AT A GLANCE
FMU Lions (3-3, 3-3) vs. Keiser University Seahawks (6-0, 4-0)
When: Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Where: Florida Memorial, Miami Gardens, Fla. | FMU Wellness Center
First Serve: 7 p.m.
Last Meeting: Nov. 15, 2019, Win 3-2
Live Stream: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/fmulions/index.htm
Live Stats: https://fmuathletics.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – No one said the "road to a repeat" would be a smoothly-paved ride through calming scenes.
For Florida Memorial University's volleyball team and head coach
Marrita Crockett-Moulton, they were prepared to battle the attrition that comes along with any season – especially one being played under the burden of a pandemic – and the next big milestone will be Wednesday night when the Lions host undefeated Keiser University in the FMU Wellness Center.
The match, which is set for a 7 p.m. first serve, will be a matchup between the top two teams in the Sun Conference's preseason poll – FMU ranked No. 2 and Keiser ranked No. 1 – and will be a rematch of 2019's conference tournament semifinal. Florida Memorial rallied back from a 2-1 set deficit to knock off the Seahawks in route to its conference championship.
Aside from a showcase of two of the Sun Conference's top teams, Wednesday night will also be a time for FMU Athletics to showcase the academic prowess of its student-athletes. The school will be recognizing student-athletes who achieved a 3.0 or higher grade-point average this past semester as members of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
On the court, the Lions will be coming into Wednesday's match with the bitter taste of a tough loss still in its mouth. After jumping out to a 2-0 set lead, FMU saw College of Coastal Georgia rally back for a 3-2 win.
Still, Florida Memorial (3-3, 3-3 Sun Conference) showed it is one of the conference's toughest teams to beat when it plays to its full potential.
Sophomore
Biancaliz Cruz – a 2019 All-Sun Conference First-Team selection – has shown that she's once again one of top players in the conference. The Caguas, Puerto Rico native has finished with double-digit kills totals in four out of the past five games, including a career-best 14 kills this past weekend.
Also, with her 22-dig performance against Coastal Georgia, senior Keisha Santana became the Sun Conference's leader in total digs this season with 99 through six matches.
In Keiser (6-0, 4-0), the Lions won't only be facing an undefeated team, but a team that has only lost two total sets up to this point in the season. The Seahawks lost a single set in each of its first two matches – against Ave Maria University and Coastal Georgia – and swept its next four opponents. Keiser has four players with 35 or more kills, led by two-time Sun Conference Player of the Year Abbie Seward's 68 kills.
Recent history between the two programs on the volleyball court would say that Wednesday's match could very likely be a lengthy one. In 2019, the teams squared off three times with each match going the full distance of five sets.
While an extended match stresses the Lions' still-shorthanded, 10-person roster, look for Florida Memorial to be given an extra boost from playing in front of its home crowd, where it is 2-1 on the year.
