FGCU sweeps USCU volleyball
The Florida Gulf Coast University women’s volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 win (25-21, 25-20, 25-18) over USC Upstate Thursday night at Alico Arena.
FGCU concluded the regular season with 16-12 record and a 15-5 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference play.
The Eagles will be either the second or third seed in the A-Sun Conference Tournament beginning Nov. 19 at Alico Arena.
If Jacksonville University loses either of its two remaining conference games this weekend, FGCU will be the No. 2 seed. If JU wins both games, the Eagles will be No. 3 by virtue of a 0-2 record against the Dolphins this season.
“We are playing better,” FGCU head coach Dave Nichols said. “We’re still improving on a weekly basis and we have another week to continue to improve.”
The Eagles got off to a fast start in the first set after junior Jelena Simic blasted a kill that put FGCU up 3-1 and smashed another to make it 7-2. Junior Emma Racila put the Eagles up 11-6, but Upstate went on a scoring run to trim the lead to 16-14.
Senior Chandra Lefever tipped a kill over that put FGCU up 17-14 and the Eagles stretched that lead to 21-16 after another kill by Racila. A kill by senior Ashley Yance inched FGCU closer to victory at 22-17 and junior Jacqueline Cowden gave FGCU the first set at 25-21 with a kill.
Cowden put the Eagles up 5-3 early in the second and Racila pushed that lead to 10-8. Anna Wagner served an ace that pushed the advantage to 15-12. FGCU won the second set 25-20 after the Spartan hitting error.
Upstate led 5-2 in the third set. Yance helped tie the set at 6-6 with a block and FGCU gained a 12-8 lead with a kill.
Upstate roared back to tie it 13-13, but FGCU opened a 17-14 advantage . Simic then recorded back-to-back kills to put FGCU up 21-16 and the match ended on Yance’s block.