The FGCU swimming and diving team have a profoundly tough schedule this season for the 2018-19 school year.
Last Time Out:
The Eagles went 7-2 overall with a 2-0 record in the CCSA Conference while claiming first place in the CCSA Championship.
Although some of the swimmers competed in the UF Last Chance Meet, only one made it to swim in the national: senior Christina Kaas Elmgreen. Elmgreen, a native of Charlottenlund, Denmark, was named on the CSCAA Scholar All-American First Team for the second consecutive year for hard work in the classroom.
The 2016-17 CCSA Women’s Swimmer of the Year and CCSA's Most Outstanding Female Swimmer competed at the NCCA Swimming Championships in the 100 and 200 fly while recording 17 top-3 finishes throughout the whole season.
Newcomers:
FGCU was able to ink 10 newcomers to the team, nine freshman and one transfer.
Among the international side of freshman are Wiktoria Czarnecka and Delanie Goll.
Czarnecka, a native of Lublin, Poland, and a former of the AZS UMCS Lublin club/travel team, was a 2016 European Junior Championship qualifier in Hodmezovasarhely, Hungary and a Polish Junior National Champion and Senior National Medalist. Czaenecka will be competing in the 50,100 and 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly.
Goll, a native of Essen, Germany, was the German Junior National Champion and a Senior National Finalist as well as a Participant in the 2016 European Junior Championships. Goll will be competing in the 50, 100 and 200 Breaststroke and 200 IM.
On the U.S. side for freshman, swimmers include Kellie Fischer and Meghan Schienvar.
Fischer, a native of Edmond, Oklahoma who graduated from Edmond Memorial High School, is a All-American Academic qualifier, a member of the All-City and All-State First Team, a six-time State Champion and a four-time Swimmer of the Year. Fischer will be competing in the 100 and 200 Backstroke, 100 Butterfly, and 100 Freestyle.
Schienvar, the second generation of the Schienvar legacy, joins her elder sister, Karin, on the team after graduating from Holmdel High School in Holmdel, New Jersey. Schienvar was a YMCA National Qualifier, a YMCA All-American in the 800 relay and a competiter in the 2017 USLA National Lifeguard Championships. Schienvar will swim in the 50, 100, 200 and 500 Freestyle.
The lone transfer that joined the team is junior Emily Glinecke. Glinecke, a native of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, joins FGCU with two years of eligibility remaining after spending her first two years at Arizona State. There, she won the 100 breast and finished second in the 200 breast against Oregon State and was a CSCAA Scholar All-American (HM) her freshman year and was a member of the Pac-12 All-Academic First Team.
In fact, Glinecke was on the same team as former FGCU swimmer Fanny Teijonsalo.
Returners:
Key returners for the team include from the swimmers: Elmgreen, fellow seniors Doris Eichhorn, Linda Shaw, Hannah Burdge and Gracie Redding, junior Elizabeth Zeiger and sophomore Petra Halmai.
Eichorn, a native of Berlin, is a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-American Honorable Mention and a CCSA All-Conference member. Last season, Eichorn recorded 16 top-three finishes throughout the season as she swam an NCCA ‘B’ standard time in the 100 back on five separate occasions became a two-time individual finalist at the CCSA Championships placing third in both the 100 back (54.00) and 200 back (1:59.70).
Shaw, a native of Leeds, England, is a two-time CCSA All-Conference member where she recorded 13 top-3 finishes throughout the season, including a first place finish in the 1000 free against Miami (10:22.39).
Shaw was a three-time individual finalist at the CCSA Championships last season and a member of the CCSA 800 free relay that touched the pads in a new school record time of 7:11.15. Shaw also claimed silver in the 200 free in a personal best and NCAA ‘B’ Standard time of 1:47.75.
In addition, Shaw became the CCSA Champion in the 500 free in a personal best time of 4:48.14, placing her second in the FGCU record book.
Hailing from Stuart, Florida, Burdge comes in as a one-time CSCAA Scholar All-American Honorable Mention, CSCAA First Team Scholar All-American, and CCSA All-Conference member.
Last season, Burdge recorded 16 top-3 finishes throughout the season. Burdge won gold at the CCSA Championships in the 200 free (1st-place) with a personal best time of 1:47.58 earning her an NCAA 'B' standard time, placing her third in the FGCU record book.
Since transferring from Florida State in the 2016-17 season, Redding, a native of Orlando, enters as a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and is the reigning CCSA Most Outstanding Swimmer. Redding earned her best times at the CCSA Championship with 22.55 in the 50-yard freestyle (1st-place), 48.92 in the 100-yard freestyle (1st-place), and 53.96 in the 100 -yard butterfly as well as posting five first-place finishes against Rutgers.
Zeiger, a native of Cumberland, Rhode Island enters last season as a one-time CSCAA Scholar All-American.
Zeiger earned her best times at the CCSA Championships with 4.51.25 in the 500 freestyle, 16.43.06 in the 1650 freestyle, and 4.13.06 (FGCU record) in the 400 IM, 10:06.61 in the 1000 free. Zeiger also earned first finishes by winning the 400 IM in the Triple Distance Classic and 500 free over UNF and Campbell.
Halmai enters her sophomore year as a two-time individual finalist at the CCSA Championships. A native of Dombovar, Hungary, Halmai recorded 24 top-3 finishes throughout the season, including placing second in the 200 breast in a personal best and NCCA ‘B’ standard time of 2:13.63 while placing third in another personal best time of 1:01.86 in the 100 breast. Her 200 breast time placed her the fourth all-time in FGCU history.
On the diving side, all five divers are returning for the season, lead by sophomores Melissa Novak and Megan Wakefield.
Hailing from Frederick, Maryland, Novak holds the FGCU record in both the 1 and 3-meter dives (316.3 in the one meter and 335.05 in the three meter). Novak has also claimed a first place finish in the one-meter dive against Florida and placed 2nd at the CCSA Championship on 3- meter dive with a score of 335.05 and on 1-meter with a score of 316.30 while also competing in the the NCAA Zones Diving Championships turning in a 24th-place finish, the highest any Eagle has ever placed at the NCAA Zones in program history.
Wakefield, a native of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, currently holds the FGCU record in the platform dive (six dives) with aforementioned score (242.55). Wakefield placed third at the CCSA Championship on 3-meter dive with a score of 334.50 and 5th on 1-meter with a score of 270.40, earning a personal best of 242.55 on platform at the University of Miami in a record-breaking performance that qualified her for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships.
Schedule Breakdown:
The Eagles will begin their season at home in a rematch against Florida. Florida beat FGCU 173-125 last year.
The Eagles will follow facing FIU in Miami for the FIU Classic, and will then return home for a tri-meet against FIU and CCSA conference member UNF on Oct. 6.
On October 19, the Eagles will travel to Atlanta and compete against host Georgia Tech, Miami, and NCAA DIII Savannah College of Art and Design. They will then face Auburn on October 20 and head to Boca Raton in a tri-meet against FAU and Princeton on Nov, 2 before returning to Atlanta for the three-day Georgia Tech Invite from Nov. 15-17.
The Eagles will then wrap up 2018 with a CCSA Conference meet at home against UNC Asheville on Dec. 17.
After winter break and the start of 2019, the Eagles will face Liberty for another CCSA Conference meet on Jan 5, 2019, following with a final tri-meet at home against Miami and Bowling Green on Jan 19.
For the last meet, it will be senior night as the Eagles recognize nine seniors: Kaas Elmgreen, Eichorn, Redding, Shaw and Burdge as well as the other swimmers, Antonia "Toni" Baerens, Kiley Eble, Nicole Oppel and diver Margot Kessler.
The Eagles will wrap up the season on the road against FIU. There will also be the South Florida Divers Invite, so assumingly all five divers will be competing in it.
Afterwards, it will be the CCSA Championship (Feb. 20-23), the UF Last Chance Meet (Feb. 28-Mar. 2), the NCAA Zone Diving Championship and hopefully, the national championship in Austin, Texas.
About Me
FGCU M. Golf: Sam Hall Intercollegiate Recap
Senior Andrew Potter's 140 (-2) has FGCU men's golf in fifth place among 13 teams with a 570 (+2) through the first day of the Sam Hall Intercollegiate at Hattiesburg Country Club in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
"Overall, it was a hot endurance test," FGCU head coach Eric Booker said. "The guys played respectably, sitting only seven shots back of the leaders. We learned something today on our playing strategy and will make the adjustment for the final round."
Booker's squad fired an even-par first-round 284 behind a 68 (-3) from junior Doug Smith and a 69 (-2) from Potter, which had the team in a tie for third. Junior Logan Price's second-round 70 (-1) led the Green and Blue.
"We started out slow through the first nine holes of the first round and were in the back of the pack, but the team upped its game in the back nine," Booker said. "In weather like this, staying hydrated is just as important as talent. The team stayed composed and patient, which was key today."
In the first round, Potter was 1-over through his first eight holes, but birdied the 16th and finished 3-under over the final 10 holes behind four more birdies. He then birdied three of the first six holes in the second round to finish in a tie for sixth place individually.
Outside of Potter, Price (T-19th) and Smith (T-25th) sit among the top 25 individuals. Price shot a 73-70---143, while Smith recorded a 68-76---144.
Sophomore Cole Castro and freshman Chase Bigham rounded out the lineup with a 145 and 149, respectively.
The tournament, which is hosted by Southern Miss, featured 36 holes on Monday with a shotgun start. Tuesday's final round will feature tee times starting at 8 a.m. The Hattiesburg Country Club course spans 6,902 yards and is a par-71.
"Overall, it was a hot endurance test," FGCU head coach Eric Booker said. "The guys played respectably, sitting only seven shots back of the leaders. We learned something today on our playing strategy and will make the adjustment for the final round."
Booker's squad fired an even-par first-round 284 behind a 68 (-3) from junior Doug Smith and a 69 (-2) from Potter, which had the team in a tie for third. Junior Logan Price's second-round 70 (-1) led the Green and Blue.
"We started out slow through the first nine holes of the first round and were in the back of the pack, but the team upped its game in the back nine," Booker said. "In weather like this, staying hydrated is just as important as talent. The team stayed composed and patient, which was key today."
In the first round, Potter was 1-over through his first eight holes, but birdied the 16th and finished 3-under over the final 10 holes behind four more birdies. He then birdied three of the first six holes in the second round to finish in a tie for sixth place individually.
Outside of Potter, Price (T-19th) and Smith (T-25th) sit among the top 25 individuals. Price shot a 73-70---143, while Smith recorded a 68-76---144.
Sophomore Cole Castro and freshman Chase Bigham rounded out the lineup with a 145 and 149, respectively.
The tournament, which is hosted by Southern Miss, featured 36 holes on Monday with a shotgun start. Tuesday's final round will feature tee times starting at 8 a.m. The Hattiesburg Country Club course spans 6,902 yards and is a par-71.
Individual Standings
T-6. Andrew Potter – 69-71---140 (-2)
T-19. Logan Price – 73-70---143 (+1)
T-25. Doug Smith – 68-76---144 (+2)
T-30. Cole Castro – 75-70---145 (+3)
T-54. Chase Bigham – 74-75---149 (+7)
Team Standings:
1. #140 – Mercer - 286-277---563 (-5)
2. #181 - Southern Miss – 291-273---564 (-4)
T-3. #154 – Troy – 284-281---565 (-3)
T-3. #147 - Missouri State – 280-285---565 (-3)
5. #173 – FGCU – 284-286---570 (+2)
6. #234 – Samford – 289-282---571 (+3)
7. #155 - Bowling Green – 280-294---574 (+6)
8. #150 - Stephen F. Austin – 285-292---577 (+9)
9. #178 - Central Arkansas – 291-289---580 (+12)
10. #222 – Winthrop – 295-286---581 (+13)
11. #246 - Nicholls State – 294-291---585 (+17)
12. #269 - New Orleans – 292-296---588 (+20)
13. #224 - Southeastern Louisiana – 292-301---593 (+25)
Link to final round: http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=15803
FGCU M. Golf: Sam Hall Intercollegiate Preview
The FGCU men's golf team will partake in its second of four fall events at the 16th Annual Sam Hall Intercollegiate on Monday and Tuesday at Hattiesburg Country Club in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, hosted by Southern Miss.
