FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University women's basketball returns to the nest Wednesday to face Ave Maria at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

FGCU enters the matchup with a 5-2 record after going 2-1 in the Gulf Coast Showcase at Hertz Arena, upsetting No. 18 North Carolina in the third-place game Sunday. With the win, FGCU received 10 votes in the latest AP Top 25 Poll and is ranked No. 3 overall in CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25 Poll.

The thrilling victory over the Tar Heels marked the seventh Top 25 win in program history. The Eagles have knocked off a ranked opponent for the third consecutive season, with Sunday's win the first such ranked win in the regular season since 2019.

FGCU is 5-0 all-time against Ave Maria, besting the Gyrenes 88-35 a season ago.

Senior Dolly Cairns collected back-to-back Atlantic Sun Conference Newcomer of the Week honors Monday. She produced a team-leading 18 points against UNC and went 4-for-7 from deep. Cairns drained a late transition three to knot the game at 61-all with just 4:19 remaining in the win. Cairns is averaging a team-leading 13 points per game and is shooting .383 from distance this season. Her 3-point percentage ranks fifth across the conference.

FGCU is the only mid-major program with four straight Top 25 finishes in the AP Poll over the last four seasons. The Green & Blue has finished in the Top 25 in five out of the last six years.

FGCU, South Carolina, Stanford and UConn are the only four DI programs to record 30-or-more wins in three of the last five seasons.