Stetson's Sam Ryder dons the blogger hat from his NCAA Regional

Stetson's Sam Ryder - the 2012 A-Sun Championship Individual Medalist - competes over the next three days at the NCAA Regional on the Grandover Resort East Course in Greensboro, N.C. 

Ryder will see some familiar faces in the regional tournament where he will be joined by East Tennessee State’s Rhys Enoch and Campbell’s Vaita Guillaume. The top team in the regional is Auburn. Other top teams in the regional are UNLV, Florida and Duke.

The Atlantic Sun Conference placed four individual players into the regionals in addition to league champion North Florida, which will play as the No. 2 seed in the Regional in Athens, Ga., and Kennesaw State, which received an at large invitation and will play as the No. 7 seed in the Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich. FGCU's Brandon Pena and UNF's Joey Petronio will also be blogging from Athens.

Each will be checking in each day with thoughts on their experiences. Below are Ryder's thoughts on his first day in Greensboro.

"Just finished up my practice round today with the rest of the individuals competing in the tournament. They're a good group of guys, and it was fun playing with them. It was kind of funny because it's almost like we're playing on a team together, even though we're all from different schools. 

The course is a good layout, with a lot of fun and demanding holes. It's in good shape – a little soggy because they've gotten a good bit of rain recently – but it should dry up a little bit before tomorrow. 

Now I'm just going to practice a little bit before the reception at 4:00. After that coach and I will head back to the hotel, rest up, and get ready for a good round tomorrow."

ETSU Senior Sander Gille's Final Report from Columbus

Saturday, May 12
GAME DAY!! Just like yesterday, our day begins at 8.30 with some breakfast. Even though we will be getting lunch around 11, it is important that we get some food in our bodies early, and start being active. 

For the next two hours, we are just hanging out in the hotel, mentally preparing for our match in the afternoon. We are following the live stats of Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt to get a clear idea when to head out to the courts. After a not so tasty "Subway", we found the Commodores fighting the Irish to the bone. Their match would go to a third set in the deciding match, which caused our match to be moved back by 45 minutes. 

We warmed up on the reserve 4 courts during the end of their match. After hearing the familiar celebration roars, it was time to shine for the Bucs. We had worked for this moment all season long, and a lack of motivation was way out of order. Coach's energizing and motivating words rose over the top, and even one of our freshman, Ricardo, took the word at the dinner table last night. Words such as talent, confidence, belief, trust, support, and unity set the tone of his speech. If hearing these things out of the mouth of a freshman, who has only been with us since January, does not give you goose bumps, you shouldn't call yourself an athlete. 

Players were introduced per team in alphabetical order before taking on the courts for doubles. Music boosting out of the stadium speakers, and a loud, energizing crowd only added up to the adrenaline running through our veins. Having early break points on number 2, Robin and me being a break up (twice) against the #1 team in the nation, and staying on serve on number 3, showed that the Bucs had come to fight. 

Unfortunately, more missed game and break points caused us to lose the doubles point. Nonetheless, we had experienced with our own eyes that they were not superior to us! We created our own opportunities, but did not manage to capitalize. 

Moving into singles with even more belief, we held our ground on each court. However, one break on every court was enough for the Buckeyes to win all six first sets. Their individual level was not much higher than ours, but the speed, consistency, and continuity of their game took the upper hand.

Throughout my four years in college, I have played against several top 10 teams, and I can honestly say that no other team has impressed me as much as Ohio State did. They ended up taking the second set on number 2, 4, and 5 to clinch the victory. However, we could leave the court with our heads held high. We gave them all we had, and they had to battle for every point on each court.

Once more, we have shown our ability to play with the best teams in the nation, and proven our potential for the upcoming years. I think it was vital for our returning players to have this experience, and realize they are as good as anyone else. I hope they work hard during the summer to be ready to keep the winning tradition going, and go even further than second round in the NCAA tournament.

When we got back to the hotel after the match, I fell asleep right away. The match and overall circumstances had completely worn me out. At 8.30 p.m., we went for dinner at Logan's Roadhouse for our very last team dinner of the year. After enjoying our steaks, the seniors went for some drinks at Applebee's to "celebrate" the end of our college careers and watch the Nuggets/Lakers game.


Sunday, May 13
This morning we set course back to Johnson City for the very last time. Maybe the weather reflects some of our feelings that it's all over, as it has been pouring for hours. These four years have surely been the best of my life, and I can not imagine how much I will miss being on this team. However, I will keep in touch with each one of my teammates, and I wish them all the best. I am ready to move on, and look forward to what the future holds for me...

