FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU volleyball dropped its second consecutive four-set match to Ohio Saturday Sept. 19. In the 3-1 (25-15, 18-15, 18-25, 17-25) loss, the Eagles opened up with a first set win against the Bobcats, but dropped the next three to an Ohio squad that received six votes in the latest coaches poll. FGCU now stands at 7-6 after the loss while Ohio improved to 10-3.

Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) led FGCU with 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Carroll's offensive efforts were part of her fourth double-double in the last five matches for FGCU as the freshman also tallied 11 digs. Rhoades' 11 kills were a career high for the freshman. Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) recorded 25 digs to charge FGCU's floor defense.

"We played better than yesterday," said head coach Matt Botsford. "It's always nice to see improvements but there were a couple things Ohio exploited that we didn't adjust to. But that was the only thing that was disappointing tonight. Our floor defense was 100 times better than what we saw last night and Vanessa [Benke] was lights out tonight and it energized the floor defense. We need to keep that energy going."

The Eagles started off strong, holding the Bobcats to a .048 hitting percentage on the way to a 25-15 win to open the match. FGCU and Ohio battled through eight ties in the second set, only for the Bobcats to take the second set, 25-18. FGCU nearly pulled off a come from behind win in the third set but the effort fell short as the Green and Blue fell 25-18. Needing a win, FGCU again almost pulled off a late rally, but the Bobcats pulled away to win 25-17.

FGCU looked to build momentum early in the match and found a spark in Rhoades. The freshman provided three of the first six points for FGCU as the Eagles took a 6-5 lead after the Bobcats came back from 5-2 down to tie. The Green and Blue remained in the lead and started to pull away with a Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) kill to make it 10-8. Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) followed with a kill of her own and with the help of a pair of attacking errors, FGCU held a 13-8 advantage. Carroll and Allen ended a small run for the Bobcats, beginning a 5-1 run for the Blue and Green, forcing an Ohio timeout. A pair of Bobcat points brought Ohio to within 17-13, but an 8-2 run for FGCU ended the set 25-15. The Ealges were helped by five errors during the stretch along with a kill from Carroll and Rick. Rhoades and Carroll led the Eagles with five kills each. Benke compiled eight digs, helping a defense that limited the Bobcats to a .048 hitting percentage.

"Karissa is a natural volleyball player with a good volleyball IQ," Botsford added. "She's in a position she isn't very comfortable with but to see her adjust as quickly as she has is good to see. She can still improve but she's been very stable for us."

The two sides traded points until the Bobcats used a 4-0 run to pull in front 12-8. Kills from Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) and Rhoades brought the Eagles closer only for the Bobcats to respond with three straight points to bring the deficit to 15-10. FGCU stormed back with kills from Rhoades, Carroll, Moeller and an ace from Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park High School) to tie the set at 16. The Bobcats closed out the set on an 8-2 however to claim a 25-18 set win.

Ohio came out of the locker room and opened up a 4-0 lead in the third set. The Eagles would stay within four through the early stages, allowing Moeller to spark the Eagles offensively. Trailing 8-4, Moeller began a 7-2 run to not only tie the set, but give the Green and Blue an 11-10 lead. The back-and-forth game continued with a quick response from the Bobcats, forcing FGCU to call timeout down 13-11. It was Moeller once again out of the timeout that stopped the run before the Eagles tied the set at 14 on an attack error from Ohio. The Bobcats used a 4-1 run to move in front 18-15 and held off a late Eagles rally to take the third set 25-18.

The third set was tied at four before a 5-2 run put the Bobcats in front 9-6. Moeller put an end to the run and pull the Eagles to within two, only for the Bobcats to answer with a 5-0 run, putting the Eagles behind 14-7. Kills from Kaitlan Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek High School), Rhoades and Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) powered a 6-3 run for the Eagles to bring the Green and Blue to within 17-13 but the Eagles were unable to close the gap any further, falling 25-17 in the fourth set.
 
UP NEXT

Following the weekend's three contests, FGCU heads back on the road for a pair of contests. On Sept. 25, FGCU travels to Georgia Southern in the final tune-up before conference play begins at Stetson Sept. 26.

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COACH BOTSFORD
 
Head coach Matt Botsford is in his second year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program and his teams have combined for an overall 26-16 (.619) record, including and 11-3 (.786) mark in A-Sun play. In his inaugural season, the Eagles finished with a record of 19-11 with a second-place finish in the A-Sun. Botsford's team also had five players recognized as All-Conference honorees, to set a new program high. Prior to his time in Southwest Florida, Botsford held successful stints as an assistant at Notre Dame, Miami, IUPUI, Indianapolis and most recently Colorado State. Botsford is a former professional volleyball player and is a 1998 graduate of Tri-State University, where he earned a degree in Social Studies Education. He earned a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag FeedFGCU to help.