we strive for certain numbers. So, to earn this title feels amazing. I take pride that I'm literally protecting my team when I'm blocking. It means a lot more than you would know. I honestly didn't know if I got it because I wasn't blocking great tonight, but I'm glad that I did."
Sophomore A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year and A-SUN All-Conference First Team member Dana Axner finished with 33 digs.
Senior Megan Kuper led the Lady Bison with a double-double of 15 kills and 15 digs to go along with an ace, three assists and three blocks. Classmate Morgan Elmore also had a double-double of 55 assists and 11 digs while adding four kills and two blocks.
Junior Samantha Rubal also had 15 kills and added nine blocks (two solo) while defensively, classmate Alyssa Zwolensky added 26 digs.
"I think when you think about this team you think about the three seniors: Morgan Elmore, Megan Sullivan and Maddie Phillips," Rosenthal said. "These three individuals gave everything they've ever had to this program. They've laid it all on the line and have done so since day one, so it's not often we can look to a group who completely left it all out there and they have nothing to hang their heads about by any means."
Lipscomb fought off three straight set points in the first frame only to see the Eagles claim the early lead behind a kill from Serrano. After FGCU won the second set, the Bison really made things interesting. First, they used a late 4-0 run to claim the third set. In the next frame, they led 13-8 and appeared to be on the way to forcing a winner-take-all set. However, Shomaker and Morris teamed up for a block, VanLiew produced three kills and the Eagles knotted things up with a 6-1 run. Five more ties later, the Eagles got back-to-back points to take a 23-21 lead and closed the two-point win with a kill from Burnam.
"I thought our girls played with everything they had from the very first point and never let up," Rosenthal said. "Mistakes were made throughout the match and I think both coaches can say that there's an error here, an error there, but I think in the end, what you ultimately hope for is girls going for it and that's just what we had. I thought our defense tonight was just stellar. Stellar from the standpoint of the pressure that we continued to put on them."
Notes:
VanLiew's 16 kills put her up to 1,198 in her career, while her eight digs put her at 746. VanLiew needs 20 more digs to surpass Chandra Lefever (765, 2006-07, 09) for 12th all-time. VanLiew also remains in a battle with Carroll, who has 1,469 career after getting one against Lipscomb.
Morris' eight blocks were all block assists, which put her at 174 total blocks (154 block assists) which surpassed Lauren Tutwiler (170, 2014-15) for 12th all-time while also surpassing Sharonda Pickering (152, 2017-18) and Elenora Kazarian (153, 2014-15) for 12th all-time in block assists. Morris needs two total blocks to surpass Pickering (155, 2017-18) for 11th all-time, while in block assists she needs 22 to surpass Devon Watts (195, 2004-05) for ninth all-time while being in a neck and neck battle with Burnam.
"Tori was outstanding," Botsford said. "We felt really good about the matchup, and I have felt really good about the way Tori has been playing the last few weeks in practice and in preparation. The set volume was upped, and she did a tremendous job with it. She was a really good decision maker and, in the fourth set, she made some huge plays for us at the net. I'm really happy for her. She works really hard, and she's an X factor for this team."
Lockey's 52 assists put her at 1,641 career assists and remains 168 shy of surpassing Laura Manovill (1,809, 2004-05) for fourth all-time.
Burnam's seven kills helped her surpass Jelena Simic (649, 2009, 2011) for 14th all-time as she now has 651 career kills. Her eight digs put her at 586 in her career, while the five blocks, that were all block assists, put her at 182 (170th block assist), which surpassed Kaitlin Holm (167, 2011-13) for seventh all-time. Burnam needs 14 kills to surpass Watts (664, 2004-05) for 13th all-time and 14 digs to become the 17th Eagle to reach 600 digs and 15 to surpass Christine Pinder (603, 2012-13) for 16th all-time. In blocking Burnam needs seven block assists to surpass Karina Mambuca (177, 2012-13) for sixth all-time, while her next milestone in total blocks is Devon Watts (195, 2004-05) for ninth all-time in which she needs 14 to do so.
Carroll's lone ace put her at 136 in her career and needs four more to surpass Ana Kokanovic (139, 2007-08) as the all-time program leader in career aces. Her eight digs put her at 1,232 in her career and remains 138 shy of surpassing Brooke Youngquist-Sweat (1,369, 2004-07) for fourth all-time.
Axner's 33 digs were a season-high and a new career-high in a four-set match. she now has 1,168 digs in her career while remaining neck and neck with Carroll.
Botsford earned his 142nd career win with FGCU and 383rd overall. Longtime assistant coach Daniel Mahy earned his 293rd career win with the Eagles and 320th overall, while second-year assistant coach Stephanie Zelinski earned her 81st.
"In that fourth set, there was a few moments where I was wondering where that competitive spirit was," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "We got down four or five points and all it takes is one play. I think it was Tori that got a big block, and we felt the energy start to shift. More than that, the execution level improved. Our first contact was much better towards the second half of that final set, and it allowed us to do some things offensively. At that point, Lipscomb was really making it difficult for our hitters, so it was nice that we were able to get that."
"First off, congrats to Florida Gulf Coast," head coach Brandon Rosenthal said. "That was a very high-level match and its tough to be on the bad side of it, but in the end, I asked our players to give it everything they had and they did. I couldn't be more proud of this group and everything they represented. They truly embody what we want this program to be all about and tonight's performance was awesome. Awesome to watch, awesome to be apart of and awesome to lead."
A-SUN Quarterfinals:
Prior to the semifinals, Lipscomb defeated #5 Stetson (12-15) 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 30-28, 25-20) while #3 seed Liberty defeated #6 seed UNF (15-18) 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-17).
Lipscomb: “First off, this was a gritty performance by our girls,” Rosenthal said in the quarterfinals. “Stetson is a tough team to play against and they caused us problems in each of the matches we’ve played them this year with their defensive pressure. I am really, really proud of the girls for battling through more mentally than anything. When you have that back up against the wall mentality it wears on you, but I am proud of them and the way they played tonight.”
Stetson: "Overall, it was a good season," Stetson head coach Yang Deng said. "There are moments we have to learn that being consistently good is how the results come. When you get to a certain level, the margin for error gets smaller and smaller. That means you have to be even more consistent. You have to earn your points and play your own game at the highest level."
Liberty: "All glory to God, what a great team win tonight," said head coach Trevor Johnson. "I'm so proud of everyone stepping up and doing their jobs! I thought we did a great job of dealing with the adversity of losing the first set and responded to the challenge. We showed a lot of heart tonight! I loved the energy from our bench as well!"
UNF: "The girls showed up in the first set and they were ready to play," head coach Kristen Wright said. "We really had a great game plan and it threw them off their heels. Even in the second set we outscored them, although unforced errors, matchups and their two big players put balls away [Amelia Johnson and Casey Goodwin]. The thing I leave with this is that it was a tight match and we had four or five underclassmen on the court and it's exciting that we are returning 15 players. We have a lot of work to do but we are bringing in some nice pieces."
Going to the semifinals, it was the duo of junior A-SUN Player of the Year and A-SUN All-Conference First Team and All-Academic Team member Cortney VanLiew and A-SUN Freshman of the Year Erin Shoemaker that took over the majority of the Eagles defense as they finished with 16 kills each. VanLiew was two digs shy of a double-double as she added eight digs, a block and an assist, while Shoemaker added four blocks and three digs.
Sophomore Tori Morris was two blocks shy of a double-double as she rounded out the Eagles in double-digit kills as she finished with 10 kills and eight blocks.
Sophomore All-Conference Second Team member Chelsea Lockey finished two digs shy of a double-double as she finished with 52 assists, eight digs, an ace and two blocks.
Junior All-Conference Second Team member Snowy Burnam finished with seven kills, eight digs and five blocks, while redshirt senior Amanda Carroll added one kill, one ace and eight digs and freshman Shelby Beisner added one ace and two digs.