From the Ground Up

When Dave Deiros first came to FGCU the Eagles were an NAIA school with no facilities and no scholarships.

“If when I was hired in July of 2001 and you had told me we would be Division I in 10 years and playing in the NCAA Tournament, I would say you were channeling Nostradamus. There is no way in the world that I had that going through my head,” Deiros said.

The NCAA Tournament is just where the FGCU Eagles are headed. After putting together an 8-0 shutout of No. 2 Kennesaw State the Eagles will make the trip to an NCAA Regional.

“It was just a matter of putting together the best kids that I had. We didn’t have scholarship money at all, we didn’t have facilities on campus,” Deiros said. “We brought kids in that believed and  performed at a high level and everyone else came in after them.”

Deiros has been able to put together some great softball teams over the years. However, he says that the when he invites recruits in to visit FGCU, he is extremely straightforward. He tells them exactly what his expectations are and lets the pieces fall as they may.

“We’ve had nine years of players come through here who have laid the foundation. Players who have even come here with the idea that there would be no postseason, and they came here willingly with the idea that we would play the way that we would, play hard, play to win,” Deiros said.

“I have loads of gratitude and loads of respect for everyone who sacrificed before this group getting here and kind of reaping the rewards of all these kids’ hard work. “

Deiros explained that he and his staff have tried to create a culture of playing the game the right way and that they have a certain style of play they adhere to offensively and defensively. He says they try and find players who fit into that mold.

Standout pitcher Shelby Morgan was one of those players that fit the mold Deiros talked about. Morgan was named the A-Sun Pitcher of the Year and she came into the tournament proving that she was deserving of that award.

Morgan was also named the Tournament MVP after striking out six Owls in the championship game and putting together two shutout wins in tournament play. The Eagle freshman improved to 22-6 on the season with the win.

“It feels great, I love my team so much,” said Shelby Morgan,  about snagging the A-Sun automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The Eagles will find out tomorrow at 10 p.m. where they will be headed in the NCAA tournament, but before that Deiros says his girls are going to go home and relax and soak up the championship win before heading back to work on Tuesday.

Molly Winnett's KSU Owl Update: Day Two

ROUND 2

Today we had our first morning tee time and boy are we glad we did. The weather was predicted to be cold and wet throughout the entire day. It ended up being a 40-degree drop in temperature and rain towards the ends of our rounds. Despite the weather, Lea, Kaew, and I managed to shoot in the 70s with a 75, 78, and 76 respectively.

Once again we played with Illinois and San Jose State.  Illinois is tied for 12th, San Jose State is in 10th, while your Kennesaw State Owls are still in 20th.  Stanford is on top of the leader board with rounds of 287 and 293, a +4 overall performance.

The weather tomorrow is going to be the same as today, however we will be teeing off in the afternoon wave. We might catch more rain tomorrow, but we will be more prepared for it. It’s time to give it all we got on these last 18 holes. We may not qualify for our first National tournament, but I know we will finish trying our best.

ETSU's Sander Gille Day Two: Enjoying a Bit of Columbus

Friday, May 11

Today, we had a relatively early breakfast at 8:30 to get the day started. Since we would only leave for lunch at 11:30, we spent the next few hours hanging out in each others’ rooms, stringing rackets, and playing pranks on our freshmen (toothpaste and water buckets seem to be our favorite prank supplies) to create a “memorable” first trip.

At noon, we set course for one of the local malls, where we would get lunch and have some time to look around in the stores. Robin, Juan, and I passed on the shopping, and went to the Ohio State University Golf Course instead, as one of the ETSU golf girls, Gabriella Wahl, was playing as an individual in the NCAA Regional. Being just a freshman, this is a huge accomplishment for Gab and our golf program, so we decided to go support her. Unfortunately, we could only watch her first six holes (for which she stayed on par), before heading to the tennis courts for our own practice.

Last year when we were here we had seen the plans for their new facility, but it was nice to see the actual realization this year. They have rebuilt 10 courts, four practice courts, and six main courts. Aluminum bleachers to accommodate spectators are stretched over the length of all six courts. The surface has been made a little slower compared to last year, which is in the advantage of most players in our team. It is also extremely hot and humid here in Columbus at this time of the year, but similar conditions in Johnson City these past few weeks have prepared us well to deal with this weather. A team picture was taken before we started our warm up. After two sets of singles and one set of doubles with high intensity, and our goal in mind, we left the courts with a great feeling.