Last Time Out:
Last week, the Eagles finished fifth among 14 teams at the Golfweek Program Challenge. Individually, senior Andrew Potter produced his ninth career top-10 finish with a 211 (-5), while freshman Chase Bigham had a team-low final round 69 (-3) as he birdied four of his final nine holes en route to a 215 (-1). Sophomore Cole Castro matched Bigham's 24th-place finish.
"We've really been working hard over the summer and into this fall," FGCU head coach Eric Booker said. "We'll have our top four players from last week, and we're adding junior Logan Price in our fifth position. We expect to bring home a win from Hattiesburg."
Price will be making his debut for FGCU after spending his first two seasons at NCAA DII Tiffin University.
The event will feature 36 holes on Monday with a shotgun start. Tuesday's final round will feature tee times starting at 8 a.m. The Hattiesburg Country Club course spans 6,902 yards and is a par-71.
Coach Booker will be utilizing the following lineup beginning Monday:
1. Andrew Potter
2. Chase Bigham
3. Cole Castro
4. Doug Smith
5. Logan Price
Live scoring for Sam Hall Intercollegiate can be found.
Complete Field:
140 - Mercer
147 - Missouri State
150 - Stephen F. Austin
154 - Troy
155 - Bowling Green
173 - FGCU
178 - Central Arkansas
181 - Southern Miss
222 - Winthrop
224 - Southeastern Louisiana
234 - Samford
246 - Nicholls State
269 - New Orleans
Link to live scoring: http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=15803
Last Time Out:
Last week, the Eagles finished fifth among 14 teams at the Golfweek Program Challenge. Individually, senior Andrew Potter produced his ninth career top-10 finish with a 211 (-5), while freshman Chase Bigham had a team-low final round 69 (-3) as he birdied four of his final nine holes en route to a 215 (-1). Sophomore Cole Castro matched Bigham's 24th-place finish.
Price will be making his debut for FGCU after spending his first two seasons at NCAA DII Tiffin University.
The event will feature 36 holes on Monday with a shotgun start. Tuesday's final round will feature tee times starting at 8 a.m. The Hattiesburg Country Club course spans 6,902 yards and is a par-71.
Coach Booker will be utilizing the following lineup beginning Monday:
1. Andrew Potter
2. Chase Bigham
3. Cole Castro
4. Doug Smith
5. Logan Price
Live scoring for Sam Hall Intercollegiate can be found.
Complete Field:
140 - Mercer
147 - Missouri State
150 - Stephen F. Austin
154 - Troy
155 - Bowling Green
173 - FGCU
178 - Central Arkansas
181 - Southern Miss
222 - Winthrop
224 - Southeastern Louisiana
234 - Samford
246 - Nicholls State
269 - New Orleans
Link to live scoring: http://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=15803
FGCU W. Soc @ Loyola Chicago Recap
In a late rally in the second half, the FGCU women's soccer team (6-0-2) were once again pushed to their limit with a 1-1 draw against Loyola Chicago (3-5-1).
"We didn't get off to a great start" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "But, we showed some grit and some toughness after they scored and I was very proud of how we fought back from that point. Weck kept us in it and let us get settled in. It was a good result, it's not easy to win on the road against a quality opponent. Now we get ready for conference, they count now."
"I'm very proud of the performance of the girls," said Loyola head coach Barry Bimbi. "Our mentality was great from the opening whistle. We put them under pressure, caused some turnovers and generated some really good scoring opportunities."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to start while Bimbi sent junior Kate Moran to counter.
In the first half, the Ramblers continued to put pressure on Weck as they repetitively kept getting shots on goal over and over, but the Yorba Linda kept fighting and had two saves in the first half.
Most of the shots were off the foot of senior Jenna Szczesny. Szczesny made 10 shots throughout the whole game, with three of them on goal.
On the other end, juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom, were getting shutdown in the first half from scoring and of course were continuing to be targeted.
Going into the second half, the Ramblers kept pressuring Weck, but then a yellow card was issued by Szczesny. After two mores saves from Weck, Loyola would get another yellow card from junior Ari Banks. After a corner kick from freshman Abby Swanson, the Downer's Grove native was able to give the Ramblers a 1-0 lead for her fourth goal of the season with an assist from junior Madison Laudeman.
It looked like the Eagles' chances of having their first loss was in sight until five minutes later when senior Holly Fritz saved the Eagles chances with her fifth goal of the season with assists from the A-SUN Legion of Doom. Boilesen and Popadinova's assists were their fourth (Boilesen) and fifth (Popadinova) of the season.
With 10 minutes left, Boilesen attempted to give the Eagles with her fourth goal, but the goal was overturned as an offside call. After several more shots from both teams, the match would go into overtime.
In the first overtime, their were only two kicks made by the Ramblers from Laudeman and Banks, but were unsuccessful and sent the game into double overtime.
After several fouls and offside calls to both teams, Banks would then receive her second yellow card, which would transition into a red card, thus ejecting her from the match. Banks ended up playing 106 minutes with one shot, but she will be suspended in the opening conference matchup against Northern Iowa.
The Eagles had one more attempt at winning the game of of a header from junior Lindsey Patton, but to no avail as the match ended in a draw.
Moran (3-5-1) had two saves in the draw, while Weck (6-0-2) had eight.
Additionally, five teams from the Power 5 Conference earned their first loss of the season: #2 FSU (7-1-1, lost to UNC), #11 Tennessee (6-1-1, lost to South Carolina), #18 Kansas (6-1-2, lost to #4 Texas A&M), Mississippi State (7-1, lost to #9 Auburn), and TCU (7-1-1, lost to Butler).
FGCU is now one of 13 teams remaining without a loss
Up next, the Eagles now prepare for A-SUN Conference play as they begin on the road in Jacksonville against JU and UNF.
"We didn't get off to a great start" head coach Jim Blankenship said. "But, we showed some grit and some toughness after they scored and I was very proud of how we fought back from that point. Weck kept us in it and let us get settled in. It was a good result, it's not easy to win on the road against a quality opponent. Now we get ready for conference, they count now."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to start while Bimbi sent junior Kate Moran to counter.
In the first half, the Ramblers continued to put pressure on Weck as they repetitively kept getting shots on goal over and over, but the Yorba Linda kept fighting and had two saves in the first half.
Most of the shots were off the foot of senior Jenna Szczesny. Szczesny made 10 shots throughout the whole game, with three of them on goal.
On the other end, juniors Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom, were getting shutdown in the first half from scoring and of course were continuing to be targeted.
Going into the second half, the Ramblers kept pressuring Weck, but then a yellow card was issued by Szczesny. After two mores saves from Weck, Loyola would get another yellow card from junior Ari Banks. After a corner kick from freshman Abby Swanson, the Downer's Grove native was able to give the Ramblers a 1-0 lead for her fourth goal of the season with an assist from junior Madison Laudeman.
It looked like the Eagles' chances of having their first loss was in sight until five minutes later when senior Holly Fritz saved the Eagles chances with her fifth goal of the season with assists from the A-SUN Legion of Doom. Boilesen and Popadinova's assists were their fourth (Boilesen) and fifth (Popadinova) of the season.
With 10 minutes left, Boilesen attempted to give the Eagles with her fourth goal, but the goal was overturned as an offside call. After several more shots from both teams, the match would go into overtime.
In the first overtime, their were only two kicks made by the Ramblers from Laudeman and Banks, but were unsuccessful and sent the game into double overtime.
After several fouls and offside calls to both teams, Banks would then receive her second yellow card, which would transition into a red card, thus ejecting her from the match. Banks ended up playing 106 minutes with one shot, but she will be suspended in the opening conference matchup against Northern Iowa.
The Eagles had one more attempt at winning the game of of a header from junior Lindsey Patton, but to no avail as the match ended in a draw.
Moran (3-5-1) had two saves in the draw, while Weck (6-0-2) had eight.
Additionally, five teams from the Power 5 Conference earned their first loss of the season: #2 FSU (7-1-1, lost to UNC), #11 Tennessee (6-1-1, lost to South Carolina), #18 Kansas (6-1-2, lost to #4 Texas A&M), Mississippi State (7-1, lost to #9 Auburn), and TCU (7-1-1, lost to Butler).
FGCU is now one of 13 teams remaining without a loss
Up next, the Eagles now prepare for A-SUN Conference play as they begin on the road in Jacksonville against JU and UNF.
FGCU M. Soc vs USF Recap
Despite former FGCU head coach Bob Butehorn's return to the FGCU Soccer Complex, the FGCU men's soccer team (3-2) pulled away with a 5-3 victory over USF (2-5). With the win, the Eagles are now 4-4-4 against the Bulls.
"Great mentality from the get-go, I thought the attack was dynamic, dangerous and we got a lot done what we wanted to do," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We gave up some opportunities but overall happy with the attitude and energy we gave tonight. I was a little disappointed that we conceded at the end, that was a sloppy defensive play and we got a lot to work on for sure. We're happy, we beat a very good team and to score five at home always makes for an exciting night."
"Give the credit to FGCU, they played with a lot of emotion and passion and there was a great crowd here," Butehorn said. "We put ourselves in a hole, made some mistakes and it was tough to dig ourselves out. It was unfortunate that we did not have a chance to equalize. Overall it was not our best effort but we will pick ourselves up and prepare for our next match."
Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos as starting goalkeeper while Butehorn sent junior Harrison Devenish-Meares to counter.
The goal frenzy started in the 16th minute off a cross from sophomore Kareem Riley. Off to the right side, he sailed a pass into the box finding junior Shak Adams for the header, beating the USF keeper who was off his line.
One minute later, Riley was once again in the mix as he fired a sliding shot into the five-yard box which was deflected off the keeper's hands as senior Dennis Zapata was there for the tap in for his first goal of the year.
At the 30 minute mark, Adams pushed the Eagle's margin to 3-0 after a through ball pass from redshirt senior Jordan Lue beyond midfield, who found Adams' timing his run behind the Bull's backline and would finish with two touches, collecting his second goal of the night.
USF converted one minute before the half off the foot of sophomore Kori Cupid as FGCU headed into the intermission up 3-1. At the break, the Eagles edged the Bulls 10-8 in shots while both squads each had two corners.
Before the second half, Butehorn would make a change and send freshman Kazuna Takase to replace Devenish-Meares as goalkeeper.
The Bulls made it a one-goal game in the 63rd minute, capitalizing on a penalty kick from junior Alex Zis, but the Eagles quickly responded three minutes later.
Sophomore Titouan Le Menec maneuvered around a defender inside the five-yard box, as he dished it to Adams for the near post finish, giving the junior the hat trick. This was the Eagle's first hat trick since Albert Ruiz's performance against Rutgers in 2016 and the program's fifth overall.
From there, junior Ivan Rosales put the finishing touches on FGCU's five-goal performance in the 75th minute. With a set up by freshman O'Vonte Mullings, Rosales settled the pass and fired a blistering shot into the upper 90.
USF would score their third goal from junior Stephen Rudderham seconds before the half as the Eagles claim the 5-3 win in front of nearly 1,400 fans.
Vasconcelos (3-1) played all 90 minutes in net finishing with four saves in his second consecutive start for his third win of the season.
Devenish-Meares (2-5) would earn the loss after giving up three of the Eagles' five goals and finished with three saves.
Takase gave up the final two goals and had one save.
At the end of the night, FGCU led 17-16 in shots (nine on goal) and 5-2 in corners.
Up next, FGCU remains at home and welcome Cal St. Fullerton to The Nest on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. The Titans are currently 2-1-3 and rank 49th in the RPI.