Senior All-Conference Second Team member Daniele Serrano made A-SUN history as she surpassed ETSU's Meredith Hardy (474, 2010-13) as the all-time leader in total blocks in the A-SUN finishing with 475. In the match, Serrano had five kills, four blocks (one solo) and a dig. With her five kills, Serrano now has 817 career kills (eighth all-time) and is 21 shy of surpassing Ericka Fonseca (837, 2005-06) for seventh all-time.
"It means a lot to me," Serrano said. "Before college, I wasn't much of a stats person. I never looked at the numbers. It wasn't a big deal. Once I got here, into my sophomore year, Matt (Botsford) made it kind of based around stats. If our numbers are good, we're doing good and we strive for certain numbers. So, to earn this title feels amazing. I take pride that I'm literally protecting my team when I'm blocking. It means a lot more than you would know. I honestly didn't know if I got it because I wasn't blocking great tonight, but I'm glad that I did."
Sophomore A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year and A-SUN All-Conference First Team member Dana Axner finished with 33 digs.
Senior Megan Kuper led the Lady Bison with a double-double of 15 kills and 15 digs to go along with an ace, three assists and three blocks. Classmate Morgan Elmore also had a double-double of 55 assists and 11 digs while adding four kills and two blocks.
Junior Samantha Rubal also had 15 kills and added nine blocks (two solo) while defensively, classmate Alyssa Zwolensky added 26 digs.
"I think when you think about this team you think about the three seniors: Morgan Elmore, Megan Sullivan and Maddie Phillips," Rosenthal said. "These three individuals gave everything they've ever had to this program. They've laid it all on the line and have done so since day one, so it's not often we can look to a group who completely left it all out there and they have nothing to hang their heads about by any means."
Lipscomb fought off three straight set points in the first frame only to see the Eagles claim the early lead behind a kill from Serrano. After FGCU won the second set, the Bison really made things interesting. First, they used a late 4-0 run to claim the third set. In the next frame, they led 13-8 and appeared to be on the way to forcing a winner-take-all set. However, Shomaker and Morris teamed up for a block, VanLiew produced three kills and the Eagles knotted things up with a 6-1 run. Five more ties later, the Eagles got back-to-back points to take a 23-21 lead and closed the two-point win with a kill from Burnam.
"I thought our girls played with everything they had from the very first point and never let up," Rosenthal said. "Mistakes were made throughout the match and I think both coaches can say that there's an error here, an error there, but I think in the end, what you ultimately hope for is girls going for it and that's just what we had. I thought our defense tonight was just stellar. Stellar from the standpoint of the pressure that we continued to put on them."
Notes:
VanLiew's 16 kills put her up to 1,198 in her career, while her eight digs put her at 746. VanLiew needs 20 more digs to surpass Chandra Lefever (765, 2006-07, 09) for 12th all-time. VanLiew also remains in a battle with Carroll, who has 1,469 career after getting one against Lipscomb.
Morris' eight blocks were all block assists, which put her at 174 total blocks (154 block assists) which surpassed Lauren Tutwiler (170, 2014-15) for 12th all-time while also surpassing Sharonda Pickering (152, 2017-18) and Elenora Kazarian (153, 2014-15) for 12th all-time in block assists. Morris needs two total blocks to surpass Pickering (155, 2017-18) for 11th all-time, while in block assists she needs 22 to surpass Devon Watts (195, 2004-05) for ninth all-time while being in a neck and neck battle with Burnam.
"Tori was outstanding," Botsford said. "We felt really good about the matchup, and I have felt really good about the way Tori has been playing the last few weeks in practice and in preparation. The set volume was upped, and she did a tremendous job with it. She was a really good decision maker and, in the fourth set, she made some huge plays for us at the net. I'm really happy for her. She works really hard, and she's an X factor for this team."
Lockey's 52 assists put her at 1,641 career assists and remains 168 shy of surpassing Laura Manovill (1,809, 2004-05) for fourth all-time.
Burnam's seven kills helped her surpass Jelena Simic (649, 2009, 2011) for 14th all-time as she now has 651 career kills. Her eight digs put her at 586 in her career, while the five blocks, that were all block assists, put her at 182 (170th block assist), which surpassed Kaitlin Holm (167, 2011-13) for seventh all-time. Burnam needs 14 kills to surpass Watts (664, 2004-05) for 13th all-time and 14 digs to become the 17th Eagle to reach 600 digs and 15 to surpass Christine Pinder (603, 2012-13) for 16th all-time. In blocking Burnam needs seven block assists to surpass Karina Mambuca (177, 2012-13) for sixth all-time, while her next milestone in total blocks is Devon Watts (195, 2004-05) for ninth all-time in which she needs 14 to do so.
Carroll's lone ace put her at 136 in her career and needs four more to surpass Ana Kokanovic (139, 2007-08) as the all-time program leader in career aces. Her eight digs put her at 1,232 in her career and remains 138 shy of surpassing Brooke Youngquist-Sweat (1,369, 2004-07) for fourth all-time.
Axner's 33 digs were a season-high and a new career-high in a four-set match. she now has 1,168 digs in her career while remaining neck and neck with Carroll.
Botsford earned his 142nd career win with FGCU and 383rd overall. Longtime assistant coach Daniel Mahy earned his 293rd career win with the Eagles and 320th overall, while second-year assistant coach Stephanie Zelinski earned her 81st.
FGCU S&D: Phill Hansel Invitational Day Two Recap
On the second day of the Phill Hansel Invitational, the FGCU swimming & diving team (6-4, 4-0 CCSA) was represented in the finals by seven different individuals. Day two of the competition at Houston's CRCW Natatorium featured the 200 Medley Relay, the 400 IM, the 100 Fly, the 200 Free, the 100 Breast, the 3m dive and the 800 Free Relay events.
"After a bit of a flat morning, we bounced back and had a great evening session," head coach Dave Rollins said. "The athletes continued to race and dive tough. It was great to see so many new season and lifetime bests today, thanks to being able to take advantage of the finals format. Come Februrary, we will need to be better in the mornings, but with our young team we see the talent is there, we will just continue to gain these valuable experiences."
In the first final of the day, the Eagles picked up a third-place finish in the 200 Medley Relay event. The quartet of freshman Lucija Sulenta, junior Petra Halmai, freshman Julia Rodriguez and sophomore Wiktoria Czarnecka posted a time of 1:41.45 en route to earning a podium finish.
Senior Elizabeth Zeiger highlighted the individual finishes in today's competition, as she swam a season-best 4:18.07 in the 400 IM, good for a third-place finish.
In the 100-yard butterfly, FGCU was well-represented in the finals, as senior Cassidy Fry, Czarnecka and senior Madison Jean combined for 42 points. Fry, who was the only one to earn a spot in the A Final, finished sixth, while Czarnecka came in 11th and Jean rounded out the scoring at 23rd.
Junior Petra Halmai was the final Green and Blue swimmer to score for the Eagles after earning a spot in the A Final for the 100 Breast. Halmai, who has already swam numerous nationally-ranked times this season, laid down a season-best and NCAA B Cut time of 1:01.12 in the event en route to earning a sixth-place finish.
On the boards, both freshmen Reese Wakefield and Delaney Nelson collected points for the Eagles for the second-straight day. Yesterday, the duo tallied key points for FGCU in the 1m event and the pair continued the streak in today's 3m event. Wakefield picked up a sixth-place finish with a score of 274.10, while Nelson's 232.80 points were good for 17th.
At the end of the second day of competition, the Eagles currently check in at 8th among the 13-team field. The team sits just one point behind seventh-place Colorado State University with seven scoring events left.
Up Next:
The Phill Hansel Invitational is set to wrap up tomorrow at the CRWC Natatorium. The final day of competition will begin at 10 a.m. with the prelims and end with the 3 p.m. finals. Tomorrow's slate includes the 200 Back, 100 Free, 200 Breast, 200 Fly, 1650 Free, Platform Diving and the 400 Free Relay. It will be the final competition day of 2019 for the Eagles, who will return to action at the FGCU Aquatics Complex on Saturday, Jan. 4. The team is set to host Tulane, Illinois State and conference rival Liberty at the Nest that day for a noon meet.
