Monday, November 06, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - A rematch from the regular season awaits Atlantic Sun Champion Jacksonville as the Dolphins make the short trip down Interstate 10 to face No. 6 Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Championship.

The Seminoles (14-3-4) defeated JU 3-0 just two weeks ago in Tallahassee. In that match, A-Sun Tournament MVP Michelle Kmiotek made 17 saves to help the Dolphins stay close. FSU has won the last nine meetings between the two teams, including a 3-0 decision in the opening round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Florida State fell to North Carolina 2-1 in the finals of the ACC Championship this past weekend.

Jacksonville will rely heavlily on Kmiotek to anchor the defense while first team All-Atlantic Sun selection Keri Zwikker will try to spark the Dolphins' offense. Zwikker scored her team-leading 10th goal of the season to win the 2006 A-Sun Championship.

The Dolphins (11-9-1) are making the second NCAA Championship appearance in school history. The A-Sun is 2-11-1 all-time in NCAA Championship play with the last win coming in 2004 when UCF upset Florida.