"Great mentality from the get-go, I thought the attack was dynamic, dangerous and we got a lot done what we wanted to do," said head coach Jesse Cormier. "We gave up some opportunities but overall happy with the attitude and energy we gave tonight. I was a little disappointed that we conceded at the end, that was a sloppy defensive play and we got a lot to work on for sure. We're happy, we beat a very good team and to score five at home always makes for an exciting night."
"Give the credit to FGCU, they played with a lot of emotion and passion and there was a great crowd here," Butehorn said. "We put ourselves in a hole, made some mistakes and it was tough to dig ourselves out. It was unfortunate that we did not have a chance to equalize. Overall it was not our best effort but we will pick ourselves up and prepare for our next match."
Cormier sent redshirt sophomore Gustavo Vasconcelos as starting goalkeeper while Butehorn sent junior Harrison Devenish-Meares to counter.
The goal frenzy started in the 16th minute off a cross from sophomore Kareem Riley. Off to the right side, he sailed a pass into the box finding junior Shak Adams for the header, beating the USF keeper who was off his line.
One minute later, Riley was once again in the mix as he fired a sliding shot into the five-yard box which was deflected off the keeper's hands as senior Dennis Zapata was there for the tap in for his first goal of the year.
USF converted one minute before the half off the foot of sophomore Kori Cupid as FGCU headed into the intermission up 3-1. At the break, the Eagles edged the Bulls 10-8 in shots while both squads each had two corners.
Before the second half, Butehorn would make a change and send freshman Kazuna Takase to replace Devenish-Meares as goalkeeper.
The Bulls made it a one-goal game in the 63rd minute, capitalizing on a penalty kick from junior Alex Zis, but the Eagles quickly responded three minutes later.
Sophomore Titouan Le Menec maneuvered around a defender inside the five-yard box, as he dished it to Adams for the near post finish, giving the junior the hat trick. This was the Eagle's first hat trick since Albert Ruiz's performance against Rutgers in 2016 and the program's fifth overall.
From there, junior Ivan Rosales put the finishing touches on FGCU's five-goal performance in the 75th minute. With a set up by freshman O'Vonte Mullings, Rosales settled the pass and fired a blistering shot into the upper 90.
USF would score their third goal from junior Stephen Rudderham seconds before the half as the Eagles claim the 5-3 win in front of nearly 1,400 fans.
Vasconcelos (3-1) played all 90 minutes in net finishing with four saves in his second consecutive start for his third win of the season.
Devenish-Meares (2-5) would earn the loss after giving up three of the Eagles' five goals and finished with three saves.
Takase gave up the final two goals and had one save.
At the end of the night, FGCU led 17-16 in shots (nine on goal) and 5-2 in corners.
Up next, FGCU remains at home and welcome Cal St. Fullerton to The Nest on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. The Titans are currently 2-1-3 and rank 49th in the RPI.
FGCU Volleyball: VolleyKnights Invitational Recap- Day Two
The FGCU volleyball team (7-5) wrapped up their part on day two of the VolleyKnights Invitational as they swatted and squashed Alabama State (3-12) with a 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-9, 25-8). With the win, the Eagles are now 2-0 against the Hornets and finished 2-1 in the invitational.
In addition, Botsford edges closer to the 100 milestone with his 96th win.
"Last night, we struggled with outlet attacking, and I thought we made a much more concerted effort to make good decisions today when we were put in those situations, and the outside hitters did a better job with their creativity," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said.
UCF (9-3) would end up winning the entire invitational after defeating Yale (6-3) 3-2 in their final match of the tournament.
The biggest help for the Eagles came defensively from the Block Party (juniors Daniele "Dani" Serrano and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti, sophomore Snowy Burnam, freshman Tori Morris, and seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaiti Krivdo). The squad, led majorly by Pickering, finished with total of 17 blocks (Serrano: 3, Borgiotti: 1, Burnam: 1, Morris: 2, Pickering: 7, Krivdo: 3).
Pickering and sophomore Cortney VanLiew lead the team with eight kills each VanLiew also added 12 digs.
"Sharonda continues to play extremely well for us," Botsford said "She had some issues lining up the block last night and was focused on that this afternoon, and it showed. I was pleased with what she did out there. And Dani continues to play high efficiency."
VanLiew, along with senior Karissa Rhoades had four aces each. Rhoades added three digs
Freshman Dana Axner was held to eight digs, thus ending her streak of 10 or more digs. The libero did add two assists to the mix.
Freshman Chelsea Lockey and senior Maggie Rick combined for a total of 23 assist (Lockey: 11, Rick: 12). Rick's 12 assists put her at 3,987 in her career and the Alpharetta native is 422 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for the all-time leader in career assists.
The Eagles had 12 aces in the match (Rick: 1, VanLiew and Rhoades: 4 each, Axner: 2, Lockey: 1).
For the Hornets, no one reached double digits in kill. Junior Taira Cottingham was the closest to that as she led the team with five kills and a block.
The only stat that the Hornets has was from senior Kori Kutsch. Kutsch finished with 13 assists.
Afterwards, the VolleyKnights Invitational team was announced:
Representing Yale was senior Kelley Wirth and Kate Swanson.
For FGCU, it was Serrano and Pickering.
For UCF, it was senior Jordan Pingel, redshirt sophomore Nerissa Moravec and freshman McKenna Melville. Melville was also named MVP of the invitational.
Pickering (.382) and Serrano (.351) have now moved up to second and third on the program's career hitting percentage list.
Quotes From Other Coaches:
"I thought with fought really hard and played great team volleyball," Yale head coach Erin Appleman said.
"I give Yale a lot of credit," said UCF head coach Todd Dagenais. "They are a great team, which is why we wanted them to come down here. That was a war. We didn’t play our best today, but we found a way to win. We’re going to find ourselves behind in some situations. We found ourselves behind at 13-10 in the fifth, and that’s gut check time. I told them to sideout and play some defense. We were able to tie it up and finish it on a five-point run."
"I thought our energy level and toughness of our team was great," Dagenais added. "Our bodies may not have been where we wanted them today, but we’re 12 matches into the season, and we played our third match in 24 hours. I was proud of how the team was able to battle, take some shots and find a way to win."
Up next, the Eagles open up conference play on the road as they begin in Jacksonville against Jacksonville and UNF.
"We have some stuff we need to work on and clean up," Botsford said, looking forward to next weekend. "Ultimately for us, I think it's about consistency. Our top level is pretty good. We just have to shrink those stretches during a match where it gets away from us a little bit. So, that's going to be our focus. First contact looks good, blocking continues to look good. But I think outlet attacking is going to be important for us - and continued effort on serving."
In addition, Botsford edges closer to the 100 milestone with his 96th win.
"Last night, we struggled with outlet attacking, and I thought we made a much more concerted effort to make good decisions today when we were put in those situations, and the outside hitters did a better job with their creativity," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said.
UCF (9-3) would end up winning the entire invitational after defeating Yale (6-3) 3-2 in their final match of the tournament.
The biggest help for the Eagles came defensively from the Block Party (juniors Daniele "Dani" Serrano and Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti, sophomore Snowy Burnam, freshman Tori Morris, and seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaiti Krivdo). The squad, led majorly by Pickering, finished with total of 17 blocks (Serrano: 3, Borgiotti: 1, Burnam: 1, Morris: 2, Pickering: 7, Krivdo: 3).
Pickering and sophomore Cortney VanLiew lead the team with eight kills each VanLiew also added 12 digs.
"Sharonda continues to play extremely well for us," Botsford said "She had some issues lining up the block last night and was focused on that this afternoon, and it showed. I was pleased with what she did out there. And Dani continues to play high efficiency."
VanLiew, along with senior Karissa Rhoades had four aces each. Rhoades added three digs
Freshman Dana Axner was held to eight digs, thus ending her streak of 10 or more digs. The libero did add two assists to the mix.
Freshman Chelsea Lockey and senior Maggie Rick combined for a total of 23 assist (Lockey: 11, Rick: 12). Rick's 12 assists put her at 3,987 in her career and the Alpharetta native is 422 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for the all-time leader in career assists.
The Eagles had 12 aces in the match (Rick: 1, VanLiew and Rhoades: 4 each, Axner: 2, Lockey: 1).
The only stat that the Hornets has was from senior Kori Kutsch. Kutsch finished with 13 assists.
Afterwards, the VolleyKnights Invitational team was announced:
Representing Yale was senior Kelley Wirth and Kate Swanson.
For FGCU, it was Serrano and Pickering.
For UCF, it was senior Jordan Pingel, redshirt sophomore Nerissa Moravec and freshman McKenna Melville. Melville was also named MVP of the invitational.
Pickering (.382) and Serrano (.351) have now moved up to second and third on the program's career hitting percentage list.
Quotes From Other Coaches:
"I thought with fought really hard and played great team volleyball," Yale head coach Erin Appleman said.
"I give Yale a lot of credit," said UCF head coach Todd Dagenais. "They are a great team, which is why we wanted them to come down here. That was a war. We didn’t play our best today, but we found a way to win. We’re going to find ourselves behind in some situations. We found ourselves behind at 13-10 in the fifth, and that’s gut check time. I told them to sideout and play some defense. We were able to tie it up and finish it on a five-point run."
"I thought our energy level and toughness of our team was great," Dagenais added. "Our bodies may not have been where we wanted them today, but we’re 12 matches into the season, and we played our third match in 24 hours. I was proud of how the team was able to battle, take some shots and find a way to win."
Up next, the Eagles open up conference play on the road as they begin in Jacksonville against Jacksonville and UNF.
"We have some stuff we need to work on and clean up," Botsford said, looking forward to next weekend. "Ultimately for us, I think it's about consistency. Our top level is pretty good. We just have to shrink those stretches during a match where it gets away from us a little bit. So, that's going to be our focus. First contact looks good, blocking continues to look good. But I think outlet attacking is going to be important for us - and continued effort on serving."
FGCU Volleyball: Volleyknights Invitational Recap- Day One
The FGCU volleyball team (6-5) prepared for day one at the Volleyknights Invitational. The Eagles played two games against Yale (6-2) and UCF (8-4). The Eagles defeated Yale 3-1 (25-19, 21-25, 25-20, 25-14) before being shutout by UCF (15-25, 20-25,18-25).
"We passed the ball extremely well," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "It's rare that you lose in three sets when you're passing the ball like that. It's an indication that UCF figured some things out blocking wise and were controlling the net in a way we couldn't adjust to. But I was pleased with first contact. I thought Karissa (Rhoades) did a really good job for us."
In an earlier game, host UCF played and shutout Alabama State (3-11) 3-0. After that game, the Eagles played Yale to start their part of the tournament.
In the first set, the Bulldogs pushed the Eagles early and took the lead by as much as three points, but despite that, it barely fazed the Eagles as they managed to pull away in the first set.
Going into the second set, it would look like the Eagles would claim the second set, but the Bulldogs would not let that happen as pulled away and claimed the second set.
Hoping to bounce back, the Eagles did so. Although the Bulldogs took the lead a couple of times, the Eagles were not fazed as they pushed to claim the third set.
The fourth set was a no doubter for the Eagles as they claimed the set and the match.
Three Eagles finished with a double-double: sophomore Cortney VanLiew (19 kills and 10 digs), senior Maggie Rick (24 assists and 11 digs), and freshman Chelsea Lockey (14 assists and 12 digs).
Freshman Dana Axner and senior Karissa Rhoades finished with double digit digs each (Lockey: 16, Rhoades: 14).
Junior Daniele “Dani” Serrano would finish with 10 kills while fellow junior Giovanna “Giogio” Borgiotti added nine kills of her own.
Seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaitlan “Kaiti” Krivdo and sophomore Snowy Burnam also add kills of their own (Pickering: 6, Krivdo: 3, Burnam: 2).
In addition, the Block Party (Serrano, Borgiotti, Pickering, Krivdo, Burnam and freshman Tori Morris) has a combined total of 16 blocks with Krivdo leading the way with seven.