A short shower stop at the hotel was needed before going back to famous “Buca Di Beppo." The restaurant is located downtown, next to the Nationwide Arena, which is the home of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. Since there was a waiting time of almost 45 minutes, we decided to go for a walk. There were numerous bars, with tons of people and music performances. The liveliness created an attractive and contagious atmosphere. Seeing close to 25 bikes in front of one of the bars was pretty impressive. Just as seeing six police men walk out of the bar, back to their bicycles, which they had locked to the railing with their own handcuffs.

After another great dinner, we only got back to the hotel past 10:00 p.m. We watched the second half of the Grizzlies/Clippers game, and then set our alarms for 8:30 a.m. before getting some vital sleep.

ETSU's Sander Gille Day One: Ready for the NCAA Regional

Thursday, May 10

It’s been almost three weeks ago since we won our sixth A-Sun conference title. It’s hard to describe the emotions we felt at that moment. After having such a terrible start of the season, when nearly all hope was lost, we found a way to come together and bounce back. Another championship was the perfect award for such huge team effort, as well as a four-in-a-row goodbye present for all seniors, including Robin Aksér, Jeremy Bonnevalle, and myself. However, this meant that our season was yet to come to an end.

After getting almost a full week off from practice to enjoy the victory, get some rest, and reload the batteries, we all gathered in the Humphrey Center to watch the NCAA Selection Show. It was tough to hide our disappointment when ETSU popped up right under the No. 5-seeded Buckeyes. Realizing that we would have to face a No. 1 seed in the first round, we had still hoped to draw a lower ranked team.

Even though this was a slight setback, we regained our motivation and energy level and started practicing again. Building up consistency, we followed with match situations that were to prepare us for what may become one of the biggest upsets in college tennis history.

After having a final practice session at our home courts, we took on the road to Columbus, OH. It was A seven-hour trip, made by both a 15-passenger van and and one minivan. It was the very first time the entire team travelled, including all of our freshmen. What seemed to be a long drive at first flew by with the endless stories and jokes.

We arrived at our hotel, Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott, around 8 p.m., and immediately left for dinner at "Buca Di Beppo." It’s a cozy Italian restaurant that serves huge pasta combos, which can be shared by three people. Nearly every inch of the walls is covered by pictures and frames of Italian dishes, cities in Italy, and even head shots of the Pope. After filling up our stomachs, we all went straight to bed.

Abbey Mixon Performing On and Off the Field

To Kennesaw State junior Abbey Mixon the this year has been anything but expected.

“It’s been crazy,” Mixon said. “First off, us being the No. 2 seed was not expected at the beginning of the year. It was really cool. We knew coming out here that we had a target on our back and obviously it showed when we lost to Stetson in the first game. We were glad to come out tonight and get to play them again and send them home.”

The pitcher has had an exceptional tournament so far after picking up the win against Stetson to send the Owls into tomorrow’s conference final. Mixon picked up seven strikeouts in the contest as well.

However for Mixon, performing on the field is just as important as performing off the field.

This past summer Mixon embarked on a trip to the Dominican Republic with her then-fiancé, now husband Brad. Mixon had never been on a mission trip before – and she was terrified. Her first morning there she got sick and was ready to head back to the United States.

However, her feelings changed not long after that. Once the upset stomach had passed she was able to really dig deep and focus on why she was there.

“It was such a life-changing experience. I’m so glad I went,”

While in the Dominican Republic, she assisted with vacation bible school classes and church sessions. She also helped rebuild a home for a local pastor whose home was flooded.

“It’s cool to see Christ throughout the world. You think he’s just here, but he’s not, he’s everywhere.”

She enjoyed being able to see how people in other countries lived and loved the new perspective it offered.

Mixon’s husband is currently studying ministry and the pair aren’t sure what the next step is after graduation but they know they will figure it out when the time comes.

Mixon says wherever they do go she hopes to be able to utilize the teachings of her early childhood education classes at KSU to help change children’s lives.

After her rough start on day one in the Dominican Republic she never thought that experience would impact her life as much as it did. It certainly puts into perspective the Owls’ loss to Stetson in their first game in the tournament. Just as Mixon didn’t let the bad day spoil her trip the Owls made sure to not let a tough loss ruin their chances of bringing home Kennesaw State’s first conference championship.