Team Standings
1. Houston - 1,187 points
2. Rice - 742 points
3. Washington State - 624 points
4. Tulane - 500 points
5. University of Nevada - 471 points
6. UC Davis - 423 points
7. Colorado State - 373 points
8. FGCU - 372 points
9. Air Force - 365 points
10. Northern Colorado - 290 points
11. North Texas - 249 points
T-12. University of Nebraska, Omaha - 2 points
T-12. New Mexico State - 2 points
"After a bit of a flat morning, we bounced back and had a great evening session," head coach Dave Rollins said. "The athletes continued to race and dive tough. It was great to see so many new season and lifetime bests today, thanks to being able to take advantage of the finals format. Come Februrary, we will need to be better in the mornings, but with our young team we see the talent is there, we will just continue to gain these valuable experiences."
In the first final of the day, the Eagles picked up a third-place finish in the 200 Medley Relay event. The quartet of freshman Lucija Sulenta, junior Petra Halmai, freshman Julia Rodriguez and sophomore Wiktoria Czarnecka posted a time of 1:41.45 en route to earning a podium finish.
Senior Elizabeth Zeiger highlighted the individual finishes in today's competition, as she swam a season-best 4:18.07 in the 400 IM, good for a third-place finish.
In the 100-yard butterfly, FGCU was well-represented in the finals, as senior Cassidy Fry, Czarnecka and senior Madison Jean combined for 42 points. Fry, who was the only one to earn a spot in the A Final, finished sixth, while Czarnecka came in 11th and Jean rounded out the scoring at 23rd.
Junior Petra Halmai was the final Green and Blue swimmer to score for the Eagles after earning a spot in the A Final for the 100 Breast. Halmai, who has already swam numerous nationally-ranked times this season, laid down a season-best and NCAA B Cut time of 1:01.12 in the event en route to earning a sixth-place finish.
On the boards, both freshmen Reese Wakefield and Delaney Nelson collected points for the Eagles for the second-straight day. Yesterday, the duo tallied key points for FGCU in the 1m event and the pair continued the streak in today's 3m event. Wakefield picked up a sixth-place finish with a score of 274.10, while Nelson's 232.80 points were good for 17th.
At the end of the second day of competition, the Eagles currently check in at 8th among the 13-team field. The team sits just one point behind seventh-place Colorado State University with seven scoring events left.
Up Next:
The Phill Hansel Invitational is set to wrap up tomorrow at the CRWC Natatorium. The final day of competition will begin at 10 a.m. with the prelims and end with the 3 p.m. finals. Tomorrow's slate includes the 200 Back, 100 Free, 200 Breast, 200 Fly, 1650 Free, Platform Diving and the 400 Free Relay. It will be the final competition day of 2019 for the Eagles, who will return to action at the FGCU Aquatics Complex on Saturday, Jan. 4. The team is set to host Tulane, Illinois State and conference rival Liberty at the Nest that day for a noon meet.
Team Standings
1. Houston - 1,187 points
2. Rice - 742 points
3. Washington State - 624 points
4. Tulane - 500 points
5. University of Nevada - 471 points
6. UC Davis - 423 points
7. Colorado State - 373 points
8. FGCU - 372 points
9. Air Force - 365 points
10. Northern Colorado - 290 points
11. North Texas - 249 points
T-12. University of Nebraska, Omaha - 2 points
T-12. New Mexico State - 2 points
FGCU S&D: Phill Hansel Invitational Day One Recap
The FGCU swimming & diving team (6-4, 4-0 CCSA) opened up Houston's Phill Hansel Invitational with a successful day of competition on Thursday at the CRWC Natatorium. The first day of the invitational, which is set to run from Thursday, Nov. 21 through Saturday, Nov. 23, featured the 200 Free Relay, the 500 Free, the 200 IM, the 50 Free, the 1m dive and the 400 Medley Relay.
"I'm really excited about how the team performed today," head coach Dave Rollins said. "It's important for our young team to get the experience of a collegiate championship meet and they are doing great. It's always important to think about the team race, but ultimately the experience we are ggaining from swimming this weekend will serve us well come CCSAs."
The prelims for the 10-meet invite, which began at 10 a.m., saw six Eagles qualify for finals. Freshmen Reese Wakefield and Delaney Nelson each made it through on the 1m board, sophomore Wiktoria Czarnecka secured a spot in the A Final in the 50 Free and the trio of junior Petra Halmai, senior Elizabeth Zeiger and freshman Anna Hogan earned spots in the finals for the 200 IM.
Czarnecka had the highest individual finish of the day for the Green and Blue, touching the wall fourth in the 50 Free final. After swimming a personal best earlier today in the prelims, she outdid herself once again in the finals, posting a time of 22.94. That time is good for eighth all-time in the FGCU record book.
The Eagles were represented by three athletes in the 200 IM, as Halmai, Zeiger and Hogan all punched their tickets to the A, B and C finals. Halmai collected 23 points after finishing seventh in the A final, Zeiger added 13 points by finishing 14th overall and Hogan rounded out the scoring with four points after a 21st-place finish. Halmai's time of 2:01.68 is good for fifth-all time in program history, while Zeiger's 2:02.45 checks in at 10th.
On the 1m board, Wakefield and Nelson combined for 31 points. Wakefield's 249.35 points were good for a sixth-place finish, while Nelson came in 18th after earning 225.60 points.
In addition to the high individual finishes, the Eagles had a strong showing in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Czarnecka, freshman Hailey Jerew, senior Cassidy Fry and senior Madison Jean edged a UC Davis quartet by 0.02 seconds to finish fourth overall.
"Congratulations to Petra, Tori (Czarnecka) and Liz (Zeiger) on earning new all-time top 10 times," Rollins said. "We have a very rich history, so those don't come easy. Reese continues to be a dominant diver and Delaney came up huge making her first final. We had a fantastic first day and I can't wait to get everyone going tomorrow."
Up Next:
The Eagles will be back in action at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning to compete in the prelims for the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free, 100 Breast and 100 Back events. Tomorrow's competition will also feature the 3m dive, the 200 Medley Relay and the 800 Free Relay.
"I'm really excited about how the team performed today," head coach Dave Rollins said. "It's important for our young team to get the experience of a collegiate championship meet and they are doing great. It's always important to think about the team race, but ultimately the experience we are ggaining from swimming this weekend will serve us well come CCSAs."
The prelims for the 10-meet invite, which began at 10 a.m., saw six Eagles qualify for finals. Freshmen Reese Wakefield and Delaney Nelson each made it through on the 1m board, sophomore Wiktoria Czarnecka secured a spot in the A Final in the 50 Free and the trio of junior Petra Halmai, senior Elizabeth Zeiger and freshman Anna Hogan earned spots in the finals for the 200 IM.
Czarnecka had the highest individual finish of the day for the Green and Blue, touching the wall fourth in the 50 Free final. After swimming a personal best earlier today in the prelims, she outdid herself once again in the finals, posting a time of 22.94. That time is good for eighth all-time in the FGCU record book.
The Eagles were represented by three athletes in the 200 IM, as Halmai, Zeiger and Hogan all punched their tickets to the A, B and C finals. Halmai collected 23 points after finishing seventh in the A final, Zeiger added 13 points by finishing 14th overall and Hogan rounded out the scoring with four points after a 21st-place finish. Halmai's time of 2:01.68 is good for fifth-all time in program history, while Zeiger's 2:02.45 checks in at 10th.
On the 1m board, Wakefield and Nelson combined for 31 points. Wakefield's 249.35 points were good for a sixth-place finish, while Nelson came in 18th after earning 225.60 points.
In addition to the high individual finishes, the Eagles had a strong showing in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The team of Czarnecka, freshman Hailey Jerew, senior Cassidy Fry and senior Madison Jean edged a UC Davis quartet by 0.02 seconds to finish fourth overall.
"Congratulations to Petra, Tori (Czarnecka) and Liz (Zeiger) on earning new all-time top 10 times," Rollins said. "We have a very rich history, so those don't come easy. Reese continues to be a dominant diver and Delaney came up huge making her first final. We had a fantastic first day and I can't wait to get everyone going tomorrow."
