College roundup: FGCU beach volleyball falls to Stetson in ASUN title match
The Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball team made it through to the title match of the Atlantic Sun tournament on Sunday, but couldn't beat No. 13 Stetson again, falling to the top-seeded Hatters, 3-1, in DeLand.
Stetson, which won their third title in their fifth straight title match appearance, swept the Eagles, 5-0, in a winner's bracket match earlier Sunday, but FGCU bounced back to beat North Florida, 3-2, to get another shot at the Hatters for the title.
In the final, Stetson's fifth seed Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Carly Perales won in straight sets over Caroline Jordan and Kaitlan Krivdo, 21-17, 21-14. The two were the only pair in the tournament to finish undefeated at 3-0. The Eagles evened the score with Madi Wilcox and Leigh Pudwill winning 24-22, 24-22, at No. 4. Stetson's Darby Dunn and Kristin Lind beat Giovanna Borgiotti and Ashley Glickert, 21-18, 21-12. Then Kaylee Anderson and Emily Carroll won the match with a 21-16, 21-19 victory over FGCU's Karissa Rhoades and Katherine Puisis. Stetson No. 1 Samantha Harris and Maggie Skelbred did not finish their match with Amanda Carroll and Mackenzie Allen due to the early final. The teams split the first two sets.
UNF, the No. 4 seed, knocked off No. 2 seed Mercer to stay alive and play the Eagles. FGCU's Jordan and Krivdo lost 21-14, 21-12, but the Eagles evened the match at No. 4 when Wilcox and Pudwill -- who were named to the all-tournament team -- pulled out a 21-16, 17-21 ,15-13 win. Rhoades and Puisis gave FGCU a 2-1 lead with a 21-17, 23-21 win at No. 3. Carroll and Allen lost 21-13, 21-19 at No. 1 as UNF evened the match. But Borgiotti and Glickert came through in another three-setter, winning 21-19, 17-21, 15-9.
BASEBALL
UNF 10, FGCU 5: The Eagles were swept for the first time this season in a conference series and the third time since the start of the 2016 conference season. Before last year, FGCU had been swept just three times since joining the ASUN in 2008.
Nick Rivera put the Eagles (28-15, 4-8 ASUN) up with a two-run homer in Jacksonville, and Alex Brait followed with a solo shot in the first. But UNF (29-15, 10-2) scored five times combined in the second through fifth innings, and added five more combined in the sixth and seventh.
The Eagles allowed 10 runs on 20 hits -- their second-highest total of the season. Brad Deppermann got the win, allowing four runs on six hits. Rivera homered again in the top of the sixth, and pinch-hitter Eli Lovell homered in the ninth.
."We got some big hits in the game. There just wasn't anyone on base to drive in when the hits came," FGCU coach Dave Tollett said. "It was a tough week and weekend for us. We'll get back to Fort Myers, try to figure some things out (Monday) and head over to take on a tough FAU team in Boca Raton on Tuesday."
SOFTBALL
FGCU-KSU CANCELED: With FGCU leading 1-0 in the top of the fifth inning the rubber match was canceled due to weather and will not be rescheduled. The Eagles (22-24, 4-7 ASUN) led the Owls, and Riley Randolph was perfect through four innings.
The Eagles scored a run in the second inning on a Bri Innamorato sacrifice fly, and Randolph continued to pester the Owls (32-15, 8-6) through the first four innings. The Eagles play a midweek doubleheader against USF on Wednesday.
MEN'S GOLF
THE SUN TOURNAMENT: The Ave Maria University men's golf team is in ninth place in the 10-team Sun Conference Tournament after the first round in Beaufort, South Carolina.
The Gyrenes shot a 324. James Desanges fired an even-par 72 and is tied for fifth overall but the rest of the team struggled. Cameron Weikart shot a 79 and is tied for 24th, followed by Andre Scopone (T45, 86), Michael Toomey (47th, 87) and Nicholas Dicioccio (49th, 98).
The tournament continues through Tuesday.