Following the Eagles game, Yale played Alabama State and shut them out 3-0.
Although the Eagles put up a fight in the second set, UCF's McKenna Melville had 24 kills .435 hitting percentage against FGCU's defense was the first straight-set loss of the season for the Eagles.
"I think we got outplayed pretty significantly in the second half of each of those sets," Botsford said. "I thought UCF's blocking really put us in a tough spot, our hitters didn't manage particularly well and our outlet hitting was really poor. We need to be much better in that regard when playing teams of that level."
Borgiotti and Pickering each had a team-high eight kills for FGCU, while Burnam had seven.
Rick (19) and Lockey combined for 35 assists.
Defensively, Axner and VanLiew led the team with 12 digs apiece, while Rhoades had 10. Rick finished fourth with six. In addition, junior Karissa Rhoades played in her 100th match in the nightcap against UCF. She is just the 10th player in program history to do so, joining Rick.
Up next, the Eagles wrap up their portion of the invitational as they play Alabama State at 3 PM.
"We passed the ball extremely well," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "It's rare that you lose in three sets when you're passing the ball like that. It's an indication that UCF figured some things out blocking wise and were controlling the net in a way we couldn't adjust to. But I was pleased with first contact. I thought Karissa (Rhoades) did a really good job for us."
In the first set, the Bulldogs pushed the Eagles early and took the lead by as much as three points, but despite that, it barely fazed the Eagles as they managed to pull away in the first set.
Going into the second set, it would look like the Eagles would claim the second set, but the Bulldogs would not let that happen as pulled away and claimed the second set.
Hoping to bounce back, the Eagles did so. Although the Bulldogs took the lead a couple of times, the Eagles were not fazed as they pushed to claim the third set.
The fourth set was a no doubter for the Eagles as they claimed the set and the match.
Three Eagles finished with a double-double: sophomore Cortney VanLiew (19 kills and 10 digs), senior Maggie Rick (24 assists and 11 digs), and freshman Chelsea Lockey (14 assists and 12 digs).
Freshman Dana Axner and senior Karissa Rhoades finished with double digit digs each (Lockey: 16, Rhoades: 14).
Junior Daniele “Dani” Serrano would finish with 10 kills while fellow junior Giovanna “Giogio” Borgiotti added nine kills of her own.
Seniors Sharonda Pickering and Kaitlan “Kaiti” Krivdo and sophomore Snowy Burnam also add kills of their own (Pickering: 6, Krivdo: 3, Burnam: 2).
In addition, the Block Party (Serrano, Borgiotti, Pickering, Krivdo, Burnam and freshman Tori Morris) has a combined total of 16 blocks with Krivdo leading the way with seven.
Following the Eagles game, Yale played Alabama State and shut them out 3-0.
Although the Eagles put up a fight in the second set, UCF's McKenna Melville had 24 kills .435 hitting percentage against FGCU's defense was the first straight-set loss of the season for the Eagles.
"I think we got outplayed pretty significantly in the second half of each of those sets," Botsford said. "I thought UCF's blocking really put us in a tough spot, our hitters didn't manage particularly well and our outlet hitting was really poor. We need to be much better in that regard when playing teams of that level."
Borgiotti and Pickering each had a team-high eight kills for FGCU, while Burnam had seven.
Rick (19) and Lockey combined for 35 assists.
Defensively, Axner and VanLiew led the team with 12 digs apiece, while Rhoades had 10. Rick finished fourth with six. In addition, junior Karissa Rhoades played in her 100th match in the nightcap against UCF. She is just the 10th player in program history to do so, joining Rick.
Up next, the Eagles wrap up their portion of the invitational as they play Alabama State at 3 PM.
FGCU Volleyball: Volleyknights Invitational Preview
The FGCU volleyball team (5-4) are hoping to bounce back from their tough home series as they prepare for their final tournament of the season. The Eagles head to Orlando to compete in the Volleyknights Invitational at the Venue at UCF, hosted by UCF (6-3). The invitational will also feature Alabama State (3-9) and Yale (5-1).
Last Time Out:
After being on the road for their first six matches, the Eagles opened their first home series with the Homewood Suites Fort Myers/FGCU Classic. The Eagles would fall to Albany 3-2 in the opener on day one. On day two, they split their final two games with a 3-0 win over Western Illinois before falling in a hard fought 3-2 loss to Power 5 West Virginia.
Swing the Ax:
Freshman Dana Axner has been on fire as the starting libero. The Dublin, Ohio native set a DI program-record 39 digs and a season-high seven assists in a five-set match against West Virginia this past Saturday. She's had at least 15 digs and six assists in each of the team's three outings over the weekend, which also included Albany and Western Illinois.
Axner has 156 digs, or 4.73 per set, along with 38 assists and five aces through nine matches this year. She has been named to the All-Lobo Classic and All-Homewood Suites Fort Myers/FGCU Classic teams.
Oh Captain, My Captain:
Senior setter Maggie Rick is just 68 assists away from becoming the second player in program history with 4,000. This past weekend, she tallied 40 + assists in two of three matches, and she grabbed her third double-double of the season (46 assists, 14 digs) against West Virginia.
Rick remains on pace to break Gigi Meyer's (4,408, 2011-14) career record. She has at least 20 assists in 103 of 106 career matches. Furthermore, she has at least 30 on 49 occasions, 40-49 25 times and 50-59 eight times. Defensively, she needs just 55 more digs to become only the third player in program history with at least 1,000 assists and 700 digs in a career, joining Gigi Meyer (4,408 assists/947 digs) and Chandra Lefever (3,108 assists/765 digs).
Spice Alert:
What It Do VanLiew:
Sophomore Cortney VanLiew continues to shine in her sophomore year. She has double-digit digs in all but one match, and she recorded a career-high 29 against West Virginia on Saturday, the third most in a match in program history behind Ana Kokanovic (37, Nov. 1, 2008 vs Mercer) and senior Amanda Carroll (30, Nov. 11, 2016 at USC Upstate).
In all, VanLiew added 10 digs, three assists, one ace and one block against West Virginia in what was her third consecutive double-double and the ninth of her career. Currently, VanLiew leads the team with 136 kills.
Block Party:
The Block Party (Serrano, fellow junior Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti, sophomore Snowy Burnam, freshman Tori Morris and seniors Kaiti Krivdo and Sharonda Pickering) have lead the way in blocks. The squad have a combined 123 blocks this season.
Coach 100:
Head coach Matt Botsford is in his fifth season and needs just six more victories to reach 100 in his career. He has compiled a 94-42 record and his teams have registered at least 20 wins overall in three straight seasons and at least 10 wins in A-SUN play in four straight seasons, which are record streaks in FGCU's Division-I era. Botsford will be the second FGCU head volleyball coach to reach 100 wins (first: Jaye Flood).
Scouting UCF:
Junior Erin Olson and her freshman sister, Amber, have guided the Knights to a .250 attack percentage, which ranks third in the American Athletic Conference this season. The setting sisters have averaged a combined 11.94 assists per set. Defensively, the duo averages 4.2 digs per set between the pair.
This will be the second consecutive weekend at home for UCF after hosting the UCF Challenge against FIU, UIC and Wofford. The Knights took all three matches, dropping just one set, to win the tournament title.
Freshman McKenna Melville was named tournament MVP with 3.7 kills and 3.8 digs per set. Sophomores Kristina Fisher and Anne-Marie Watson joined the rookie on the all-tournament squad with 3.6 kills and 1.6 blocks per set, respectively.
A big part of the Knights' success in the UCF Challenge was the block. Over the course of three matches, the Knights turned away 35 attacks, which matched their production from the opening six contests of the year. Kathryn Wesolich posted nine block assists in the tournament opener. Nerissa Moravec followed that up with 10 blocks, two solos, in the nightcap.
Friday night's matchup will be the second meeting between FGCU and UCF. The Knights defeated the Eagles in four sets in the Sunshine State Challenge on Aug. 24. Since then, UCF has knocked off No. 7 USC and taken No. 4 Florida to four sets in the Bubly Invitational in Gainesville.
Scouting Yale:
Yale won two of three matches this past weekend at the Art Carmichael Invitational hosted by the University of Rhode Island. The Bulldogs defeated Army-West-Point and Rhode Island, and dropped a match to New Hampshire. Kathryn Attar, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, was named tournament MVP. In addition, Tristin Kott earned all-tournament recognition.
Entering this season, Yale returned five All-Ivy League selections, including the league's defensive player of the year (Kate Swanson) and rookie of the year (Attar). Swanson and Attar both were also awarded spots on the first team. In addition, Frances Arnautou and Kott earned second-team honors, while Kelley Wirth was honorable mention.
Scouting Alabama State:
Alabama State has been paced all season by its upperclassmen. Senior Kori Kutsch leads the SWAC with 368 assists and senior Candace Martin ranks second among league competitors with 0.89 blocks per set. A pair of juniors, Bayle Bennett (101 kills) and Krysta Medearis (102 kills), are top offensive threats for the Hornets and senior Kayla Torres' 128 digs (second in the SWAC) tops the defense.
The Hornets fell to South Alabama 3-0 in their most previous game.
This will be the second time FGCU plays Alabama State. The first time was on Sept. 19, 2014 where the Eagles shutout the the Hornets
The tournament will begin with host UCF facing Alabama State to open the tournament at 11 AM before FGCU plays against Yale. Yale will remain on the court and play Alabama State at 6 PM before FGCU plays UCF to wrap up day one.
On day two, UCF will play Yale at 1 PM before FGCU wraps up their part of the tournament with a game against Alabama State at 3 PM to wrap up the tournament.
Livestats will be available for all six matches.
For the FGCU game against UCF, it will be livestream, but you'll need a subscription to watch ($5.99 for an all-day pass).
You can also keep updated on the teams' Twitter accounts:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
Yale: @YaleVolleyball
Alabama State: @BamaStateVB
UCF: @UCF_Volleyball
Links to Livestats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=ucf
Livestream Link: https://www.ucfknights.tv/
Last Time Out:
After being on the road for their first six matches, the Eagles opened their first home series with the Homewood Suites Fort Myers/FGCU Classic. The Eagles would fall to Albany 3-2 in the opener on day one. On day two, they split their final two games with a 3-0 win over Western Illinois before falling in a hard fought 3-2 loss to Power 5 West Virginia.
Swing the Ax:
Freshman Dana Axner has been on fire as the starting libero. The Dublin, Ohio native set a DI program-record 39 digs and a season-high seven assists in a five-set match against West Virginia this past Saturday. She's had at least 15 digs and six assists in each of the team's three outings over the weekend, which also included Albany and Western Illinois.
Axner has 156 digs, or 4.73 per set, along with 38 assists and five aces through nine matches this year. She has been named to the All-Lobo Classic and All-Homewood Suites Fort Myers/FGCU Classic teams.
Oh Captain, My Captain:
Senior setter Maggie Rick is just 68 assists away from becoming the second player in program history with 4,000. This past weekend, she tallied 40 + assists in two of three matches, and she grabbed her third double-double of the season (46 assists, 14 digs) against West Virginia.
Rick remains on pace to break Gigi Meyer's (4,408, 2011-14) career record. She has at least 20 assists in 103 of 106 career matches. Furthermore, she has at least 30 on 49 occasions, 40-49 25 times and 50-59 eight times. Defensively, she needs just 55 more digs to become only the third player in program history with at least 1,000 assists and 700 digs in a career, joining Gigi Meyer (4,408 assists/947 digs) and Chandra Lefever (3,108 assists/765 digs).
Spice Alert:
Junior middle blocker Daniele "Dani" Serrano continues to shine at the net. She has 245 career blocks, which is just three shy of passing Ericka Fonseca (247, 2005-06) for third most in program history. She is also tied for fourth all-time in solo blocks (39) with Devon Watts (2004-05) and third in block assists with 206.
777:
Senior Karissa Rhoades produced a season-high 16 digs in the team's most recent outing against West Virginia on Saturday. In doing so, she eclipsed Chandra Lefever (765, 2006-07, 09) for the ninth most career digs in program history and enters this weekend with 777. Her 2.64 career digs per set ranks 12th all-time.