Up Next:
The Eagles will be back in action at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning to compete in the prelims for the 400 IM, 100 Fly, 200 Free, 100 Breast and 100 Back events. Tomorrow's competition will also feature the 3m dive, the 200 Medley Relay and the 800 Free Relay.
FGCU MBB vs FAU Recap
A buzzer-beater by junior Jalen Warren handed the FGCU men's basketball team its first win of the season as the Eagles downed cross-state rival FAU in overtime by a score of 72-70 Wednesday night at Alico Arena. The shot capped off a career night for Warren who finished with a career-high 21 points and matched his season best with five assists.
"I told the guys that in my time here, this was probably as good of a win in terms of pride in our program since I've been with FGCU. I can't recall coming back from that many - I think we were down 19 in the second half," said head coach Michael Fly. "We've had some good comebacks and it reminded me of the Lipscomb tournament game a few years ago where we kept coming back but didn't have enough to get over the hump. I kept telling them – make sure you know you are going win this game. Overall, I'm just really proud of our guys and their effort."
The game saw limited action in the opening minutes of play, as it took the teams almost a full two minutes to get on the board. The Owls (2-3) were the first to do so, as Richardson Maitre nailed a jumper to put the visitors up 2-0. Junior Sam Gagliardi responded for the Eagles (1-4), pouring in a baseline trey.
From there, it was quiet on the Green and Blue front as FAU used a 20-2 run to pull away from the home team. The Owls kept the momentum in their favor taking a 29-16 lead into the break.
The second half was an entirely different story, as there were seven lead changes and six ties. While FGCU and FAU were evenly matched coming out of the break, junior Justus Rainwater punctuated a turnover forced by Warren with a dunk, pulling the Eagles within nine.
With just under six minutes to go, momentum began to shift in favor of the home team. Freshman Dakota Rivers got things started with an old fashioned three-point play that cut the Owls' lead down to seven. Warren tipped the following inbound pass to sophomore Caleb Catto, who drilled a three-pointer that pulled the FGCU within five.
In the final minutes of regulation, the Eagles outscored the Owls 9-5 and forced the game into overtime with Warren scored the deciding layup with less than a minute to go, marking the first time the team played past regulation since an overtime victory at USC Upstate on Feb. 18, 2017. FGCU outscored FAU 41-28 in the second half thanks to a 53 percent shooting effort.
The teams went back-and-forth to start of the overtime period, but sophomore Zach Scott handed the team its largest lead of the game – three points – with a layup that put the Eagles up 60-63 with three minutes left.
Scott and Gagliardi each contributed crucial points for FGCU during the final plays of the night, but it was ultimately Warren whose floater proved to be the deciding factor as the team claimed its victory.
In addition to Warren's career night, multiple Eagles tallied personal bests. Rivers tallied a career-high 13 points, while Rainwater corralled 10 rebounds. Scott finished the night with 11 points, while Catto had 10 in the win.
FAU was led by Michael Forrest who had 16 points.
Up Next:
FGCU will remain at Alico Arena to host the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic. The Thanksgiving tournament is set to run from Nov. 26 – Dec. 1 and will feature Florida Tech, North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern. The Eagles' first game of the tournament will be on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. as the team is set to take on Florida Tech.
"I told the guys that in my time here, this was probably as good of a win in terms of pride in our program since I've been with FGCU. I can't recall coming back from that many - I think we were down 19 in the second half," said head coach Michael Fly. "We've had some good comebacks and it reminded me of the Lipscomb tournament game a few years ago where we kept coming back but didn't have enough to get over the hump. I kept telling them – make sure you know you are going win this game. Overall, I'm just really proud of our guys and their effort."
The game saw limited action in the opening minutes of play, as it took the teams almost a full two minutes to get on the board. The Owls (2-3) were the first to do so, as Richardson Maitre nailed a jumper to put the visitors up 2-0. Junior Sam Gagliardi responded for the Eagles (1-4), pouring in a baseline trey.
From there, it was quiet on the Green and Blue front as FAU used a 20-2 run to pull away from the home team. The Owls kept the momentum in their favor taking a 29-16 lead into the break.
The second half was an entirely different story, as there were seven lead changes and six ties. While FGCU and FAU were evenly matched coming out of the break, junior Justus Rainwater punctuated a turnover forced by Warren with a dunk, pulling the Eagles within nine.
With just under six minutes to go, momentum began to shift in favor of the home team. Freshman Dakota Rivers got things started with an old fashioned three-point play that cut the Owls' lead down to seven. Warren tipped the following inbound pass to sophomore Caleb Catto, who drilled a three-pointer that pulled the FGCU within five.
In the final minutes of regulation, the Eagles outscored the Owls 9-5 and forced the game into overtime with Warren scored the deciding layup with less than a minute to go, marking the first time the team played past regulation since an overtime victory at USC Upstate on Feb. 18, 2017. FGCU outscored FAU 41-28 in the second half thanks to a 53 percent shooting effort.
The teams went back-and-forth to start of the overtime period, but sophomore Zach Scott handed the team its largest lead of the game – three points – with a layup that put the Eagles up 60-63 with three minutes left.
Scott and Gagliardi each contributed crucial points for FGCU during the final plays of the night, but it was ultimately Warren whose floater proved to be the deciding factor as the team claimed its victory.
In addition to Warren's career night, multiple Eagles tallied personal bests. Rivers tallied a career-high 13 points, while Rainwater corralled 10 rebounds. Scott finished the night with 11 points, while Catto had 10 in the win.
FAU was led by Michael Forrest who had 16 points.
Up Next:
FGCU will remain at Alico Arena to host the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic. The Thanksgiving tournament is set to run from Nov. 26 – Dec. 1 and will feature Florida Tech, North Dakota, Campbell and Georgia Southern. The Eagles' first game of the tournament will be on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. as the team is set to take on Florida Tech.
FGCU VB: A-SUN Conference Tournament Preview
With everything set in stone, the FGCU volleyball team (26-4) will now set their sites at the A-SUN Conference Tournament, but this time it will be on their grounds at the Alico Arena.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles closed out the regular season with one final road trip in Newark as they shutout NJIT 3-0. As a result of the win, the Eagles were named the A-SUN Regular Season Champions for the second straight year. In addition, the Eagles not only earned a spot in the A-SUN Conference Tournament, but are the number one seed and have earned a first round bye in the tournament.
New Recruits and Award Recognitions:
Before the matchups, this past Friday marked National Signing Day along with the A-SUN Conference announcing the winners of awards and members of honorable mentions. The Eagles signed two freshman so far for the 2020-21 school year, Hannah Rae Kivett and Julianna "Juju" Lentz.
Hannah Rae Kivett:
A setter from Chandler, Indiana, Kivett comes from Castle High School and is one of only 27 seniors nationally to be among PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces, is a three-time First Team All-Metro and All-SIAC selection. She was named her conference's player of the year as a senior and earned AVCA All-Region recognition. Throughout her career as a member of the Knights, Kivett broke her school's single-season record for assists. She played club for Evansville United under the director of Olivia Goldstein, while Daniel Watson was her coach at Castle.
"Hannah has all the tools to develop into a great collegiate setter, and I can't wait to get her in the gym to start working," Botsford said. "She has a wealth of experience within the position and knows how to run an efficient offense while understanding her role on the court. At 6-1, her height will benefit us as a blocking team and allow her to be an offensive threat as well. What really stands out is her dedication to the craft of setting. She is extremely motivated to learn and has the kind of work ethic that will accelerate her growth in a new environment."
"I chose FGCU because of their great volleyball program, coaching staff, beautiful campus and great location," Kivett said.
Juliana "Juju" Lentz:
A middle blocker from St. Brendan High School in Miami, Florida, Lentz led St. Brendan to the state semifinals for the first time in 39 years as a senior. She finished the season with 207 kills and 120 blocks while helping her team to a 25-5 record and earning all-county MVP recognition.
"Juliana possesses the type of physicality and athleticism that will make her a disruptive force at the net from the moment she walks in the gym," Botsford said. "Her combination of quickness and power off the floor is going to translate well into the offensive side of the game, and she is already showing a knack for blocking that will help our program right away. While Juliana is training a lot as a middle, she has the versatility to hit at different locations along the net, and I would expect we will look for opportunities to continue to develop those skills."
