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11/19/2009 - VOLLEYBALL
Eagles Ace Opener in Eliminating Camels
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FORT MYERS, Fla. - Playing in its first Atlantic Sun Volleyball Championship match, FGCU, led by Jelena Simic's 18 kills, advanced to the semifinals with a 25-18, 25-15, 25-17 defeat of Campbell on Thursday at Alico Arena.
The Eagles (17-12) used their stellar home-court advantage, 29-3 at Alico Arena since moving up to Division I three years ago, and fast starts in all sets in turning in one of their more completes matches of the year.
FGCU dominated in all three sets, winning the first point of the match on a kill from sophomore outside hitter Anna Wagner. Campbell (17-15) fought to return the favor as they benefitted from a service error, but FGCU broke out of the stalemate when Simic led the Eagles on a 7-2 run. During the first set, FGCU’s lead extended as wide as 10 points and the Camels’ .094 hitting percentage allowed the Eagles to pull away and take the set.
The Eagles rushed out of the gate in the second set, as several Campbell attack errors left the Camels behind in the dust by five points. Simic proved to be a force to reckon with on the court again, as the Lazarevac, Serbia native tallied six kills, leading the team into the break, 25-17. Similar to the first set, the Camels posted a mere -.029 hitting percentage due to six errors on five kills during the set.
Simic, a member of the First-Team All-Conference, served back-to-back aces to kick start the Eagles in the thir set. Campbell chose this moment to rally and cut the Eagle lead as junior middle blocker Caitlin Bendy narrowed the margin to 12-7 on two kills. However, FGCU’s junior middle blocker Jacqueline Cowden paired with a home court advantage and thundering crowd lifted the Eagles to the win against the Camels and into a semifinal match on Friday against No. 2 Jacksonville.
FGCU, as a team, hit .223 for the match, as compared to Campbell’s .057 tally. Second-Team All-Atlantic Sun setter senior Chandra Lefever recorded a match-high 27 assists, to go along with 17 digs and two kills. Along with her 18 kills, Simic also notched six digs and six aces, while sophomore libero Holly Youngquist also collected 26 digs and finished as one of two Eagles without an error, alongside sophomore outside hitter Laura Metz. First-Team All-Atlantic Sun senior middle blocker Ashley Weers led the Camels in the contest with six kills, four blocks and a .385 hitting percentage.
The Eagles win sets up an ‘intra-state” matchup with Jacksonville on Friday at 7:30 p.m. FGCU and Jacksonville tied for second in the A-Sun with matching 15-5 records, however, the Dolphins earned the nod as the second seed thanks to winning two dramatic five-set contests with the Eagles.
In the meeting at Jacksonville, held on Sept. 25, the Dolphins jumped out to a two-set advantage only to see the Eagles win sets three and four. Jacksonville recovered in the fifth set to pull out a 15-8 win in the deciding set. On Oct. 17 in Alico Arena, it was the Eagles who won the first two sets but the Dolphins turned in around starting in the third set, winning 25-11. A fourth-set win set up another tie-breaking set. Jacksonville completed the comeback by claiming the final stanza, 15-9.
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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I member committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
