Women's Basketball Set to Open 2023-24 Season in Alabama

LAKELAND, Fla. - Florida Southern College women's basketball opens the 2023-2024 season this Friday, Nov. 10 on the road against the University of Alabama in Huntsville at 6:00 PM in SSC/GSC crossover, hosted in Huntsville. The Mocs will wrap up the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 11 against No.21/22 Lee University with a 2:00 PM tip-off.

"It is a dream come true to be the head coach of Florida Southern," expressed head coach Megan Dzikas '12 about being named head coach of her alma mater. "My blood, sweat, and tears go into this program, and I am so excited and thankful for this opportunity."

The 2023-24 Squad 
This year's team features nine returners, as the Mocs returned 80% of their offense from last year. Two of the top scorers from last year who are returning are point guard Domenica Zamora and guard Arielle Dabu. Zamora will be the only senior for the Mocs this year and Dzikas will look for her leadership and experience to help lead the team. Dabu is a junior "who brings it every day on the court and leads by example," coach Dzikas said.  

Other returners on the team are Arriyana Bracero, a junior point guard, Marissa Jenike, a junior guard, Na'Haviya Paxton, a sophomore point guard, Reagan White, a sophomore guard, Anna Denes, a junior forward, Amari Jackson, a sophomore forward, and Sydney Gomes, a sophomore guard. Dzikas said she will lean on all the returners for their experience.

The Mocs will be joined by five new faces, including four freshmen in Bre'Asia Washington, Gianna Vos, Dakota Daniello, and Lily Pereira, and Division I transfer Sarah Lange. Coach Dzikas said, "Sarah did a great job in the post this preseason and gained a lot of confidence." Dzikas is excited about the mesh of new and returning players, saying, "Our team is full of competitors, and they want to play hard every day."

Dakota Daniello (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y).- Freshman – 5'7 - Point Guard
During her high school career, Daniello averaged 25 ppg, 5 apg, 4 rpg, and 4 spg. Dakota was a 1,000-point scorer and an All-FAA League First Team member.

Bre'Asia Washington (Lakeland, Fla.) - Freshman - 5'6" - Point Guard 
Washington, a member of the All-County first team and defensive team, carried the Blue Devils to their state runner-up finish, averaging 15 ppg, 6 rpg, and 4 apg on the season. 

Lily Pereira (Winston Salem, N.C.) -Freshman - 5'10 – Forward
Pereira, a three-time All-State NCISAA selection and a first-team All-Region member, led her team to two Final Four appearances. Lily averaged 17 ppg, 10 rpg, 3 apg, and 2 spg, tallying 1,348 points and 712 rebounds for her high school career. 

Gianna Vos (Hugoton, Kan.) - Freshman - 5'8 – Guard
Vos was a member of the 4A All-State Team after leading Hugoton to their third-place finish in the state tournament. Gianna averaged 13.5 ppg, 5 rpg, and 2 apg and hit the 1,000-point milestone.

Sarah Lange (Munich, Germany) -Junior - 6'3 – Center
In just one year at CBU, Lange averaged 1.4 ppg and 1 rpg. Prior to CBU, Sarah averaged 6.8 ppg and 3.7 rpg at Snow Community College.

The 2023-24 Coaching Staff
Dzikas is entering her second year as the Head Coach for the Mocs after starting as interim last year before being promoted in January 2023. Before the transition, Dzikas was the head coach at St. Catharine College in Kentucky for the 2015-16 season before returning to Florida where she was an assistant coach at Saint Leo University for three years. Dzikas returned to her alma mater in 2019 as an assistant coach where she continues to make a big impact on the Mocs women's basketball program.  Dzikas finished her collegiate career with 1,368 points, good for 12^th in program history, and ranks second in school history in assists (515). She also ranks among the top five in FSC history in three-pointers made and attempted, and three-point percentage.

Dzikas is joined by assistant coaches Vernisha Andrews and Julia Jenike Sechrest '21."Our coaching staff is full of knowledge, and we all have a great relationship with our players." stated Dzikas about her staff. 

Andrews served as an assistant coach at Hillsborough Community College for one year after finishing her professional career playing overseas in Ireland for the Templeogue team. A 2019 graduate of Rollins College, Andrews played all four years for the Tars leading in rebounding and ranked fourth in the Sunshine State Conference with 8.3 boards a game.