"I chose FGCU because of the amazing atmosphere and facilities on campus," Lentz said.
A-SUN Coach of the Year:
For the second straight season, head coach Matt Botsford was named A-SUN Coach of the Year. Since being named head coach for the Eagles in 2014, Botsford has compiled a combined 141 wins (95 shutouts) in all six seasons so far.
A-SUN Player of the Year:
For the second straight season, junior Cortney VanLiew was named A-SUN Player of the Year. VanLiew still leads the team with 392 kills, 26 aces, 203 digs and 48 blocks (nine solo). VanLiew had five kills, two aces, six digs and a block in the final match against NJIT.
In her career, VanLiew has 1,182 career kills in her career along with 738 career digs. VanLiew remains 28 digs shy of surpassing Chandra Lefever (765, 2006-07, 09) for 12th all-time and is in a battle with redshirt senior Amanda Carroll (1,468) to become the all-time leader in career kills. In solo blocks, VanLiew has 24 in her career and remains in a tie with Sharonda Pickering (24, 2017-18) for ninth all-time.
VanLiew was also named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team for her 3.9 GPA for the second straight season.
"Cortney has continued to evolve on the court this season, and it is evident by the strides she has made as a passer, a blocker and a server," Botsford said. "She has developed into a player that can impact the game in a variety of ways well beyond the great job she does as an attacker. To be awarded player of the year two years in a row is a remarkable achievement, and she has worked extremely hard to put herself in that position. "
A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year:
Sophomore Dana Axner was unanimously named the A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year after her defensive performance. Despite having only six digs and an ace against NJIT, Axner still has 511 digs (5.32 digs per set) and 26 aces in her name. Axner currently has 1,135 career digs and is in a neck and neck battle with Carroll (1,224 career digs) to surpass Brooke Youngquist-Sweat (1,369, 2004-07) for fourth all-time. Axner was also named a unanimous member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team.
"Dana is among the most consistent and reliable players I have ever coached and to think she is only a sophomore really speaks to kind of competitor she is," Botsford said. "The job she does for us in the libero position has influenced our entire team defense, and this season she has taken that to another level. Dana's energy is infectious on the court and her commitment to her craft has helped make us a much more well-rounded team."
A-SUN Freshman of the Year:
The A-SUN Freshman of the Year award was earned by Erin Shoemaker. Shoemaker was second on the team with 215 kills and 39 blocks (seven solo). Shoemaker was also named a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team. Shoemaker became the third straight and fifth player overall in program history to win the conference's top freshman award, joining Axner (2018), Burnam (2017), Amanda Carroll (2015) and Jill Hopper (2011).
"I'm always so impressed by any freshman that can come in and find a way to contribute immediately," Botsford said. "That is a tough task for anyone. To see what Erin has been able to do on the court for us and how quickly she has done it, has been pretty amazing. She has already shown the ability to be a terminating player on the offensive end and she continues to make great strides as a blocker. Considering that we have used her along every position in the front row, her versatility has been a welcome and valued addition to this team."
A-SUN Setter of the Year:
Kennesaw's senior Lexi Broadwater was named A-SUN Setter of the Year for the second straight season. Broadwater has been one of the most dominant setters in the country this year, ranked second in the NCAA for assists per set (11.98) and fourth for total assists (1,246). She is one of 10 players in the country to average over 11.5 assists per set. The Fayetteville, Ga., native is one of four setters in the conference to record over 1,000 assists on the season. Apart from setting others up for success, Broadwater has tallied her fair share of points as well with 53 kills, 23 total blocks and 29 aces to go along with 173 digs to round out a stellar season.
A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year:
Liberty's Amelia Johnson was named the A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Johnson is the first Liberty player since Becca Haraf in 2012 (Big South) to be named a conference scholar-athlete of the year and is the fourth scholar-athlete of the year in program history. Johnson has had a breakthrough season this year. She is in the top 50 nationally with an A-SUN-leading 406 kills. During conference play, she led the A-SUN with 4.20 kills per set. She posted two 29-kill matches in league play, the first Lady Flame in rally-scoring history to score 29 or more kills twice in a career. Johnson has posted 23 double-digit kill matches (13 in A-SUN play) and a team-high-tying eight double-doubles (four in A-SUN). She is the first Liberty player since Caroline Douglas (2014) to score 400 or more kills in a season. Johnson carried a 4.0 GPA as an interdisciplinary studies major and is currently pursuing a master's degree in public health.
A-SUN All-Conference First Team:
Along with VanLiew and Axner, five other members were named to the A-SUN All-Conference First Team:
Broadwater (Kennesaw State)
Johnson (Liberty)
Lauren Chastang (Kennesaw State)
Quin Sutphin (Kennesaw State)
Anna Gregg (Liberty)
Serrano is fourth on the team in kills (197) and leads the team in blocks (109, 16 solo). Against NJIT, Serrano had four kills and five blocks (one solo). In her career, Serrano has 812 career kills (eighth all-time) and is 26 shy of surpassing Ericka Fonseca (837, 2005-06) for seventh all-time. Meanwhile in blocks, Serrano needs three to surpass Meredith Hardy (ETSU, 2010-13, 474.0) as the A-SUN's all-time leader in blocks.
"Dani has had another spectacular season, as we have grown to expect," Botsford said. "She is such a smart player and reads the game so well. It really is a joy to watch her compete. The impact she has on both the defensive and offensive sides of the ball is what has made her such an indispensable part of this unit for so long, and this year was no different. With four years of experience as a starter, she always seems to grasp the moment and understands how to influence a match in a positive way."
Burnam has 199 kills in her name along with 26 aces, 207 digs and 64 blocks (three solo). Burnam had 11 kills, an ace, two digs and a block against NJIT. In her career, Burnam has 644 career kills, 578 career digs and 177 career blocks (165th career block assists). Burnam is six kills shy of surpassing Jelena Simic (649, 2009, 2011) for 14th all-time, 22 digs shy of becoming the 17th Eagle to reach 600 digs and 23 to surpass Christine Pinder (603, 2012-13) for 16th all-time, three block assists to surpass Kaitlin Holm (167, 2011-13) for 10th all-time and 19 total blocks from surpassing Devon Watts (195, 2004-05) for ninth all-time.
"Snowy is a player who seems to get better every time she is out on the court," Botsford said. "Whether it is a practice or a match, you can see her processing the experience and how it influences her performance the next time out. This season she has made major strides as a blocker to complement a quality offensive game that really helps to free up some of our other hitters. Snowy is also one of our top point scorers from the service line along with being a very effective primary passer. She really does it all for us and helps to stabilize every phase of the game for this team."
Lockey has 1,113 assists, 26 aces, 215 digs and 55 blocks (five solo). Lockey had 36 assists, an ace, four digs and three blocks. In her career, Lockey has 1,589 career assists and remains 220 shy of surpassing Laura Manovill (1,809, 2004-05) for fourth all-time.
"I can't say enough about the job Chelsey has done this year," Botsford said. "I saw how hard she worked last spring and how committed she was to really embracing her role as our setter, but even then I expected it to take a bit more time. She showed early this season that she was ready and there was very little adjustment required before the offense became hers. She has played with a lot of poise for a sophomore in that position. Chelsey's consistency and creativity have been huge factors in our success."
Other players that joined Serrano, Burnam and Lockey are as listed:
Karlee Grover (Kennesaw State)
Casey Goodwin (Liberty)
Megan Kuper (Lipscomb)
Solimar Cestero (UNF)
A-SUN All-Freshman Team:
Joining Shoemaker on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team are as listed:
Sydney Bolding (Jacksonville)
Elena Djokovic (Stetson)
Emma Schurfranz (Kennesaw State)
Julianna Askew (UNF)
Rocio Moro (UNF)
Kaylee Oscarson (Stetson)
A-SUN All-Academic Team:
Joining VanLiew on the A-SUN All-Academic Team are as listed:
Johnson (Liberty)
Groover (Kennesaw State)
Morgan Elmore (Lipscomb)
Natalie Wehner (Jacksonville)
Hannah Morris (Liberty)
Olivia Welsch (NJIT)
"Seeing our players honored is always a proud moment, and I'm so happy for each of them," Botsford said. "These young women have worked extremely hard, and their dedication toward their own development has put them in a position where they are among the top players in our conference. Aside from the talents they each possess, it takes a special desire to push yourself outside of your comfort zone to grow those talents in the way that they have."
