Panthers from Way Downtown

After Saturday's game against Marshall, senior Mikyla Tolivert now has 1,232 points, moving her into twelfth in team history- she moves past Brittany Hollins, who tallied 1,229 points between 2005 and 2009. Eleventh on the list is currently Kendra Long, who tallied 1,269 points between 2011 and 2014.   Tolivert also has 167 steals in 104 games, moving into tenth in team history (she moves past Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen, who picked up 166 from 2003 to 2007). Ninth on the list is currently Leslie McElrath, who picked up 176 from 1997 to 2001. Sophomore Crystal Henderson has tallied 73 steals in 28 games this year, which is tied with Sheryl Martin for seventh-most in a single season (Martin recorded this number in the 1980-81 season). Sixth on the list is Crystal Johnson, who tallied 75 in the 2009-10 season.    

Match 1 v. Florida International (3-2 Win) Line One: Savannah Ebarb and Destiny White picked up a three-set win. Fortieth scoring dual match for Ebarb (and win #28); eightieth scoring dual (and forty-fifth win) for White. *Ebarb and White, the two-time Sun Belt Pair of the Week, now have 24 victories.  Line Two: Ayla Johnson and Aree Keller picked up a straight-set win. Scoring dual #88 (and win #48) for Johnson; fortieth scoring dual for Keller.  Line Three: Aliisa Vuorinen and Noalani Nuez fell in three sets. Scoring dual #67 for Vuorinen; Panther debut for Nuez.  Line Four: Courtney Smith and Michaela Jefferson fell in three sets.  Seventeenth scoring dual for both.  Line Five: Kaebre Sullivan and Kaylie Drysdale won in three sets.  Second scoring appearance (tenth overall) for Sullivan; fifteenth scoring dual for Drysdale.  Match 2 v. Tampa (4-1 Win) Line One: Savannah Ebarb and Destiny White picked up a straight-set win.  Dual scoring match #...

Junior Kaleigh Addie Games Started (17 this year after 2 last year), Minutes (700 this year after 579 last year), Field Goals (98 this year after 62 last year), Points (294 this year after 199 last year).  Senior Mya Williams Two blocks this year after none last year and improved her free-throw percentage: after shooting an 85% clip in her first season (34-of-40) she's at a 90% clip this year (27-of-30). Her .900 percentage is currently second-best in the single-season category, trailing only Kamryn Dziak's .917 season in 2020-21.  Junior Patience Williams Games Played (27 this year after 26 last year), Games Started (8 this year after 2 last year), Minutes (563 this year after 346 last year), Defensive Rebounds (101 this year after 49 last year), Assists (20 this year after 12 last year), Steals (28 this year after 13 last year), Points (117 this year after 99 last year). 

Through 103 games for Panther basketball, senior Mikyla Tolivert has 1,219 points, moving past Joyce Harrell and into thirteenth on the team's all-time list. The twelve spot is currently held by Brittany Hollins, who picked up 1,229 points from 2005-2009.  Tolivert has 165 steals after the James Madison game, needing two to move into tenth all-time (Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen is currently tenth with 166 and Leslie McElrath is currently ninth with 176).  Sophomore Crystal Henderson is well on her way to having one of the best single seasons for steals in team history- she has picked up 70 through 27 games this season (there's a three-way tie for tenth with 71 and a two-way tie for eighth with 72).  Assists in a Season With just three games remaining in the regular season, Henderson has 113 assists. Tenth on the list is 147. 

On Friday, the Sandy Panthers will face Florida International at 9am before a 1pm encounter with Tampa.  On Saturday, the Sandy Panthers will face Washington at 8am before a 2pm encounter against Florida Atlantic.  Did the Sandy Panthers face these teams last year? Florida International: This will be the first meeting since 2022 after two seasons off. In 2022, FIU won the first game 3-2 but the Panthers won both encounters in the Conference USA tournament (4-1 and 3-0). Tampa: The Panthers won both meetings: a 3-2 win at the season-opening Tampa Invitational followed by a 4-1 win the following weekend.  Washington: The Panthers faced the Huskies in April as opposed to the season-opening weekend and split their two encounters: a 3-2 loss followed by a win by the same score.  Florida Atlantic: The Panthers faced the Owls twice last year: a 4-1 loss in the season opener in February and then a 3-2 victory at home in March.

