TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Florida College System Activities Association has released its weekly coaches' polls in Volleyball and Basketball and announced its Weekly Awards in Volleyball and Cross Country.

October 23, 2023 Coaches' Polls

• Region 8 Volleyball Coaches' Polls (DI/DII)
• Region 8 Men's Basketball Coaches' Polls (DI/DII)
• Region 8 Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll

Region 8 Players of the Week Awards (for events/matches October 16-22)

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

• Region 8 DI Volleyball Player of the Week: Matilda Dahlstroem, Hillsborough
• Region 8 DI Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week: Emma Testi, Daytona State
• Region 8 DI Volleyball Setter of the Week: Roberta Purashaj, Florida SouthWestern
• Region 8 DII Volleyball Player of the Week: Anyaliz Rodriguez, Pensacola State
• Region 8 DII Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week: Lauren Herz, St. Johns River State
• Region 8 DII Volleyball Setter of the Week: Kiara Vega, Pensacola 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.

Fall Sports Updates

• Volleyball
  • Division I: Miami Dade College's upset of previously unbeaten Florida SouthWestern State College propelled the Sharks back to No. 3 in the NJCAA Division I Poll. The "quality loss" plus the strength of Region 8 helped Florida SouthWestern maintain its No. 1 ranking. Daytona State College moved up one spot to No. 13, two spots ahead of No. 15 Eastern Florida State and four ahead of No. 17 Polk State College. The quintet of nationally-ranked teams will be joined by Hillsborough Community College in the FCSAA Division I/NJCAA Region 8 Tournament, to be held at Florida SouthWestern State College, November 3-4. The two finalists will battle it out for the FCSAA Championship on November 4 then host a pair of NJCAA Atlantic District matches the following day for the right to earn an automatic bid to the National Tournament. 
  • Division II: Behind a straight-set win over Pensacola State College, Gulf Coast State College rose one spot to No. 15 in the NJCAA Division II Poll. Pensacola State fell to No. 10. Both teams qualified for the FCSAA Division II/NJCAA South Atlantic District Tournament, to be held at Palm Beach State College, November 3-4. Pasco-Hernando State College earned the top seed in the tournament, thanks to a victory over Gulf Coast State earlier in the season. Gulf Coast State won the North Division tie-breaker with Pensacola State to claim the No. 2 seed. State College of Florida is seeded third and Pensacola State, No. 4. St. Johns River State College (No. 5 seed) and Lake-Sumter State College (No. 6 seed) earned the two at-large bids into the tournament. The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic bid to the National Tournament. 
• Men's Soccer: Eastern Florida State claimed the Region 8 Championship with a 1-0 victory over Daytona State on Saturday. With the win, the Titans won the best-of-3 regular season series, two games to none, and will host Southern Union (Ala.) State Community College in the Southeast District Qualifier on Saturday. The winner of that match will advance to the Southeast District Championship match against the champion from Region 10. The win also propelled Eastern Florida State to No. 3 in the NJCAA Division I Poll. Daytona State is No. 10, keeping the Falcons in contention for an at-large bid to the National Tournament. 
• Women's Soccer
  • Division I: Eastern Florida State College will host what should be a highly-competitive Region 8 Tournament beginning Thursday when No. 7 Daytona State plays (RV) Polk State in the semifinal. No. 6 Eastern Florida State awaits the winner in Saturday's Championship Game. The winner advances to the Southeast District Tournament the following weekend. 
  • Division II: Pensacola State College will travel to Cape Fear (N.C.) Community College for the NJCAA Division II South Atlantic District Championsihp Game on October 28. 
• Cross Country: A record 162 runners will toe the starting line this morning when the FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Cross Country Championships run at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee. The men's 8K starts at 8:30 a.m. followed by the women's 5K at 9:30 a.m. 
• Women's Golf: Eastern Florida State won the Wallace State Fall Invitational for the second time in three years, finishing the two-day event with a score of 622. The Titans, along with Region 8 rivals Seminole State College and Daytona State, are currently competing in the Flagler College Fall Slam.
• Men's Golf: Eastern Florida State is in Hobbs, N.M., for the National Preview. The Titans will tee it up at Rockwind Community Links, site of the 2024 NJCAA Division I National Tournament. 
• Swimming & Diving: Indian River State College rolled to another sweep on Friday, defeating St. Thomas University. The Pioneer men won 193-67 while the women were victorious by a score of 194-66.
• Men's Basketball
  • Division I: Northwest Florida State College is the preseason No. 1 team in the NJCAA Division I Poll. The Raiders are one of three teams from Region 8 in the top 11 - Florida SouthWestern is No. 8 and Chipola College, No. 11. Daytona State is No. 22.
  • Division II: Defending Region 8 Champion Florida Gateway College received votes in the NJCAA Division II Poll.
• Women's Basketball
  • Division I: Defending National Champion Northwest Florida State opens the season as the No. 1 team in the NJCAA Division I Poll. The Raiders have company near the top, however, as Eastern Florida State is No. 3 and Gulf Coast State, No. 6.

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