TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (October 25, 2022) - The Florida College System Activities Association has released its weekly coaches' polls and announced its Player of the Week Awards in Volleyball and Cross Country.

October 24, 2022 Coaches' Polls

• Region 8 Volleyball Coaches' Polls (DI/DII)

Region 8 Player of the Week Awards (for events/matches October 17-23)

Congratulations to the following student-athletes who received Player of the Week recognition:

• Region 8 DI Volleyball Player of the Week: Romina Cornelio, Miami Dade
• Region 8 DI Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week: Julia Lawrenz, Florida SouthWestern
• Region 8 DI Volleyball Setter of the Week: Roberta Purashaj, Florida SouthWestern
• Region 8 DII Volleyball Player of the Week: Isabella Hurtado, South Florida State
• Region 8 DII Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week: Yeishlanie Reyes, South Florida State
• Region 8 DII Volleyball Setter of the Week: Kendall Steinert, State College of Florida
• Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week: Francesca Chimelli, South Florida State

All Player of the Week honorees will be considered for NJCAA Player of the Week honors, which will be announced Wednesday.

Visit Region 8 Player of the Week HQ to read more about this week's honorees.

Sports Updates

• Cross Country: The South Florida State College women ran the Ave Maria Invitational on Saturday, finishing second out of four teams. Now it's on to Tallahassee for the Panthers and 18 other squads for the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Championships this Friday. The men's 8K will start at 8:30 a.m. followed by the women's 5K at 9:30 a.m., and both races will be filled with nationally-ranked contenders. In Division I, Eastern Florida State College's men are No. 14 while its women are No. 23 and Seminole State College's women are No. 25. In the Division II men's rankings, Daytona State College rose three spots to No. 4 while Lake-Sumter State College soared into the top ten at No. 9, up six spots from the previous rankings. Pasco-Hernando State College is No. 15. In the women's poll, Pasco-Hernando State and Daytona State are Nos. 6 and 7, respectively, while Florida Gateway College is No. 12. 
• Women's Soccer: All three Division I teams will enter the postseason with a national ranking, led by defending national champion and No. 2 Eastern Florida State. Polk State College is tenth and Daytona State, No. 20. The trio will vie for the Region 8 Championship this weekend at Daytona State College. 
• Men's Soccer: Daytona State knocked off Eastern Florida State, 3-1, on Saturday to even the teams' regular season series at 1-apiece and set up a winner-take-all match for the Region 8 Championship this Saturday in Melbourne. Daytona State will enter the match ranked No. 4; Eastern Florida State, No. 16.
• Women's Golf: Seminole State College participated at the The Southern Invitational in Savannah, Ga., hosted by Georgia Southern University and placed ninth in the team standings. Ayami Takahashi was the Raiders' top finisher in a tie for 31st (+20). 
• Volleyball: Florida SouthWestern State College reclaimed the NJCAA's No. 1 ranking thanks to a straight-set win over No. 4 Miami Dade College. The Bucs are one of four Region 8 teams in the national poll - Miami Dade slipped to No. 16 while Daytona State and Hillsborough Community College are Nos. 15 and 16, respectively, and Eastern Florida State is receiving votes. In Division II, Gulf Coast State College is hanging on at No. 19 while red-hot Pensacola State College, winners of 11 straight matches, is receiving votes.
• Swimming & Diving: The Pioneers claimed a sweep of St. Thomas University on October 21. The Indian River got the "W" with a 130-75 win while the River women won, 149-56.

For complete coverage of all FCSAA and Region 8 Championships, visit our Championships Site.

For more Player of the Week coverage, follow the FCSAA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at "TheFCSAA."