FORT MYERS, Fla. – After posting its second straight 20-win season, Eastern Kentucky University is now three wins away from capturing the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Championship. Tournament play for the fourth seeded Colonels begins Thursday against No. 5 Jacksonville at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.
The opening round match will begin at 4 p.m. and air live on ESPN+. Florida Gulf Coast University is serving as host of this year's tournament.
THE COLONELS
- EKU (20-9, 11-5 ASUN) finished fourth in the league standings, two games behind third place Central Arkansas. The Colonels are the only ASUN team to beat regular season champion Florida Gulf Coast this season.
- Since the start of the 2023 season, the Colonels are a combined 41-18. EKU has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 2004 (27-5) and 2005 (23-7).
- In her last four matches, senior
Sarah Mitchell has averaged 4.38 kills, 5.0 points, 2.94 digs, 0.50 aces and 0.25 blocks per set. She has 70 kills and only nine errors in 165 attempts for a .370 attack percentage during that span.
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Josie Schmitendorf is 46th in the NCAA with 4.70 digs per set and 22nd with 517 total digs.
Paige Wagers is 45th in the nation with 1.25 blocks per set and 25th with 134 total blocks.
- As a team, EKU leads the ASUN in kills (13.65/set) and assists (12.79/set), and is second in points (17.33/set). The Colonels are third in digs (16.45/set), hitting percentage (.232), blocks (2.24/set) and opponent aces (1.29/set).
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
- Jacksonville is 15-13 overall and finished fifth in the conference with a 10-6 league mark. The Dolphins were one game behind EKU, and one game in front of North Florida and North Alabama in the final standings. JU had a 3-match winning streak snapped by FGCU on Saturday.
- Breanna McDonough leads the team, and is second in the ASUN, with 3.95 kills per set. Amina Dervisevic averages a team-high 1.02 blocks per set, and is one of five Dolphins averaging 0.70 or more blocks per set.
- Jacksonville is fourth in the conference in points (16.54/set) and aces (1.64/set). JU is fifth in kills (12.96/set).
- The Dolphins allow the most blocks in the ASUN with 2.43 per set.
INSIDE THE SERIES
- The Colonels are 6-1 all-time against Jacksonville. EKU picked up a 3-0 win in Richmond on Oct. 25.
- Four Colonels had nine or 10 kills and four had three or more blocks in the win over the Dolphins earlier this season.
AG Vandagriff had a team-high 10 kills, did not commit an error and posted a .556 attack percentage. McDonough had a match-best 17 kills for Jacksonville, finishing with a .448 attack percentage.