Tournament Seedings:
The seeds are listed as followed with the teams' overall records:
#1 FGCU (26-4)
#2 Kennesaw State (20-8)
#3 Liberty (18-10)
#4 Lipscomb (15-12)
#5 Stetson (12-14)
#6 UNF (15-27)
Jacksonville (10-21), North Alabama (4-25) and NJIT (1-31) did not qualify for the tournament due to their overall and conference records.
For Jacksonville, it was the second straight season that they have not reached the postseason.
For NJIT, this is the fifth straight year of not qualifying for the tournament. Once again, I'm not surprised that NJIT did not make the A-SUN Volleyball Tournament since they joined the A-SUN fall 2015.
Just like last season for North Alabama, it would not make much difference for them. If they would have won the conference tournament, let alone qualify for it, then they would not go to the national tournament due to the four-year transitional period and the regular season champions (FGCU) would go to the national tournament.
Scouting Kennesaw:
Offensively, Chastang leads the team with 405 kills. In the last match against Liberty, Chastang had a double-double of 21 kills and 13 digs to go along with .
Defensively, Sutphin and Brown take the reins. Sutphin is seond on the team in kills (306) while Brown is fifth (194). Both combine for 161 blocks (88 Sutphin, 81 Brown). In their last match against Liberty, Sutphin had 15 kills and three blocks while Brown had 13 kills and four blocks.
Grover leads the team with 497 digs (4.78 per set). In the last match against Liberty, Grover had 28 digs.
Scouting the Lady Bison:
Offensively, senior Maddie Phillips leads the team in kills (248) and 78 blocks. In the last match against Jacksonville, Phillips had 13 kills and three blocks.
Sophomore Garrett Joiner follows Phillips with 215 kills and 23 blocks. Joiner did not play against Jacksonville her last match.
Defensively, aside from Phillips, junior Samantha Rubal has 66 blocks in her name to go with 194 kills. In the last match against Jacksonville, Rubal had 13 kills and four blocks.
Junior Alyssa Zwolensky had 449 digs and 20 aces. Against Jacksonville, Zwolensky had 28 digs.
Scouting Liberty:
How to Keep Up to Date:
Livestats will be provided for all five matches and will air on ESPN+
Fans can also keep up on the teams' Twitter pages:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
Kennesaw: @KSUOwlsVB
Lipscomb: @LipscombVBall
Liberty: @LibertyWVB
Stetson: @StetsonVB
UNF: @OspreyVB
ESPN+:
The A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament will air on the new, subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, which will be the new home for select FGCU and A-SUN games and event broadcasts. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards.
New Recruits and Award Recognitions:
Before the matchups, this past Friday marked National Signing Day along with the A-SUN Conference announcing the winners of awards and members of honorable mentions. The Eagles signed two freshman so far for the 2020-21 school year, Hannah Rae Kivett and Julianna "Juju" Lentz.
Hannah Rae Kivett:
A setter from Chandler, Indiana, Kivett comes from Castle High School and is one of only 27 seniors nationally to be among PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces, is a three-time First Team All-Metro and All-SIAC selection. She was named her conference's player of the year as a senior and earned AVCA All-Region recognition. Throughout her career as a member of the Knights, Kivett broke her school's single-season record for assists. She played club for Evansville United under the director of Olivia Goldstein, while Daniel Watson was her coach at Castle.
"Hannah has all the tools to develop into a great collegiate setter, and I can't wait to get her in the gym to start working," Botsford said. "She has a wealth of experience within the position and knows how to run an efficient offense while understanding her role on the court. At 6-1, her height will benefit us as a blocking team and allow her to be an offensive threat as well. What really stands out is her dedication to the craft of setting. She is extremely motivated to learn and has the kind of work ethic that will accelerate her growth in a new environment."
"I chose FGCU because of their great volleyball program, coaching staff, beautiful campus and great location," Kivett said.
Juliana "Juju" Lentz:
A middle blocker from St. Brendan High School in Miami, Florida, Lentz led St. Brendan to the state semifinals for the first time in 39 years as a senior. She finished the season with 207 kills and 120 blocks while helping her team to a 25-5 record and earning all-county MVP recognition.
"Juliana possesses the type of physicality and athleticism that will make her a disruptive force at the net from the moment she walks in the gym," Botsford said. "Her combination of quickness and power off the floor is going to translate well into the offensive side of the game, and she is already showing a knack for blocking that will help our program right away. While Juliana is training a lot as a middle, she has the versatility to hit at different locations along the net, and I would expect we will look for opportunities to continue to develop those skills."
"I chose FGCU because of the amazing atmosphere and facilities on campus," Lentz said.
A-SUN Coach of the Year:
For the second straight season, head coach Matt Botsford was named A-SUN Coach of the Year. Since being named head coach for the Eagles in 2014, Botsford has compiled a combined 141 wins (95 shutouts) in all six seasons so far.
A-SUN Player of the Year:
For the second straight season, junior Cortney VanLiew was named A-SUN Player of the Year. VanLiew still leads the team with 392 kills, 26 aces, 203 digs and 48 blocks (nine solo). VanLiew had five kills, two aces, six digs and a block in the final match against NJIT.
In her career, VanLiew has 1,182 career kills in her career along with 738 career digs. VanLiew remains 28 digs shy of surpassing Chandra Lefever (765, 2006-07, 09) for 12th all-time and is in a battle with redshirt senior Amanda Carroll (1,468) to become the all-time leader in career kills. In solo blocks, VanLiew has 24 in her career and remains in a tie with Sharonda Pickering (24, 2017-18) for ninth all-time.
VanLiew was also named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team for her 3.9 GPA for the second straight season.
"Cortney has continued to evolve on the court this season, and it is evident by the strides she has made as a passer, a blocker and a server," Botsford said. "She has developed into a player that can impact the game in a variety of ways well beyond the great job she does as an attacker. To be awarded player of the year two years in a row is a remarkable achievement, and she has worked extremely hard to put herself in that position. "
A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year:
Sophomore Dana Axner was unanimously named the A-SUN Defensive Player of the Year after her defensive performance. Despite having only six digs and an ace against NJIT, Axner still has 511 digs (5.32 digs per set) and 26 aces in her name. Axner currently has 1,135 career digs and is in a neck and neck battle with Carroll (1,224 career digs) to surpass Brooke Youngquist-Sweat (1,369, 2004-07) for fourth all-time. Axner was also named a unanimous member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team.
"Dana is among the most consistent and reliable players I have ever coached and to think she is only a sophomore really speaks to kind of competitor she is," Botsford said. "The job she does for us in the libero position has influenced our entire team defense, and this season she has taken that to another level. Dana's energy is infectious on the court and her commitment to her craft has helped make us a much more well-rounded team."
A-SUN Freshman of the Year:
The A-SUN Freshman of the Year award was earned by Erin Shoemaker. Shoemaker was second on the team with 215 kills and 39 blocks (seven solo). Shoemaker was also named a member of the A-SUN All-Freshman Team. Shoemaker became the third straight and fifth player overall in program history to win the conference's top freshman award, joining Axner (2018), Burnam (2017), Amanda Carroll (2015) and Jill Hopper (2011).
"I'm always so impressed by any freshman that can come in and find a way to contribute immediately," Botsford said. "That is a tough task for anyone. To see what Erin has been able to do on the court for us and how quickly she has done it, has been pretty amazing. She has already shown the ability to be a terminating player on the offensive end and she continues to make great strides as a blocker. Considering that we have used her along every position in the front row, her versatility has been a welcome and valued addition to this team."