Sophomore Cortney VanLiew continues to shine in her sophomore year. She has double-digit digs in all but one match, and she recorded a career-high 29 against West Virginia on Saturday, the third most in a match in program history behind Ana Kokanovic (37, Nov. 1, 2008 vs Mercer) and senior Amanda Carroll (30, Nov. 11, 2016 at USC Upstate).
In all, VanLiew added 10 digs, three assists, one ace and one block against West Virginia in what was her third consecutive double-double and the ninth of her career. Currently, VanLiew leads the team with 136 kills.
Block Party:
The Block Party (Serrano, fellow junior Giovanna "Giogio" Borgiotti, sophomore Snowy Burnam, freshman Tori Morris and seniors Kaiti Krivdo and Sharonda Pickering) have lead the way in blocks. The squad have a combined 123 blocks this season.
Coach 100:
Head coach Matt Botsford is in his fifth season and needs just six more victories to reach 100 in his career. He has compiled a 94-42 record and his teams have registered at least 20 wins overall in three straight seasons and at least 10 wins in A-SUN play in four straight seasons, which are record streaks in FGCU's Division-I era. Botsford will be the second FGCU head volleyball coach to reach 100 wins (first: Jaye Flood).
Scouting UCF:
Junior Erin Olson and her freshman sister, Amber, have guided the Knights to a .250 attack percentage, which ranks third in the American Athletic Conference this season. The setting sisters have averaged a combined 11.94 assists per set. Defensively, the duo averages 4.2 digs per set between the pair.
This will be the second consecutive weekend at home for UCF after hosting the UCF Challenge against FIU, UIC and Wofford. The Knights took all three matches, dropping just one set, to win the tournament title.
Freshman McKenna Melville was named tournament MVP with 3.7 kills and 3.8 digs per set. Sophomores Kristina Fisher and Anne-Marie Watson joined the rookie on the all-tournament squad with 3.6 kills and 1.6 blocks per set, respectively.
A big part of the Knights' success in the UCF Challenge was the block. Over the course of three matches, the Knights turned away 35 attacks, which matched their production from the opening six contests of the year. Kathryn Wesolich posted nine block assists in the tournament opener. Nerissa Moravec followed that up with 10 blocks, two solos, in the nightcap.
Friday night's matchup will be the second meeting between FGCU and UCF. The Knights defeated the Eagles in four sets in the Sunshine State Challenge on Aug. 24. Since then, UCF has knocked off No. 7 USC and taken No. 4 Florida to four sets in the Bubly Invitational in Gainesville.
Scouting Yale:
Yale won two of three matches this past weekend at the Art Carmichael Invitational hosted by the University of Rhode Island. The Bulldogs defeated Army-West-Point and Rhode Island, and dropped a match to New Hampshire. Kathryn Attar, the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year, was named tournament MVP. In addition, Tristin Kott earned all-tournament recognition.
Entering this season, Yale returned five All-Ivy League selections, including the league's defensive player of the year (Kate Swanson) and rookie of the year (Attar). Swanson and Attar both were also awarded spots on the first team. In addition, Frances Arnautou and Kott earned second-team honors, while Kelley Wirth was honorable mention.
Scouting Alabama State:
Alabama State has been paced all season by its upperclassmen. Senior Kori Kutsch leads the SWAC with 368 assists and senior Candace Martin ranks second among league competitors with 0.89 blocks per set. A pair of juniors, Bayle Bennett (101 kills) and Krysta Medearis (102 kills), are top offensive threats for the Hornets and senior Kayla Torres' 128 digs (second in the SWAC) tops the defense.
The Hornets fell to South Alabama 3-0 in their most previous game.
This will be the second time FGCU plays Alabama State. The first time was on Sept. 19, 2014 where the Eagles shutout the the Hornets
The tournament will begin with host UCF facing Alabama State to open the tournament at 11 AM before FGCU plays against Yale. Yale will remain on the court and play Alabama State at 6 PM before FGCU plays UCF to wrap up day one.
On day two, UCF will play Yale at 1 PM before FGCU wraps up their part of the tournament with a game against Alabama State at 3 PM to wrap up the tournament.
Livestats will be available for all six matches.
For the FGCU game against UCF, it will be livestream, but you'll need a subscription to watch ($5.99 for an all-day pass).
You can also keep updated on the teams' Twitter accounts:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
Yale: @YaleVolleyball
Alabama State: @BamaStateVB
UCF: @UCF_Volleyball
Links to Livestats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=ucf
Livestream Link: https://www.ucfknights.tv/
FGCU W. Soc @ FIU Recap
Depsite a brief lightning delay, the FGCU women's soccer team (6-0-1) traveled their way to Miami and slaughtered FIU (0-8) by a score of 5-1. With the win, the Eagles are now 9-1-1 against the Panthers.
"We came out with a good professional approach tonight and took care of business" Head Coach Jim Blankenship said. "We got off to a good start with the two early goals and set the tone right away."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship had junior Melissa Weck start, as usual, while FIU head coach Sharolta Nonen sent freshman Christina Velazquez to counter.
In addition, Blakenship made a big change in the lineup. Along with his usual starters, freshman Kara Kyramarios was placed in the starting lineup and sophomore Zoey Spitzer returned to the lineup to help senior Camile Knudstrup and junior Lindsey Patton in the backfield for defense.
Not even a minute into the first half, the Panthers began with a foul. After a wide header from junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and a corner kick from senior Holly Fritz, Kyramarios would claim her first collegiate goal at the top of the box to make 1-0 FGCU, three minutes in with an assist from junior Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova.
Five minutes later, after two Panther shot attempts from senior Jacky Manteas and redshirt sophomore Ashley Adams and a corner kick from senior Emily Baragar, Popadinova would give the Eagles a 2-0 lead with an assist from sophomore Cassidy Morgan. This was Popadinova's sixth goal of the season and Morgan's first assist of the season.
15 minutes in, Boilesen would increase the Eagles lead to 3-0 with a header and an assist from Fritz. This was Boilesen's third goal of the season and Fritz's second assist of the season.
In addition, it was also the Sao Paulo native's 14th career goal and she is now three away from passing Gina Petracco (16, 2008-11) for 7th all-time.
Morgan would make it 4-0 with her second goal of the season and assists from Popadinova and senior Shay Jackson before the end of the first half.
For Jackson, it was her third assist of the season, and for Popadinova, it was also third assist of the season and her second of the game.
With the goals from Popadinova and Boilesen, the A-SUN Legion of Doom have a scored nine goals combined.
Going into the second half, the Panthers would finally get on the board as they scored their first goal of the half off the foot of Adams with an assist from freshman Kaydeen Jack. This was Adams' second goal of the season.
Although the Panthers scored, it did very little effect as the Eagles increased the lead even more as freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo clocked her first collegiate goal of the season with an assist from junior Emilie Olsen, which would be the final goal of the game.
Despite giving up the goal in the second half, Weck (6-0-1) still earned the win and contributed with four saves.
The Eagles outshot the Panther 23-13 and 12-2 in corner kicks, while the Panthers committed six fouls in contrast to the Eagles' two.
Velazquez (0-8) would be credited with the loss after giving up all four goals and added five saves.
Up Next:
The Eagles travel to the Windy City to face Loyola Chicago on Sunday, Sept 16 at 2 PM to wrap up their four-game road trip before opening conference.
"We came out with a good professional approach tonight and took care of business" Head Coach Jim Blankenship said. "We got off to a good start with the two early goals and set the tone right away."
For starting goalkeepers, Blakenship had junior Melissa Weck start, as usual, while FIU head coach Sharolta Nonen sent freshman Christina Velazquez to counter.
In addition, Blakenship made a big change in the lineup. Along with his usual starters, freshman Kara Kyramarios was placed in the starting lineup and sophomore Zoey Spitzer returned to the lineup to help senior Camile Knudstrup and junior Lindsey Patton in the backfield for defense.
Not even a minute into the first half, the Panthers began with a foul. After a wide header from junior Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen and a corner kick from senior Holly Fritz, Kyramarios would claim her first collegiate goal at the top of the box to make 1-0 FGCU, three minutes in with an assist from junior Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova.
Five minutes later, after two Panther shot attempts from senior Jacky Manteas and redshirt sophomore Ashley Adams and a corner kick from senior Emily Baragar, Popadinova would give the Eagles a 2-0 lead with an assist from sophomore Cassidy Morgan. This was Popadinova's sixth goal of the season and Morgan's first assist of the season.
15 minutes in, Boilesen would increase the Eagles lead to 3-0 with a header and an assist from Fritz. This was Boilesen's third goal of the season and Fritz's second assist of the season.
In addition, it was also the Sao Paulo native's 14th career goal and she is now three away from passing Gina Petracco (16, 2008-11) for 7th all-time.
Morgan would make it 4-0 with her second goal of the season and assists from Popadinova and senior Shay Jackson before the end of the first half.
For Jackson, it was her third assist of the season, and for Popadinova, it was also third assist of the season and her second of the game.
With the goals from Popadinova and Boilesen, the A-SUN Legion of Doom have a scored nine goals combined.
Going into the second half, the Panthers would finally get on the board as they scored their first goal of the half off the foot of Adams with an assist from freshman Kaydeen Jack. This was Adams' second goal of the season.
Although the Panthers scored, it did very little effect as the Eagles increased the lead even more as freshman Alyssa Abbondandolo clocked her first collegiate goal of the season with an assist from junior Emilie Olsen, which would be the final goal of the game.
Despite giving up the goal in the second half, Weck (6-0-1) still earned the win and contributed with four saves.
The Eagles outshot the Panther 23-13 and 12-2 in corner kicks, while the Panthers committed six fouls in contrast to the Eagles' two.
Velazquez (0-8) would be credited with the loss after giving up all four goals and added five saves.
Up Next:
The Eagles travel to the Windy City to face Loyola Chicago on Sunday, Sept 16 at 2 PM to wrap up their four-game road trip before opening conference.
FGCU W. Golf: Golfweek Program Challenge Recap- Day Three
Senior Madeline Marck-Sherk shot her second consecutive 77 (+6) on Tuesday as the FGCU women's golf team finished 10th among 14 teams (919, +67) at the Golfweek Program Challenge at Caledonia Golf and Fish Club in Pawley's Island, South Carolina. It was a tough round for the Green and Blue, who shot a 318 and totaled just four birdies overall, led by two from junior Ailsa Clark.
Marck-Sherk led her team with the low third-round score and finish tied for 31st at 228 (+15), but senior Kelsy Holbert's third-round 78 (+7) gave her the best overall finish as the senior tied for 22nd following a 222 (+9).
"We didn't come to play today, and I️ am very disappointed with our performance," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "This course is one we could have played well and made a run today, but we allowed ourselves to be distracted by things outside of our control and also let our emotions get the best of us. We are a much better team than this and expect more out of ourselves. We have a week to regroup and work on a few things before Furman, and I️ am confident that we will be able to leave this behind us and focus on the future."
Clark led the team in birdies, but fell victim to three double-bogeys and a triple-bogey to finish tied for 40th. Outside of four holes, she shot 3-over.
Senior Jean Tyrrell shot a +9 through the first nine holes, but bounced back to improve her score by seven strokes on the back nine. She birdied the 12th hole and finished in a tie for 63rd.
Grad student Lexie Flerlage shot a final round 84 to finish in 62nd place.
Campbell University, the eventual winner of the tournament, led by a final-round 274 that included a 65 (-6) from their No. 4 on Tuesday, won the event by six strokes over Old Dominion (840).
