FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball team made quick work of ETSU as they swept the Bucs by a score of 3-0 (25-15, 29-27, and 25-14) on Friday night at Alico Arena. With the win, the Eagles continue to run third in the Atlantic Sun standings.
FGCU improves their record to 13-10 (12-4 A-Sun) while the Bucs fall to 8-16 (6-9 A-Sun).
The Eagles came out of the gate quickly as they jumped out to an early 11-3 lead en route to a 25-15 win in the first set. Jelena Simic (Lazarevac, Serbia) led the way for the Eagles with seven kills while Chandra Lefever (Fort Morgan, Colo.) added 11 assists. The fast start allowed the Eagles to cruise to victory as they never let the Bucs get within five points.
Not letting the first set phase them, the Bucs jumped out to an early 9-6 lead that forced a timeout by head coach Dave Nichols. The stoppage served timely for the Eagles as they battled back to get the next three points to tie the score at 9-9. Both squads found themselves tied once again at 18-18 when Lefever recorded a kill. But, after a service error by the Buccaneers, FGCU had their first lead since early in the set at 22-21. Finding themselves in a 25-24 hole, the Eagles were able to extend the match and take the lead 26-25 after back-to-back kills by Jacqueline Cowden (Danville, Calif.) and Emma Racila (Ft. Myers, Fla.). After the teams once again traded points, FGCU got a key block from Lefever and senior Ashley Yance (Ft. Myers, Fla.)that followed a service error by the Bucs to give the Eagles a thrilling 29-27 set win.
In the third and final set, the Eagles took a 10-7 lead which forced an ETSU time out. The break only slowed the Eagles slightly as FGCU saw themselves up 13-11 after a Simic kill. The Eagles would go on an impressive 15-6 run to close out the match by a score of 25-14. FGCU took care of numerous errors by the Bucs while Simic, Racila, Wagner, and Cowden combined to put away ETSU.
Simic led the way for the Green and Blue as she recorded 19 kills while Cowden added six. Lefever finished with 29 assists and four kills as Racila and Anna Wagner (Lincoln, Neb.) finished with five kills apiece.
The Eagles will be back in action tomorrow night as they do battle with A-Sun foe Campbell at 7 p.m. inside Alico Arena.