Kennesaw's senior Lexi Broadwater was named A-SUN Setter of the Year for the second straight season. Broadwater has been one of the most dominant setters in the country this year, ranked second in the NCAA for assists per set (11.98) and fourth for total assists (1,246). She is one of 10 players in the country to average over 11.5 assists per set. The Fayetteville, Ga., native is one of four setters in the conference to record over 1,000 assists on the season. Apart from setting others up for success, Broadwater has tallied her fair share of points as well with 53 kills, 23 total blocks and 29 aces to go along with 173 digs to round out a stellar season.
A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year:
Liberty's Amelia Johnson was named the A-SUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Johnson is the first Liberty player since Becca Haraf in 2012 (Big South) to be named a conference scholar-athlete of the year and is the fourth scholar-athlete of the year in program history. Johnson has had a breakthrough season this year. She is in the top 50 nationally with an A-SUN-leading 406 kills. During conference play, she led the A-SUN with 4.20 kills per set. She posted two 29-kill matches in league play, the first Lady Flame in rally-scoring history to score 29 or more kills twice in a career. Johnson has posted 23 double-digit kill matches (13 in A-SUN play) and a team-high-tying eight double-doubles (four in A-SUN). She is the first Liberty player since Caroline Douglas (2014) to score 400 or more kills in a season. Johnson carried a 4.0 GPA as an interdisciplinary studies major and is currently pursuing a master's degree in public health.
A-SUN All-Conference First Team:
Along with VanLiew and Axner, five other members were named to the A-SUN All-Conference First Team:
Broadwater (Kennesaw State)
Johnson (Liberty)
Lauren Chastang (Kennesaw State)
Quin Sutphin (Kennesaw State)
Anna Gregg (Liberty)
A-SUN All-Conference Second Team:
Senior Daniele Serrano, junior Snowy Burnam and sophomore Chelsea Lockey were named members of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team. For Serrano, this was the second straight season she was named on the second team.Serrano is fourth on the team in kills (197) and leads the team in blocks (109, 16 solo). Against NJIT, Serrano had four kills and five blocks (one solo). In her career, Serrano has 812 career kills (eighth all-time) and is 26 shy of surpassing Ericka Fonseca (837, 2005-06) for seventh all-time. Meanwhile in blocks, Serrano needs three to surpass Meredith Hardy (ETSU, 2010-13, 474.0) as the A-SUN's all-time leader in blocks.
"Dani has had another spectacular season, as we have grown to expect," Botsford said. "She is such a smart player and reads the game so well. It really is a joy to watch her compete. The impact she has on both the defensive and offensive sides of the ball is what has made her such an indispensable part of this unit for so long, and this year was no different. With four years of experience as a starter, she always seems to grasp the moment and understands how to influence a match in a positive way."
Burnam has 199 kills in her name along with 26 aces, 207 digs and 64 blocks (three solo). Burnam had 11 kills, an ace, two digs and a block against NJIT. In her career, Burnam has 644 career kills, 578 career digs and 177 career blocks (165th career block assists). Burnam is six kills shy of surpassing Jelena Simic (649, 2009, 2011) for 14th all-time, 22 digs shy of becoming the 17th Eagle to reach 600 digs and 23 to surpass Christine Pinder (603, 2012-13) for 16th all-time, three block assists to surpass Kaitlin Holm (167, 2011-13) for 10th all-time and 19 total blocks from surpassing Devon Watts (195, 2004-05) for ninth all-time.
"Snowy is a player who seems to get better every time she is out on the court," Botsford said. "Whether it is a practice or a match, you can see her processing the experience and how it influences her performance the next time out. This season she has made major strides as a blocker to complement a quality offensive game that really helps to free up some of our other hitters. Snowy is also one of our top point scorers from the service line along with being a very effective primary passer. She really does it all for us and helps to stabilize every phase of the game for this team."
Lockey has 1,113 assists, 26 aces, 215 digs and 55 blocks (five solo). Lockey had 36 assists, an ace, four digs and three blocks. In her career, Lockey has 1,589 career assists and remains 220 shy of surpassing Laura Manovill (1,809, 2004-05) for fourth all-time.
"I can't say enough about the job Chelsey has done this year," Botsford said. "I saw how hard she worked last spring and how committed she was to really embracing her role as our setter, but even then I expected it to take a bit more time. She showed early this season that she was ready and there was very little adjustment required before the offense became hers. She has played with a lot of poise for a sophomore in that position. Chelsey's consistency and creativity have been huge factors in our success."
Other players that joined Serrano, Burnam and Lockey are as listed:
Karlee Grover (Kennesaw State)
Casey Goodwin (Liberty)
Megan Kuper (Lipscomb)
Solimar Cestero (UNF)
A-SUN All-Freshman Team:
Joining Shoemaker on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team are as listed:
Sydney Bolding (Jacksonville)
Elena Djokovic (Stetson)
Emma Schurfranz (Kennesaw State)
Julianna Askew (UNF)
Rocio Moro (UNF)
Kaylee Oscarson (Stetson)
A-SUN All-Academic Team:
Joining VanLiew on the A-SUN All-Academic Team are as listed:
Johnson (Liberty)
Groover (Kennesaw State)
Morgan Elmore (Lipscomb)
Natalie Wehner (Jacksonville)
Hannah Morris (Liberty)
Olivia Welsch (NJIT)
"Seeing our players honored is always a proud moment, and I'm so happy for each of them," Botsford said. "These young women have worked extremely hard, and their dedication toward their own development has put them in a position where they are among the top players in our conference. Aside from the talents they each possess, it takes a special desire to push yourself outside of your comfort zone to grow those talents in the way that they have."
Tournament Seedings:
The seeds are listed as followed with the teams' overall records:
#1 FGCU (26-4)
#2 Kennesaw State (20-8)
#3 Liberty (18-10)
#4 Lipscomb (15-12)
#5 Stetson (12-14)
#6 UNF (15-27)
Jacksonville (10-21), North Alabama (4-25) and NJIT (1-31) did not qualify for the tournament due to their overall and conference records.
For Jacksonville, it was the second straight season that they have not reached the postseason.
For NJIT, this is the fifth straight year of not qualifying for the tournament. Once again, I'm not surprised that NJIT did not make the A-SUN Volleyball Tournament since they joined the A-SUN fall 2015.
Just like last season for North Alabama, it would not make much difference for them. If they would have won the conference tournament, let alone qualify for it, then they would not go to the national tournament due to the four-year transitional period and the regular season champions (FGCU) would go to the national tournament.
Scouting Kennesaw:
Offensively, Chastang leads the team with 405 kills. In the last match against Liberty, Chastang had a double-double of 21 kills and 13 digs to go along with .
Defensively, Sutphin and Brown take the reins. Sutphin is seond on the team in kills (306) while Brown is fifth (194). Both combine for 161 blocks (88 Sutphin, 81 Brown). In their last match against Liberty, Sutphin had 15 kills and three blocks while Brown had 13 kills and four blocks.
Grover leads the team with 497 digs (4.78 per set). In the last match against Liberty, Grover had 28 digs.
Scouting the Lady Bison:
Offensively, senior Maddie Phillips leads the team in kills (248) and 78 blocks. In the last match against Jacksonville, Phillips had 13 kills and three blocks.
Sophomore Garrett Joiner follows Phillips with 215 kills and 23 blocks. Joiner did not play against Jacksonville her last match.
Defensively, aside from Phillips, junior Samantha Rubal has 66 blocks in her name to go with 194 kills. In the last match against Jacksonville, Rubal had 13 kills and four blocks.
Junior Alyssa Zwolensky had 449 digs and 20 aces. Against Jacksonville, Zwolensky had 28 digs.
Scouting Liberty:
Offensively, Johnson, Goodwin and Gragg lead the Lady Flames on the offensive front. Johnson leads the team with 404 kills and 28 aces, while Goodwin is behind with 290 kills and Gragg with 243 kills.
Defensively, junior Macy Phillips leads the team in digs (472) while Gragg leads with 107 blocks.