Delaware (886) came in third.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T-22 – Kelsy Holbert – 76-68-78---222 (+9)
T-31 – Madeline Marck-Sherk – 74-77-77---228 (+16)
T-40 – Ailsa Clark – 74-75-83---232 (+20)
62 – Lexie Flerlage – 75-82-84---241 (+29)
T-63 – Jean Tyrrell – 80-85-80---245 (+33)
TEAM STANDINGS
1. #45 – Campbell – 283-277-274---834 (-18)
2. #60 – Old Dominion – 282-280-278---840 (-12)
3. #98 – Delaware – 304-289-293---886 (+34)
4. #137 – Jacksonville State – 296-301-294---891 (+39)
5. #187 – Presbyterian College – 296-305-296---897 (+45)
6. #232 – Gardner-Webb – 303-301-297---901 (+49)
T-7. #145 – Bradley – 311-291-304---906 (+54)
T-7. #209 – South Dakota – 304-309-293---906 (+54)
9. #228 – Alabama State – 309-302-305---916 (+64)
10. #128 – FGCU – 299-302-318---919 (+67)
11. #211 – Stephen F. Austin State – 312-308-302---922 (+70)
12. #217 – Tennessee Tech – 315-312-302---929 (+77)
13. #179 – Austin Peay – 317-310-310---937 (+85)
14. #245 – Valparaiso – 322-317---DNF---DNF (+71)
The Eagles return to action as they prepare for the Lady Paladin Invitational in Greenville, South Carolina, hosted by Furman University from Sept 21-23.
Marck-Sherk led her team with the low third-round score and finish tied for 31st at 228 (+15), but senior Kelsy Holbert's third-round 78 (+7) gave her the best overall finish as the senior tied for 22nd following a 222 (+9).
"We didn't come to play today, and I️ am very disappointed with our performance," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "This course is one we could have played well and made a run today, but we allowed ourselves to be distracted by things outside of our control and also let our emotions get the best of us. We are a much better team than this and expect more out of ourselves. We have a week to regroup and work on a few things before Furman, and I️ am confident that we will be able to leave this behind us and focus on the future."
Clark led the team in birdies, but fell victim to three double-bogeys and a triple-bogey to finish tied for 40th. Outside of four holes, she shot 3-over.
Senior Jean Tyrrell shot a +9 through the first nine holes, but bounced back to improve her score by seven strokes on the back nine. She birdied the 12th hole and finished in a tie for 63rd.
Grad student Lexie Flerlage shot a final round 84 to finish in 62nd place.
Campbell University, the eventual winner of the tournament, led by a final-round 274 that included a 65 (-6) from their No. 4 on Tuesday, won the event by six strokes over Old Dominion (840).
Delaware (886) came in third.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T-22 – Kelsy Holbert – 76-68-78---222 (+9)
T-31 – Madeline Marck-Sherk – 74-77-77---228 (+16)
T-40 – Ailsa Clark – 74-75-83---232 (+20)
62 – Lexie Flerlage – 75-82-84---241 (+29)
T-63 – Jean Tyrrell – 80-85-80---245 (+33)
TEAM STANDINGS
1. #45 – Campbell – 283-277-274---834 (-18)
2. #60 – Old Dominion – 282-280-278---840 (-12)
3. #98 – Delaware – 304-289-293---886 (+34)
4. #137 – Jacksonville State – 296-301-294---891 (+39)
5. #187 – Presbyterian College – 296-305-296---897 (+45)
6. #232 – Gardner-Webb – 303-301-297---901 (+49)
T-7. #145 – Bradley – 311-291-304---906 (+54)
T-7. #209 – South Dakota – 304-309-293---906 (+54)
9. #228 – Alabama State – 309-302-305---916 (+64)
10. #128 – FGCU – 299-302-318---919 (+67)
11. #211 – Stephen F. Austin State – 312-308-302---922 (+70)
12. #217 – Tennessee Tech – 315-312-302---929 (+77)
13. #179 – Austin Peay – 317-310-310---937 (+85)
14. #245 – Valparaiso – 322-317---DNF---DNF (+71)
The Eagles return to action as they prepare for the Lady Paladin Invitational in Greenville, South Carolina, hosted by Furman University from Sept 21-23.
FGCU M. Golf: Golfweek Program Challenge Recap- Day Three
Senior Andrew Potter secured his ninth career top-10 finish on Tuesday as the FGCU men's golf team finished fifth among 14 teams in the Golfweek Program Challenge at True Blue Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
"I'm proud of the team for coming together to finish off the event with a strong final nine rally to improve our position," FGCU men's golf head coach Eric Booker said. "They did a better job in scoring and getting the ball in the hole, but still need improvement around the greens."
Although Potter bogeyed in his second hole, The Australian native made up for it with a birdie on the sixth before grabbing two more birdies on the 15th and 17th holes. Potter finished the round at 70 (-2) and tied for 10th overall with a 211 (-5).
Freshman Chase Bigham led the Eagles in the final round with a 69 (-3). Bigham tied with sophomore Cole Castro, who shot a 70 (-2) on Tuesday, with a three-round total of 215 (-1). That duo combined for a team-high six birdies each and tied for 24th individually.
Bigham birdied four of his final nine holes, while Castrohad three. Overall, the team's scoring four went 9-under on the back nine.
"Chase had a nice debut shooting a 69 and birdying the last hole, so his confidence is growing," Booker said. "It was a good effort by all, and I'm looking forward to Hattiesburg, Miss."
Juniors Doug Smith and Brent Fredericksen rounded out the Eagles lineup. Smith tied for 40th with a final round 72 (E), while Fredericksen had a 74 to finish in a tie for 48th.
As a team, the Eagles jumped three spots from their round two placement. They finished 40 strokes behind Campbell, who went 48-under and was the eventual winner of the tournament and finished 34 strokes ahead of second-place Jacksonville State.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. #60 – Campbell – 269-274-273---816 (-48)
T-2. #150 - Stephen F. Austin State – 281-292-271---850 (-14)
T-2. #139 - Jacksonville State – 293-286-277---850 (-14)
4. #148 - Gardner-Webb – 278-284-292---854 (-10)
5. #173 – FGCU – 286-289-281---856 (-8)
T-6. #219 – Delaware – 276-299-282---857 (-7)
T-6. #135 - South Dakota – 282-290-285---857 (-7)
8. #176 - Austin Peay – 282-289-288---859 (-5)
9. #162 – Bradley – 281-290-292---863 (-1)
10. #279 - Alabama State – 297-291-286---874 (+10)
11. #260 – Valparaiso – 282-303-295---880 (+16)
12. #220 - Tennessee Tech – 296-291-294---881 (+17)
13. #255 - Presbyterian College – 288-297-304---889 (+25)
14. #143 - Old Dominion – 283-284-DNF---DNF (-9)
Up Next:
The Eagles will return to action on Sept 17-18 as they will travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi and compete in the Sam Hill Intercollegiate at the Hattiesburg Country Club, hosted by Southern Miss.
"I'm proud of the team for coming together to finish off the event with a strong final nine rally to improve our position," FGCU men's golf head coach Eric Booker said. "They did a better job in scoring and getting the ball in the hole, but still need improvement around the greens."
Although Potter bogeyed in his second hole, The Australian native made up for it with a birdie on the sixth before grabbing two more birdies on the 15th and 17th holes. Potter finished the round at 70 (-2) and tied for 10th overall with a 211 (-5).
Freshman Chase Bigham led the Eagles in the final round with a 69 (-3). Bigham tied with sophomore Cole Castro, who shot a 70 (-2) on Tuesday, with a three-round total of 215 (-1). That duo combined for a team-high six birdies each and tied for 24th individually.
Bigham birdied four of his final nine holes, while Castrohad three. Overall, the team's scoring four went 9-under on the back nine.
"Chase had a nice debut shooting a 69 and birdying the last hole, so his confidence is growing," Booker said. "It was a good effort by all, and I'm looking forward to Hattiesburg, Miss."
Juniors Doug Smith and Brent Fredericksen rounded out the Eagles lineup. Smith tied for 40th with a final round 72 (E), while Fredericksen had a 74 to finish in a tie for 48th.
As a team, the Eagles jumped three spots from their round two placement. They finished 40 strokes behind Campbell, who went 48-under and was the eventual winner of the tournament and finished 34 strokes ahead of second-place Jacksonville State.
TEAM STANDINGS
1. #60 – Campbell – 269-274-273---816 (-48)
T-2. #150 - Stephen F. Austin State – 281-292-271---850 (-14)
T-2. #139 - Jacksonville State – 293-286-277---850 (-14)
4. #148 - Gardner-Webb – 278-284-292---854 (-10)
5. #173 – FGCU – 286-289-281---856 (-8)
T-6. #219 – Delaware – 276-299-282---857 (-7)
T-6. #135 - South Dakota – 282-290-285---857 (-7)
8. #176 - Austin Peay – 282-289-288---859 (-5)
9. #162 – Bradley – 281-290-292---863 (-1)
10. #279 - Alabama State – 297-291-286---874 (+10)
11. #260 – Valparaiso – 282-303-295---880 (+16)
12. #220 - Tennessee Tech – 296-291-294---881 (+17)
13. #255 - Presbyterian College – 288-297-304---889 (+25)
14. #143 - Old Dominion – 283-284-DNF---DNF (-9)
Up Next:
The Eagles will return to action on Sept 17-18 as they will travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi and compete in the Sam Hill Intercollegiate at the Hattiesburg Country Club, hosted by Southern Miss.
FGCU W. Soc @ FIU, Loyola Preview
After wrapping up their two-game road trip in Ohio, the RV FGCU women's soccer team (5-0-1) continue action on the road as they face FIU (0-7) on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7 P.M. and Loyola Chicago (3-5) on Sept. 16 at 2 P.M. (ET)/1 P.M. (CT).
Last Time Out:
The Eagles traveled to Ohio to begin their four-game road trip before conference play. They first played Power 5 Conference member Ohio State in a rematch from 2016 and succeeded with a 1-0 win over the Buckeyes and their 11th overall win against a Power 5 team.
The Eagles then traveled an hour northeast to face the Dayton where the game ended in a scoreless tie in double overtime.
FGCU vs. Power 5:
This season, the Eagles played three Power 5 Conference teams: Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State in victorious manner (Alabama 4-2, Michigan 3-2, Ohio State 1-0). This was the first time that they beat all the Power 5 teams on their schedule.
A-SUN Legion of Doom:
Juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom are still the top scorers for FGCU.
Currently, Popadinova leads the team in goals (5). In the games against Ohio State, Popadinova scored the lone goal that gave FGCU the win. In all three games against Alabama, Michigan and Ohio, the Bulgarian scored in all three games. Popadinova also has two assists to her name.
Although she was struggling briefly, Boilesen is still make her mark offensively. The Sao Paulo native currently has two goals and two assists.
Weck City:
Junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck (5-0-1) currently has four shutouts to her name as well as 20 saves. In the series in Ohio, Weck had six saves against Ohio State and one against Dayton.
Weck currently ranks second in the ASUN in wins (5), shutouts (4), goals allowed (4), and goals against average (0.64).
As a result, Weck was named A-SUN Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and the fourth in her career for her performance in Ohio, but it did not stop from there.
The Yorba Linda, California native was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week and the the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week, the first FGCU player in program history to receive these accolades.
"I am proud of her and all she has done for us this year. She has been a difference maker in some big games," Jim Blankenship said on Weck winning the Top Drawer Soccer weekly accolade. "She is playing with a lot of confidence right now, this award is well deserved."
"Weck has put her heart and soul into this program and her hard work is paying off," Blankenship said on Weck winning the United Soccer Coaches Keeper of the Week. "Obviously earning this award says a lot about what she has done, but it is also big for the program. It takes a lot of people to make something like this happen."
(Holly)wood:
Senior midfielder Holly Fritz has been on a hot start on her own with the A-SUN LOD. The Cape Coral native who transferred from Florida State last season is currently is second on team with four goals.
In all three games against the three Power 5 schools, Fritz had three goals in all three games.
Silv's Moment to Shine:
Recently, junior Silvana "Silv" Gordon has been hot on and off the field, which brings a strong positive vibe to the team. Since her increase of minutes on her role, the Medford, New Jersey native so far has logged in 242 minutes this season with still her best outing against Niagara on August 31 where she had a goal and an assist.
