Top seed FGCU soccer faces Stetson in A-Sun semis
For the fifth straight season, FGCU is hosting the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship women’s soccer tournament and the top-seeded Eagles take on No. 5 Stetson at 7 p.m. Friday in the semifinal round.
The Eagles (11-5-2, 6-0-1 A-Sun) will compete for a spot on the championship match on Sunday against the winner of the other semifinal match. The Eagles also host the semifinal between No. 2 Lipscomb and No. 3 Jacksonville at 4 p.m. Friday. The Championship Final winner earns the A-Sun’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
FGCU enters the weekend seeking a fifth straight trip to the Championship Final and ultimately a fourth A-Sun title and fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Volleyball: With a spot in the A-Sun Conference Championships already clinched, the Eagles continue their quest this weekend for one of the top seeds with their final road games of the regular season.
The Eagles currently sit in second place with an 8-2 mark in the A-Sun, trailing only Lipscomb (9-1). On the schedule this weekend are visits with the Spartans of USC Upstate and the Kennesaw State Owls.
Action begins in Spartanburg, S.C., at 6 p.m. on Friday when the Eagles take on Upstate. Saturday marks the final road match for FGCU. The Eagles and Owls are scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve.
The Eagles assured themselves a spot in the A-Sun tournament with a 3-1 win over North Florida last Friday, but had a nine-match winning streak halted by a 3-2 loss to Jacksonville the next day.
At 19-8 overall, FGCU holds a two-game lead over both Kennesaw State and Jacksonville in the league standings. The Owls and Dolphins both enter the weekend with matching 6-4 conference marks.
With a pair of wins this weekend, the Eagles could secure one of the top two seeds for the upcoming tournament.
Amanda Carroll is on pace to record 400 kills this season and continues to rise in the national rankings, closing in on the top 50 in both total kills (349) and points (407). Vanessa Benke moved into the top 40 nationally in total digs (462) while Maggie Rick surpassed 1,000 assists in 2015 and moved into the top 30 in the country in the category.
At 2-8 in the A-Sun and 14-12 overall, the Spartans could be facing elimination this weekend as they trail Stetson and North Florida by two games for the sixth and final spot in the tournament.
The Eagles defeated the Spartans 3-0 on Oct. 10. Earlier this season the Eagles triumphed over the Owls in five sets.