Scouting the Lady Hatters:
Stetson clinched a spot in the A-SUN Tournament after shutting out NJIT. At one point, the Lady Hatters had an eight-match winning streak before the Eagles snapped it.
Offensively, senior Evi Deisa and Djokovic pave the way for the Hatters.
Redshirt junior Brianna Schmid also plays key for the Lady Hatters' defense as she leads in blocks (89). Against NJIT, the transfer from Robert Morris had two blocks and four kills.
Scouting UNF:
The Ospreys clinched the last spot in the A-SUN Tournament after sweeping North Alabama.
Cestero leads the Ospreys with 410 kills and 138 digs. Cestero had 21 kills and eight digs against North Alabama.
Senior Taryn Griffey has 347 kills and 80 blocks. Griffey had 14 kills and a block against North Alabama.
Redshirt sophomore Gabby O'Connell is third on the team with 228 kills while adding 105 digs. O'Connell had 10 kills and five digs against North Alabama.
Askew lead the team with 1,265 assists and 194 digs. Askew had a double-double of 49 assists and 10 digs against UNA.
Series History:
Against the Owls, the Eagles are 16-11 overall. FGCU defeated Kennesaw on October 13 at the Alico Arena, but then lost 3-1 at the KSU Convocation Center on November 8 to split the series. The win against the Owls helped the Eagles gain sole possession of first place.
FGCU is 11-16 overall against the Lipscomb. The Eagles swept the Lady Bison at home on September 29 before travelling to the Allen Arena on November 10 for their fourth sweep against Lipscomb overall (2012, 2017, 2018). Both matches were won by a score of 3-0.
The Eagles are 24-6 against the Ospreys. The Eagles shutout the Ospreys 3-0 at the UNF Arena on October 4 and at the Alico Arena on November 3 by a score of 3-0.
The Eagles are 23-2 overall against the Lady Hatters where they defeated them 3-1 on the road on October 5 and at home on senior night on November 1.
A-SUN Tournament Breakdown:
The A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament is a three-day single elimination tournament from Friday, November 21 to Sunday, November 23 and will take place at the Alico Arena.
FGCU and Kennesaw State are the top two seeds in the tournament (#1 FGCU, #2 KSU) and as a result, they will have a first-round bye and await the winners of the quarterfinals matches from the #3 to #6 seeds.
The Eagles will await #4 Lipscomb and #5 Stetson, while the Owls await #3 Liberty and #6 UNF.
Lipscomb and Stetson will play at 5 P.M. and Liberty and UNF will follow at 7:30 P.M. on November 21.
What's at Stake:
The winners of quarterfinals will play at 5 P.M. (vs FGCU) and 7:30 P.M. (vs Kennesaw) on November 16 before the semifinalists play in the championship final on November 17 at 7 P.M. The winner of the tournament will represent the A-SUN and punch their ticket to the 2019 NCAA National Volleyball Tournament.
The runner-up can decide whether they will or will not compete in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship tournament (NIVC), which is basically the volleyball version of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). If the runner-up is the regular season champions, then they will automatically be in the tournament, should they decide to do so.
History Lesson of NIVC:
The NIVC started in 1989 as a 20-team tournament and ended in 1995. The inaugural champion was Wisconsin. The Badgers were the last champions in the tournament before shutting down and being defunct. In 2016, the NCAA brought back the tournament as a 64-team tournament. In last year's NIVC, Ole Miss was the inaugural champions of the revamp of the tournament after they defeated Texas Tech 3-0. Last year, Iowa State won the 2018 NIVC Tournament after defeating Tulane 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
2018- Iowa State
NIVC Breakdown:
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 MNIT and WNIT in college basketball.
5. The 32-40 team field will be announced late Sunday, December 1. The first and second rounds will start December 5-7 with the championship ending Tuesday, December 17.
Stetson clinched a spot in the A-SUN Tournament after shutting out NJIT. At one point, the Lady Hatters had an eight-match winning streak before the Eagles snapped it.
Offensively, senior Evi Deisa and Djokovic pave the way for the Hatters.
Deisa leads the team in kills (285) and aces (34), while Djokovic is second on the team in kills (226) and is tied in blocks (102). In the match against NJIT, Deisa had eight kills and two aces while Djokovic had 13 kills and three blocks
Defensively, juniors Chelcie Spence and Naina Ivanova leads the team with a combined 881 digs (Spence: 427, Ivanova: 444). Against NJIT, Spence had 17 digs while Ivanova was held to seven.
Scouting UNF:
The Ospreys clinched the last spot in the A-SUN Tournament after sweeping North Alabama.
Cestero leads the Ospreys with 410 kills and 138 digs. Cestero had 21 kills and eight digs against North Alabama.
Senior Taryn Griffey has 347 kills and 80 blocks. Griffey had 14 kills and a block against North Alabama.
Redshirt sophomore Gabby O'Connell is third on the team with 228 kills while adding 105 digs. O'Connell had 10 kills and five digs against North Alabama.
Askew lead the team with 1,265 assists and 194 digs. Askew had a double-double of 49 assists and 10 digs against UNA.
Series History:
Against the Owls, the Eagles are 16-11 overall. FGCU defeated Kennesaw on October 13 at the Alico Arena, but then lost 3-1 at the KSU Convocation Center on November 8 to split the series. The win against the Owls helped the Eagles gain sole possession of first place.
FGCU is 11-16 overall against the Lipscomb. The Eagles swept the Lady Bison at home on September 29 before travelling to the Allen Arena on November 10 for their fourth sweep against Lipscomb overall (2012, 2017, 2018). Both matches were won by a score of 3-0.
The Eagles are 24-6 against the Ospreys. The Eagles shutout the Ospreys 3-0 at the UNF Arena on October 4 and at the Alico Arena on November 3 by a score of 3-0.
The Eagles are 23-2 overall against the Lady Hatters where they defeated them 3-1 on the road on October 5 and at home on senior night on November 1.
A-SUN Tournament Breakdown:
The A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament is a three-day single elimination tournament from Friday, November 21 to Sunday, November 23 and will take place at the Alico Arena.
FGCU and Kennesaw State are the top two seeds in the tournament (#1 FGCU, #2 KSU) and as a result, they will have a first-round bye and await the winners of the quarterfinals matches from the #3 to #6 seeds.
The Eagles will await #4 Lipscomb and #5 Stetson, while the Owls await #3 Liberty and #6 UNF.
Lipscomb and Stetson will play at 5 P.M. and Liberty and UNF will follow at 7:30 P.M. on November 21.
What's at Stake:
The winners of quarterfinals will play at 5 P.M. (vs FGCU) and 7:30 P.M. (vs Kennesaw) on November 16 before the semifinalists play in the championship final on November 17 at 7 P.M. The winner of the tournament will represent the A-SUN and punch their ticket to the 2019 NCAA National Volleyball Tournament.
The runner-up can decide whether they will or will not compete in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship tournament (NIVC), which is basically the volleyball version of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). If the runner-up is the regular season champions, then they will automatically be in the tournament, should they decide to do so.
History Lesson of NIVC:
The NIVC started in 1989 as a 20-team tournament and ended in 1995. The inaugural champion was Wisconsin. The Badgers were the last champions in the tournament before shutting down and being defunct. In 2016, the NCAA brought back the tournament as a 64-team tournament. In last year's NIVC, Ole Miss was the inaugural champions of the revamp of the tournament after they defeated Texas Tech 3-0. Last year, Iowa State won the 2018 NIVC Tournament after defeating Tulane 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
2018- Iowa State
NIVC Breakdown:
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 MNIT and WNIT in college basketball.
5. The 32-40 team field will be announced late Sunday, December 1. The first and second rounds will start December 5-7 with the championship ending Tuesday, December 17.
Livestats will be provided for all five matches and will air on ESPN+
Fans can also keep up on the teams' Twitter pages:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
Kennesaw: @KSUOwlsVB
Lipscomb: @LipscombVBall
Liberty: @LibertyWVB
Stetson: @StetsonVB
UNF: @OspreyVB
ESPN+:
The A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament will air on the new, subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, which will be the new home for select FGCU and A-SUN games and event broadcasts. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards.
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