*Note: This is assuming that anyone who was a senior or grad student in the 2024 season won't return. Middle Blocker Myllena Torquetti and Kayla Broom are both seniors, but current sophomore Akira Burt and current freshman Kamryn Itzen are both returners at the moment. Itzen led all freshmen with appearances in 26-of-30 games in 2024, including both postseason contests, while Burt has 180 sets in 52 appearances after two seasons.  Outside Hitter This is the position that should have the least amount of turnover between 2024 and 2025, as current junior Alessia Cappai (323 points), current junior Keionna Mackey (402 points, second among active players), current sophomore Jahniya Jackson (didn't play in 2024 but has 77 sets across 24 appearances) and current first-year Nyah Fox (19 sets across 11 appearances) are all (at the moment) returning for 2025.  Right-Side Hitter Peyton Gash is a grad student, but current redshirt junior Izzy Durnell is returning at the moment, as ...

Sophomore middle blocker Akira Burt has 32 solo blocks in her career. Tenth on the all-time list is Ana Paula Fereira, who tallied 66 between 2003 and 2007. 

Senior Mikyla Tolivert has 1,208 points in 102 games after Saturday, extending her fourteenth-best mark on the team scoring list. Thirteenth on the list is Joyce Harrell with 1,210.   Next Two Up Twelfth is currently Brittany Hollins, who played from 2005-2009, with 1,229 points. Eleventh is currently Kendra Long, who played from 2011-2014, with 1,269 points. The top ten's gatekeeper is Danyiell McKeller, who played from 2007-2010, with 1,294 points. Sophomore Crystal Henderson has 67 steals in 26 games this year. Tenth on the single-season list is jointly held by Jylisa Williams in 08-09, Sheryl Martin from 1982-3 and Tracy Cheek in 87-88 with 71.   *For her 56-game career, Henderson has 243 assists and 122 steals.  Tenth for steals is Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen with 166. In terms of assists, Helen Myers is currently twelfth with 284 while Sharon Nesbitt is tenth with 293. 

Through 101 appearances in a Panther uniform, senior Mikyla Tolivert has tallied 1,192 points- this puts her fourteenth in team history. Thirteenth is Joyce Harrell, who scored 1,210 points from 1976-1980.  Through 55 appearances in a Panther uniform, sophomore Crystal Henderson has 239 assists. Tenth place is currently held by Sharon Nesbitt, who picked up 293 from 1989-1992.   

Senior Myllena Torquetti has joined the beach volleyball team ahead of their season-opening duals next weekend. In what might be her only season of indoor volleyball for the Panthers, Torquetti appeared in all thirty matches for the team, including both postseason contests, and picked up 221 points.  This continues an "exchange program" trend between the two teams, as Maren Palmer joined the beach volleyball team last season and Bella Ferary- who finished her Panther career having appeared in 149 scoring-flight matches for the Sandy Panthers- logged seven appearances for the court volleyball team in 2023. 

On Sunday, the women's tennis team will be at Florida State with first serve slated for 11am. Sophomore Sara Radojevic is 2-0 in singles on the season- her first career appearances at third singles- and freshman Zeynep Erbakan tallied her first career dual singles victory January 17 at Clemson. Their home opener is 1pm Saturday when they face Tuskegee.    Also on Sunday, the men's tennis team will be at Liberty University with first serve scheduled for 10am. Their most recent action was a shutout loss at Georgia Tech, but they did win 6-of-11 points the week beforehand. In terms of singles victories, seniors Edward Tymes and Hugo Nossler are tied for the team lead with two each while junior Baran Soyler has one.   The baseball team will have their home- and season-opening series this upcoming weekend- Friday the 14th, Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th- against Belmont. Friday's game is a 6pm first pitch with Saturday starting at 2pm and Sunday starting at no...