Jenike Sechrest was a successful athlete for the Mocs as well, a recent 2021 graduate who earned All-American honors during her career. During her tenure, Jenike Sechrest was a 2x WBCA All-American honorable mention, awarded to the D2CCA All-South Second Team, first team All-South Region, SSC All-Tournament team twice, All-SSC first team for three years, and earned multiple player and defensive player of the week honors.

The 2023-24 Schedule 
"Preseason went really well. All our girls worked extremely hard on the court and in the weight room. We got better individually and as a team," coach Dzikas said.

Florida Southern has set a strong schedule for the 2023-24 season that will feature 13 home games and three tournaments. The season will kick off on Nov. 10 with the Gulf South Conference/Sunshine State Conference crossover hosted by Alabama-Huntsville. 

GSC-SSC Crossover presented by Huntsville Sports Commission
Opponent: Alabama-Huntsville (Nov.10) & No.21/22 Lee (Nov.11)
Location: Kelly Court at Spragins Hall | Huntsville, Ala.
Date: Monday, Nov. 10-11, 2023 | 6 p.m./ 5 p.m. (ET/CT) & 2 p.m./1 p.m. (ET/CT)
Live Stats
Video
Tournament Page
 
After the crossover, the Mocs will host their first home game of the year against the University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras on Nov. 21. Then, they will travel to compete in the Rollins Classic in Winter Park, Fla facing Winston-Salem State University on Nov. 24 and Belmont Abbey College on Nov. 25.  

The Mocs begin conference play on Nov. 29 against Tampa at home. FSC will also host Embry-Riddle on Dec. 2 before their first road SSC matchup at Eckerd on Dec. 9. The Mocs close the 2023 calendar year with three more home games. The first two will come during the Century Retail Christmas Classic hosted by the Mocs against the University of Illinois Spring Field on Dec. 15 and Lewis University on Dec. 16. The last game of 2023 will come against conference opponent Palm Beach Atlantic at home on Dec. 30. 

Sixteen Sunshine State Conference games in the months of January and February begin on Jan. 3 at home against Nova Southeastern. Home games for the Mocs in George W. Jenkins Field House will remain with a 5:30 scheduled tip, aside from tournament games.  

Florida Southern closes the regular season on Feb. 28 against Rollins at home before looking to the 2024 Sunshine State Conference Women's Basketball Championship. The Mocs are coming off their eighth-straight winning campaign, which saw them advance to the SSC Tournament for the 42nd straight season. 

2023-24 SSC Preseason Coaches' Poll – 5th Florida Southern 63 points
The Florida Southern College women's basketball team was selected fifth in the 2023-24 Sunshine State Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, after finishing the season fifth in 2022-23. The Mocs are coming off their eighth-straight winning campaign, which saw them advance to the SSC Tournament for the 42nd straight season.
 
We are looking forward to and excited for this year with this great group of women," stated Dzikas. "We have a tough non-conference schedule that will challenge and prepare us for our always strong conference slate."

2023-24 Florida Southern Women's Basketball Home Schedule  
Nov. 21 – University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras - 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 29 - Tampa (SSC), - 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 2 - Embry-Riddle (SSC), - 5:30 p.m.
Dec. 16 - Mocs Christmas Classic - University of Illinois Springfield, 2:00 p.m.
Dec. 17 - Mocs Christmas Classic – Lewis University, 2:00 p.m.
Dec. 30 - Palm Beach Atlantic (SSC), - 4:00 p.m.
Jan. 3 - Nova Southeastern (SSC), - 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 13 - Lynn (SSC), - 5:30 p.m.
Jan. 31 - Eckerd (SSC), - 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 10 - Barry (SSC), - 5:30 p.m. 
Feb. 14 - Saint Leo (SSC), - 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 21 - Florida Tech (SSC), - 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 28 - Rollins (SSC), - 5:30 p.m.
   
Get in the game and show your support for the Florida Southern College Athletics Department today!
 
Whether you're a passionate fan looking to secure your season tickets or a generous donor wanting to make a lasting impact, contact Kris Doorey, Director of Athletics Development, at kdoorey@flsouthern.edu or 863-680-4109. Join us in fueling the success of our student-athletes and becoming an integral part of their journey toward greatness.5