In the game against Dayton, Gordon played a season-high 45 minutes with one shot.
"Coming off the bench doesn't matter. If I'm starting or if I'm coming off the bench, as long as we win, I'm happy. If I get 10 minutes, if I play the whole game, it's fine," said Gordon after the game against Niagara. "For my role coming off the bench, it's just to get the energy up, and trying to make an impact when I can."
Polls:
After beating Michigan at home, the Eagles earned three points in the United Soccer Coach's Poll, but since beating Ohio State, they have increased their point count from three to 37 and are one point behind Power 5 Louisville.
In addition, the Eagles also moved up to #3 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region ranking poll and ranked #16 in the HeroSports.com National Poll.
Lucky 18:
FGCU is one of 18 teams that remain in good spirits without a loss, and one of three teams that are not a Power 5 Conference school.
Along with FGCU are 17 teams without a loss:
#1 Stanford: (6-0)
#2 FSU (7-0-1)
#3 USC (6-0-1)
#4 Texas A&M (8-0)
#5 Virginia (7-0)
#9 Auburn (7-0)
#10 Georgetown (5-0-2)
#11 Tennessee (6-0-1)
#12 Northwestern (6-0-1)
#14 Texas (6-0-1)
#16 Washington State (5-0)
#18 Kansas (5-0-2)
Colorado (6-0-1)
Mississippi St. (7-0)
TCU (6-0-1)
UW-Milwaukee (6-0)
Boston College (8-0)
#10 Georgetown (Big East) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon) are the other two schools that are not a Power 5 Conference team.
Scouting FIU:
The Panthers are on a seven-game losing streak, the third longest in their program's history. They are coming of a two-game road trip in Texas where they fell 6-0 to Power 5 Conference member Texas Tech in Lubbock and 5-2 to Southern Methodist in Dallas. This will be their last non-conference game before beginning conference in Conference USA.
Freshman Christina Velazquez (0-7) has allowed all 26 goals in all seven games, but Velazquez has 46 saves. Velazquez
Offensively, fellow freshman Kaydeen Jack leads the team with two goals. She scored both of her goals in the loss to SMU.
Series History:
The Eagles are 8-1-1 against the Panthers overall.
Initially, the Eagles were scheduled to play FIU on Oct. 18, 2017, but was cancelled to rain, so the last game against FIU was on Sept. 1, 2016 where the Eagles won 1-0.
The Panthers lone win against the Eagles was on Aug. 26, 2010 where they won 1-0 in double overtime.
Scouting Loyola Chicago:
This will be the first time that the Eagles will face the Ramblers.
The Ramblers are on a three-game losing streak where they fell 2-0 to #21 Power 5 Oklahoma State 1-0 to Depaul, and 2-1 to Power 5 RV Wisconsin.
Like FIU, this will be the Ramblers last non-conference game before they begin conference play in the Missouri Valley Conference (aka The Valley).
Offensively, senior Jenna Szczesny and freshman Abby Swanson lead the way. Both have three goals each. Swanson scored the lone goal against Wisconsn.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper Kate Moran has 27 saves in her name, including five saves against Wisconsin.
How to Keep Updated:
Both games will have livestats and livestream provided.
In the game against FIU, the game will be on livestream on the Conference USA website, but a subscription is needed to watch ($6.95 for an all-day pass).
For the game against Loyola Chicago, the game will be on ESPN+. The app cost $4.99 a month for all the games livestream online. If anyone wants to give it a try, then they can do a week trial for free.
Fans can also keep updated on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
Loyola Chicago: @RamblersWSOC
Livestat link vs FIU: https://fiusports.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
Link to livestream game vs FIU: http://conferenceusa.com/watch/default.aspx?Live=4972&path=fiu (would not recommend, completely worthless).
Livestats link vs Loyola: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=220507
Livestream link vs Loyola: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/71d51d14-2a81-4277-953e-c6bcc55974a2/florida-gulf-coast-vs-loyolachicago
Last Time Out:
The Eagles traveled to Ohio to begin their four-game road trip before conference play. They first played Power 5 Conference member Ohio State in a rematch from 2016 and succeeded with a 1-0 win over the Buckeyes and their 11th overall win against a Power 5 team.
The Eagles then traveled an hour northeast to face the Dayton where the game ended in a scoreless tie in double overtime.
FGCU vs. Power 5:
This season, the Eagles played three Power 5 Conference teams: Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State in victorious manner (Alabama 4-2, Michigan 3-2, Ohio State 1-0). This was the first time that they beat all the Power 5 teams on their schedule.
A-SUN Legion of Doom:
Juniors Evdokia "Evi" Popadinova and Marjorie "Ma" Boilesen aka the A-SUN Legion of Doom are still the top scorers for FGCU.
Currently, Popadinova leads the team in goals (5). In the games against Ohio State, Popadinova scored the lone goal that gave FGCU the win. In all three games against Alabama, Michigan and Ohio, the Bulgarian scored in all three games. Popadinova also has two assists to her name.
Although she was struggling briefly, Boilesen is still make her mark offensively. The Sao Paulo native currently has two goals and two assists.
Weck City:
Junior goalkeeper Melissa Weck (5-0-1) currently has four shutouts to her name as well as 20 saves. In the series in Ohio, Weck had six saves against Ohio State and one against Dayton.
Weck currently ranks second in the ASUN in wins (5), shutouts (4), goals allowed (4), and goals against average (0.64).
The Yorba Linda, California native was named the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week and the the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Week, the first FGCU player in program history to receive these accolades.
"I am proud of her and all she has done for us this year. She has been a difference maker in some big games," Jim Blankenship said on Weck winning the Top Drawer Soccer weekly accolade. "She is playing with a lot of confidence right now, this award is well deserved."
"Weck has put her heart and soul into this program and her hard work is paying off," Blankenship said on Weck winning the United Soccer Coaches Keeper of the Week. "Obviously earning this award says a lot about what she has done, but it is also big for the program. It takes a lot of people to make something like this happen."
(Holly)wood:
Senior midfielder Holly Fritz has been on a hot start on her own with the A-SUN LOD. The Cape Coral native who transferred from Florida State last season is currently is second on team with four goals.
In all three games against the three Power 5 schools, Fritz had three goals in all three games.
Silv's Moment to Shine:
Recently, junior Silvana "Silv" Gordon has been hot on and off the field, which brings a strong positive vibe to the team. Since her increase of minutes on her role, the Medford, New Jersey native so far has logged in 242 minutes this season with still her best outing against Niagara on August 31 where she had a goal and an assist.
In the game against Dayton, Gordon played a season-high 45 minutes with one shot.
"Coming off the bench doesn't matter. If I'm starting or if I'm coming off the bench, as long as we win, I'm happy. If I get 10 minutes, if I play the whole game, it's fine," said Gordon after the game against Niagara. "For my role coming off the bench, it's just to get the energy up, and trying to make an impact when I can."
Polls:
After beating Michigan at home, the Eagles earned three points in the United Soccer Coach's Poll, but since beating Ohio State, they have increased their point count from three to 37 and are one point behind Power 5 Louisville.
In addition, the Eagles also moved up to #3 in the United Soccer Coaches South Region ranking poll and ranked #16 in the HeroSports.com National Poll.
Lucky 18:
FGCU is one of 18 teams that remain in good spirits without a loss, and one of three teams that are not a Power 5 Conference school.
Along with FGCU are 17 teams without a loss:
#1 Stanford: (6-0)
#2 FSU (7-0-1)
#3 USC (6-0-1)
#4 Texas A&M (8-0)
#5 Virginia (7-0)
#9 Auburn (7-0)
#10 Georgetown (5-0-2)
#11 Tennessee (6-0-1)
#12 Northwestern (6-0-1)
#14 Texas (6-0-1)
#16 Washington State (5-0)
#18 Kansas (5-0-2)
Colorado (6-0-1)
Mississippi St. (7-0)
TCU (6-0-1)
UW-Milwaukee (6-0)
Boston College (8-0)
#10 Georgetown (Big East) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Horizon) are the other two schools that are not a Power 5 Conference team.
Scouting FIU:
The Panthers are on a seven-game losing streak, the third longest in their program's history. They are coming of a two-game road trip in Texas where they fell 6-0 to Power 5 Conference member Texas Tech in Lubbock and 5-2 to Southern Methodist in Dallas. This will be their last non-conference game before beginning conference in Conference USA.
Freshman Christina Velazquez (0-7) has allowed all 26 goals in all seven games, but Velazquez has 46 saves. Velazquez
Offensively, fellow freshman Kaydeen Jack leads the team with two goals. She scored both of her goals in the loss to SMU.
Series History:
The Eagles are 8-1-1 against the Panthers overall.
Initially, the Eagles were scheduled to play FIU on Oct. 18, 2017, but was cancelled to rain, so the last game against FIU was on Sept. 1, 2016 where the Eagles won 1-0.
The Panthers lone win against the Eagles was on Aug. 26, 2010 where they won 1-0 in double overtime.
Scouting Loyola Chicago:
This will be the first time that the Eagles will face the Ramblers.
The Ramblers are on a three-game losing streak where they fell 2-0 to #21 Power 5 Oklahoma State 1-0 to Depaul, and 2-1 to Power 5 RV Wisconsin.
Like FIU, this will be the Ramblers last non-conference game before they begin conference play in the Missouri Valley Conference (aka The Valley).
Offensively, senior Jenna Szczesny and freshman Abby Swanson lead the way. Both have three goals each. Swanson scored the lone goal against Wisconsn.
Defensively, junior goalkeeper Kate Moran has 27 saves in her name, including five saves against Wisconsin.
How to Keep Updated:
Both games will have livestats and livestream provided.
In the game against FIU, the game will be on livestream on the Conference USA website, but a subscription is needed to watch ($6.95 for an all-day pass).
For the game against Loyola Chicago, the game will be on ESPN+. The app cost $4.99 a month for all the games livestream online. If anyone wants to give it a try, then they can do a week trial for free.
Fans can also keep updated on Twitter:
FGCU: @FGCU_WSoccer
FIU: @FIUWSoccer
Loyola Chicago: @RamblersWSOC
Livestat link vs FIU: https://fiusports.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary
Link to livestream game vs FIU: http://conferenceusa.com/watch/default.aspx?Live=4972&path=fiu (would not recommend, completely worthless).
Livestats link vs Loyola: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=220507
Livestream link vs Loyola: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/71d51d14-2a81-4277-953e-c6bcc55974a2/florida-gulf-coast-vs-loyolachicago
FGCU M. Golf: Golfweek Program Challenge Recap- Day Two
Senior Andrew Potter fired a second-round 70 (-2) and sits in a tie for 15th-place individually, while the FGCU men's golf team jumped up two spots into a tie for eighth after a second-round 289 (+1) at the Golfweek Program Championship at the True Blue Golf Course in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
The Australian sits at 141 (-3) for the tournament and is eight strokes back of Max Theodorakis (Campbell) in first, who shot a tournament-low 63 in Monday's second round. The Eagles are currently tied with Delaware as a team.
"We competed well once again," FGCU head coach Eric Booker said. "We didn't do too well on the third hole, shooting six shots over par combined, but I'm confident we can break through in tomorrow's final round."
Despite that third hole, which featured a pair of double-bogeys, junior Doug Smith (9th hole) and Potter (4th hole) each produced an eagle on a par-5. Outside of the third and fourth holes, Smith went 1-under. Freshman Chase Bigham had a team-high five birdies and improved his first-round score by two strokes.
Bigham and sophomore Cole Castro each tied for second on the team in Monday's round with even-par 72's as Bigham cut two strokes off his opening-round score, while Castro shaved one stroke off his first-round total.
Campbell University shot a 274 (-14) in the second round and now owns a 19 stroke lead over second-place Gardner-Webb (562, -14). Old Dominion sits in third with a 567 (-9).
