WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Friday, Nov. 7 at 1 p.m.: Polk State College (8-14, 3-9 Citrus Conference) vs. No. 20 Daytona State College (13-11, 7-5 Citrus Conference) – FCSAA Tournament Quarterfinals in Fort Myers

PREVIEW

• After a one-year hiatus, Polk State is back in the FCSAA Tournament. The sixth-seeded Eagles will kick off the tournament on Friday against No. 3 seed Daytona State College. Polk State beat the Falcons 3-1 in the 2023 FCSAA Tournament third-place match – the last postseason meeting between the schools.

• Daytona State won both regular season meetings this year between the teams. The Falcons won 3-1 in Daytona Beach on Sept. 27 and 3-0 in Winter Haven on Oct. 22.

• Polk State clinched the final spot in the postseason with a 3-0 win over Santa Fe College last Wednesday. It was the first Citrus Conference sweep and first conference road win for the Eagles under second-year Head Coach Jessica Beal.

• In the sweep of Santa Fe, Alexia Ortiz set career-highs with seven service aces and 26 assists. Ortiz currently ranks second in the FCSAA, averaging 0.61 aces per set. If that average holds, it would be the highest for a Polk State player since 2021 when Aitza Cruz averaged 0.66 service aces per set.

• In last week's win over Santa Fe, freshman Dublin Fitzgerald set a career-high with six kills and had her first career ace.

• Isabella Ramos had seven digs in the Eagles' win over Santa Fe and ranks fifth in the FCSAA, averaging 3.62 digs per set. Daytona State's Alyssa Rosa ranks third, averaging 3.78 digs per set. 

• Daytona State's Alice Santoro ranks third in the FCSAA, averaging 1.17 blocks per set. She had three total blocks in each of the Falcons' wins over Polk State this season.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.: IMG Academy at Polk State College (1-1)

PREVIEW

• Polk State finished 1-1 at the Daytona Beach Shootout. The Eagles dropped a double-overtime heartbreaker to the University of Salkehatchie on Friday before bouncing back to beat Wake Technical Community College on Saturday. The 134-127 loss on Friday was the highest-scoring game under Head Coach Brandon Giles and the most points for the Eagles in a loss under Giles. 

• Polk State forward Ethan Simon finished with 31 points and 16 rebounds against USC Salkehatchie in his debut on Friday. That was the most points for a Polk State player since Dominick Nelson scored 32 points against Indian River State College on Jan. 27, 2024. It was the most points and rebounds for a Polk State player in his debut under Giles. Simon's 12 rebounds per game average is tied for tops in the FCSAA.

• Although Polk State came up short in its season opener, the Eagles had three players score at least 20 points. In addition to Simon's 31, Marques DaSilva-Romero and Eric Dailey added 27 and 23 points, respectively. It marked the first time since Jan. 2 when Karl Knighten Jr. (28), Jordan Brown (26) and Fray Nguimbi (21) each eclipsed 20 points in a 121-76 win over West Bay Collegiate Academy.

• DaSilva-Romeo made seven 3-pointers for Polk State in the season opener. That is the most for a Polk State player in a game since Tekorian “TK” Smith hit eight against Hillsborough Community College on Feb. 8, 2019.

• In Saturday's 89-63 win over Wake Technical Community College, the Eagles hit 17 3-pointers on 31 attempts – 55% from deep. That's the most makes for Polk State since hitting 18 against Rising Stars Academy on Jan. 31, 2024. It is the highest percentage since last season when Polk State shot 58% (11-for-19) in a 91-67 win over Indian River State College on Jan. 25, 2025.

• With 29 made 3-pointers through two games, Polk State leads the FCSAA and ranks second nationally. The Eagles also rank ninth nationally in percentage, shooting 43.9% from distance. DaSilva-Romeo is tied for the FCSAA lead with eight makes. Isaiah McCray, who scored a career-high 25 points in Saturday's victory, is tied for third with seven made 3-pointers.