LAKELAND, Fla. - Florida Southern College women's basketball opens the 2022-2023 season this Friday, Nov. 11 on the road against the #20/24 Lee University Flames at 4:00 PM in SSC/GSC crossover, hosted at Saint Leo. The Mocs will wrap up the tournament Saturday, Nov. 12 against Alabama Huntsville with a 1:00 PM tip-off.
"We start off strong with a competitive opponent in Lee University," stated interim head Coach
Megan Dzikas'12. "I think the two scrimmages we played have prepared us to open up right away with a good opponent. We like this crossover. It's great for us. Not just to get a regional opponent, but also it's a challenge. We don't back down from challenges. That's how you get better."
The two-day tournament will pit the Mocs against two of the highly competitive teams in the Gulf South Conference and the region. It will be the Mocs first game with interim head coach Megan Dzikas at the helm.
Interim head coach Megan Dzikas is set to begin her first season as Interim Head Coach for the Mocs. Dzikas is a 2012 graduate of Florida Southern and was a standout player for the Mocs in her day. After an exceptional playing career with the Moccasins, she decided to use her talent to coach at the collegiate level. She has been an assistant coach of the Florida Southern women's basketball team since 2019. Before finding her way back to Lakeland, she spent three seasons as an assistant at Saint Leo where she helped take a struggling program to new heights. Prior to that, she spent two seasons at the NAIA level as an assistant coach (2014-15) and head coach (2015-16) at St. Catharine College in Kentucky.
In her playing career, she was a two-time All-Sunshine State Conference player for the Moccasins during her collegiate career and helped lead Florida Southern to an 87-31 record, including a 49-9 mark in conference play. She also led the Mocs to a pair of SSC regular-season titles and one SSC Tournament championship. In addition, she helped the team to a runner-up in the NCAA South Regional in back-to-back seasons. She was the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year in 2008-09. She also ranks among the top five in FSC history in three-pointers made and attempted, and three-point percentage while cementing herself as second on the all-time list for assists.
"Expectations don't change here at Florida Southern with women's basketball,'' said Coach Dzikas. "We always have high expectations of winning, tradition, and culture. Whether I'm at the helm, or whether someone else is at the helm, that tradition, culture, and expectation will always be there."
The 2022-23 Schedule
Florida Southern has set a very strong schedule for the 2022-2023 season that will feature 15 home games, two tournaments, and a trip to Puerto Rico. The season will kick off on Nov. 11 with the GSC/SSC crossover hosted by Saint Leo.
Then, after a pair of home games, the Mocs have the unique opportunity to travel to Puerto Rico to face the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez on Nov. 25 and The University of Puerto Rico-Piedras on Nov. 26.
The Mocs begin conference play on Nov. 19 against Palm Beach Atlantic at home and have four other SSC contests scheduled before the end of the year. FSC hosts Eckerd on Nov. 30 before a pair of road SSC matchups at Barry (Dec. 3) and at Florida Tech (Dec. 10). The Mocs close the 2022 calendar year with a home game against Lynn on Dec. 29.
Sixteen Sunshine State Conference games in the months of January and February begin on New Year's Day at Nova Southeastern while the Mocs first game in 2023 inside Jenkins Field House is slated for Jan. 11 against Saint Leo.
Home games for the Mocs in George W. Jenkins Field House will remain with at 5:30 p.m. scheduled tip, aside from tournament games.
Florida Southern closes the regular season on Feb. 25 against Barry at home before looking to the 2023 Sunshine State Conference Women's Basketball Championship with the first round slated for Feb. 28.
The 2022-23 Squad
This year's squad features three key returners in captains
Ashley Shell,
Arielle Dabu, and
Domenica Zamora. They will be joined by seven new faces, including two Division I transfers
Anna Denes and
Maria Llorente, and four freshmen in
Sydney Gomes,
Reagan White,
Amari Jackson, and
Na'Haviya Paxton.
Despite the new faces, one thing that can be guaranteed is that this team intends to honor and carry on the rich tradition of Florida Southern women's basketball.
"We do have a lot of new faces," admitted Coach Dzikas. "Nine out of the 12 players on the roster are freshmen and sophomores, so if I still have brown hair after the season I'll be very happy," she joked. "In all seriousness, we have some great leaders in
Ashley Shell,
Arielle Dabu, and
Domenica Zamora. They've been doing a great job leading this young team. Additionally, the new players have "done a great job adjusting, finding their roles, growing with the team, and learning our culture."