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS:
T-15 - Andrew Potter – 71-70---141 (-3)
T-35 - Cole Castro – 73-72---145 (+1)
T-42 - Chase Bigham – 74-72---146 (+2)
T-46 - Doug Smith – 72-75---147 (+3)
T-46 - Brent Fredericksen – 70-77---147 (+3)
TEAM STANDINGS for Day Two:
1. #60 – Campbell – 269-274---543 (-33)
2. #148 - Gardner-Webb – 278-284---562 (-14)
3. #143 - Old Dominion – 283-284---567 (-9)
T-4. #162 – Bradley – 281-290---571 (-5)
T-4. #176 - Austin Peay – 282-289---571 (-5)
6. #135 - South Dakota – 282-290---572 (-4)
7. #150 - Stephen F. Austin State – 281-292---573 (-3)
T-8. #173 – FGCU – 286-289---575 (-1)
T-8. #219 – Delaware – 276-299---575 (-1)
10. #139 - Jacksonville State – 293-286---579 (+3)
T-11. #255 - Presbyterian College – 288-297---585 (+9)
T-11. #260 – Valparaiso – 282-303---585 (+9)
13. #220 - Tennessee Tech – 296-291---587 (+11)
14. #279 - Alabama State – 297-291---588 (+12)
The Australian sits at 141 (-3) for the tournament and is eight strokes back of Max Theodorakis (Campbell) in first, who shot a tournament-low 63 in Monday's second round. The Eagles are currently tied with Delaware as a team.
"We competed well once again," FGCU head coach Eric Booker said. "We didn't do too well on the third hole, shooting six shots over par combined, but I'm confident we can break through in tomorrow's final round."
Despite that third hole, which featured a pair of double-bogeys, junior Doug Smith (9th hole) and Potter (4th hole) each produced an eagle on a par-5. Outside of the third and fourth holes, Smith went 1-under. Freshman Chase Bigham had a team-high five birdies and improved his first-round score by two strokes.
Bigham and sophomore Cole Castro each tied for second on the team in Monday's round with even-par 72's as Bigham cut two strokes off his opening-round score, while Castro shaved one stroke off his first-round total.
Campbell University shot a 274 (-14) in the second round and now owns a 19 stroke lead over second-place Gardner-Webb (562, -14). Old Dominion sits in third with a 567 (-9).
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS:
T-15 - Andrew Potter – 71-70---141 (-3)
T-35 - Cole Castro – 73-72---145 (+1)
T-42 - Chase Bigham – 74-72---146 (+2)
T-46 - Doug Smith – 72-75---147 (+3)
T-46 - Brent Fredericksen – 70-77---147 (+3)
TEAM STANDINGS for Day Two:
1. #60 – Campbell – 269-274---543 (-33)
2. #148 - Gardner-Webb – 278-284---562 (-14)
3. #143 - Old Dominion – 283-284---567 (-9)
T-4. #162 – Bradley – 281-290---571 (-5)
T-4. #176 - Austin Peay – 282-289---571 (-5)
6. #135 - South Dakota – 282-290---572 (-4)
7. #150 - Stephen F. Austin State – 281-292---573 (-3)
T-8. #173 – FGCU – 286-289---575 (-1)
T-8. #219 – Delaware – 276-299---575 (-1)
10. #139 - Jacksonville State – 293-286---579 (+3)
T-11. #255 - Presbyterian College – 288-297---585 (+9)
T-11. #260 – Valparaiso – 282-303---585 (+9)
13. #220 - Tennessee Tech – 296-291---587 (+11)
14. #279 - Alabama State – 297-291---588 (+12)
FGCU W. Golf: Golf Week Program Challenge Recap- Day Two
Senior Kelsy Holbert fired a team best 68 (+3) on Monday and is tied for ninth through two rounds of the Golfweek Program Challenge as the FGCU women's golf team sits in a tie for fifth place Presbyterian College among 14 teams with a 601 (+33) at the Caledonia Golf and Fish Club in Pawley's Island, South Carolina.
"I could not be more proud of Kelsy for her career-low round," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "She put on one of the best ball striking rounds I have ever witnessed in my coaching career and really stepped up big time for us today. I am so happy for her."
Holbert's 3-under result is tied for the fourth best round in program history with four others (current junior Ailsa Clark, Megan Blonien, Heather Hagerman and Brittany Bertilson). In terms of total strokes, her 68 is tied for the second lowest round, although Briana Carlson (67, 5-under), current junior Kate Williamson (68, 4-under) and Bertilson (68, 4-under) each shot further under par.
Personally, Holbert's previous best round was 72, which she achieved in the third and final round of the MSU Citrus Challenge on March 22, 2016 and in the first round of the ASUN Championship on April 16, 2017. On Monday, she jumped 18 spots from her post first-round position, which was the third largest improvement among all individuals.
"Overall, we had a rough day as a team," Trew said. "We just couldn't get anything going and compounded mistakes. Tomorrow we need to eliminate the double bogeys and really focus on finishing our last three holes stronger."
Speaking of Clark, the Navarre native is currently second on the team and tied for 22nd individually with a 149 (+7). She is the most consistent member of the team entering the final day as her two rounds are separated by just one stroke. Clark and grad student Lexie Flerlage each birdied one hole on the day.
Senior Madeline Marck-Sherk shot a second-round 77 and sits in a tie for 30th place overall (+9).
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T-9 – Kelsy Holbert – 76-68---144 (+2)
T-22 – Ailsa Clark – 74-75---149 (+7)
T-30 – Madeline Marck-Sherk – 74-77---151 (+9)
T-47 – Lexie Flerlage – 75-82---157 (+15)
T-68 – Jean Tyrrell – 80-85---168 (+23)
Team Standings as of Day Two:
1. #45 – Campbell – 283-277---560 (-8)
2. #60 – Old Dominion – 282-280---562 (-6)
3. #98 – Delaware – 304-289---593 (+25)
4. #137 – Jacksonville State – 296-301---597 (+29)
T-5. #187 – Presbyterian College – 296-305---601 (+33)
T-5. #128 – FGCU – 299-302---601 (+33)
7. #145 – Bradley – 311-291---602 (+34)
8. #232 – Gardner-Webb – 303-301---604 (+36)
9. #228 – Alabama State – 309-302---611 (+43)
10. #209 – South Dakota – 304-309---613 (+45)
11. #211 – Stephen F. Austin State – 312-308---620 (+52)
T-12. #179 – Austin Peay – 317-310---627 (+59)
T-12. #217 – Tennessee Tech – 315-312---627 (+59)
14. #245 – Valparaiso – 322-317---639 (+71)
The Eagles will wrap up day three of the tournament.
"I could not be more proud of Kelsy for her career-low round," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "She put on one of the best ball striking rounds I have ever witnessed in my coaching career and really stepped up big time for us today. I am so happy for her."
Holbert's 3-under result is tied for the fourth best round in program history with four others (current junior Ailsa Clark, Megan Blonien, Heather Hagerman and Brittany Bertilson). In terms of total strokes, her 68 is tied for the second lowest round, although Briana Carlson (67, 5-under), current junior Kate Williamson (68, 4-under) and Bertilson (68, 4-under) each shot further under par.
Personally, Holbert's previous best round was 72, which she achieved in the third and final round of the MSU Citrus Challenge on March 22, 2016 and in the first round of the ASUN Championship on April 16, 2017. On Monday, she jumped 18 spots from her post first-round position, which was the third largest improvement among all individuals.
"Overall, we had a rough day as a team," Trew said. "We just couldn't get anything going and compounded mistakes. Tomorrow we need to eliminate the double bogeys and really focus on finishing our last three holes stronger."
Speaking of Clark, the Navarre native is currently second on the team and tied for 22nd individually with a 149 (+7). She is the most consistent member of the team entering the final day as her two rounds are separated by just one stroke. Clark and grad student Lexie Flerlage each birdied one hole on the day.
Senior Madeline Marck-Sherk shot a second-round 77 and sits in a tie for 30th place overall (+9).
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
T-9 – Kelsy Holbert – 76-68---144 (+2)
T-22 – Ailsa Clark – 74-75---149 (+7)
T-30 – Madeline Marck-Sherk – 74-77---151 (+9)
T-47 – Lexie Flerlage – 75-82---157 (+15)
T-68 – Jean Tyrrell – 80-85---168 (+23)
Team Standings as of Day Two:
1. #45 – Campbell – 283-277---560 (-8)
2. #60 – Old Dominion – 282-280---562 (-6)
3. #98 – Delaware – 304-289---593 (+25)
4. #137 – Jacksonville State – 296-301---597 (+29)
T-5. #187 – Presbyterian College – 296-305---601 (+33)
T-5. #128 – FGCU – 299-302---601 (+33)
7. #145 – Bradley – 311-291---602 (+34)
8. #232 – Gardner-Webb – 303-301---604 (+36)
9. #228 – Alabama State – 309-302---611 (+43)
10. #209 – South Dakota – 304-309---613 (+45)
11. #211 – Stephen F. Austin State – 312-308---620 (+52)
T-12. #179 – Austin Peay – 317-310---627 (+59)
T-12. #217 – Tennessee Tech – 315-312---627 (+59)
14. #245 – Valparaiso – 322-317---639 (+71)
The Eagles will wrap up day three of the tournament.
FGCU W. Soc @ Dayton Recap
After being pushed to the limit against Ohio State in 1-0 victorious fashion, the FGCU women's soccer team (5-0-1) were pushed even further as they ended with a 0-0 draw in double overtime against Dayton (4-2-1) to wrap up their two-game road trip in Ohio.
"Our kids were disappointed with the tie," Jim Blankenship said. "I think that shows you what their mentality is right now. That is good. I am very proud of them for getting another result on the road in tough conditions today. Overall it was a phenomenal road trip."
"Well today was a good result for our program," said Dayton head coach Eric Golz. "Florida Gulf Coast is obviously a very talented and well-coached team, and their on are on a great run so far this year, so we knw it was going to be a challenge, but I think our team repsonded, and I think we did some thing quite well within our possession and buildup.
Blakenship sent junior Melissa Weck to start while Golz sent senior Kaelyn Johns to counter.
In the first half, everything seemed to be in good spirits as both teams fought to prevent any goals from happening, but in the second half, the match got more aggressive and out-of-hand, mainly from the Flyers.
Not even a minute in, a foul occurred and a furious Golz was issued a yellow card.
Not even a minute in, a foul occurred and a furious Golz was issued a yellow card.
One minute later, the Flyers would foul again, this time from senior midfielder Keagin Collie. Collie would push further and ended up with a yellow card, but after an unsportsmanlike attitude, Collie was issued a red card and ejected from the game, finishing with 90 minutes of play. Collie will be suspended for the Flyers' next game against Xavier.
"There were some unfortunate circumstances that led to us being a player down," said Golz on being a man down. "But to play a man down for the last 35 minutes of the match speaks a great deal to the character of this team. This team has a tremendous amount of resolve, character and will to win, and I think that they showed a lot of heart today in their performance, the effort they exerted, the discipline that they showed within our tactics and I'm just really proud of the group today
Another minute later, sophomore Cassidy Morgan was issued a yellow card, but remained in the game.
Fritz would take one more shot to score, but was unable to, thus sending the game into overtime.
In the first overtime, Fritz had another corner kick, but once again, was to avail sending the game to double overtime.
The Eagles had an opportunity to get the win off of a header from senior Camile Knudstrup, but it missed and ended there.
Weck (5-0-1) finished with one save in the game and her fourth shutout this season (24th in her career).
Johns (4-2-1) finished with four saves.
The Eagles outshot the Flyers 13-6 (4-1 in shots on goal) and both teams had a combined 25 fouls in the game including the three yellow cards and red card from Collie.
Up Next:
The Eagles continue their four-game road trip before conference play with matches against FIU and Loyola Chicago.
The Eagles continue their four-game road trip before conference play with matches against FIU and Loyola Chicago.
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