FGCU transitions from fall to winter
Fall sports at FGCU are coming to a close with postseason play having begun or soon to commence. Winter sports, specifically basketball, begins this weekend for both men’s and women’s teams.
In the final non-conference matchup of the season, the Eagles volleyball team defeated FIU 3-1 at Alico Arena Wednesday night. The team earned a win in set one (25-20) before falling in set two (25-16), but battled back for wins in sets three and four (25-18, 25-21) to earn their 18th victory of the season.
The Eagles now stand at 18-9 on the year with a 10-2 Atlantic Sun record.
“I thought the team responded great out of the break,” said Eagles coach Matt Botsford. “FIU played extremely well in the second set and we didn’t let it affect us. We started to execute at a higher level and that’s the kind of response we are looking for at this stage of the season.”
Offensively, junior Eleonora Kazarian led the way with 22 kills. Seniors Jessica Barnes and Olivia Mesner added 14 and 12, respectively. Senior setter Gigi Meyer distributed the ball well for the Eagles, amassing 50 assists on the night and adding 12 digs on the defensive side.
Senior Whitney Masters paced the team with 31 digs in the four-set match to set a new FGCU single-match Division I program record. Kazarian and Meyer added 14 and 12, while freshman Mackenzie Allen also produced double figures with 10 digs against FIU. Mesner led the team’s blocking effort with four total blocks.
The Eagles conclude the 2014 regular season this weekend with road matches at North Florida and Jacksonville Friday and Saturday, respectively.
The women’s soccer team hosts Auburn Saturday in the first round of the NCAA?Champion-ship tournament while the men’s team faces an A-Sun Conference semifinal match Friday at Lipscomb.
FGCU tips off the women’s basketball season tonight with the men opening up Saturday afternoon. Both games are on campus at Alico Arena.