FORT MYERS, Fla. – Backed by four players with double-figure kills and an FGCU Division I program record in assists, the FGCU volleyball team defeated the University of North Florida 3-2 in a five-set thriller Friday night. The Eagles came from behind to earn the win (25-19, 22-25, 18-25, 25-22, 15-11) and moved to 7-7 on the year with an Atlantic Sun mark of 2-0. With the loss, UNF fell to 5-11 on the season and 0-2 in conference action.
"I thought that the best volleyball, in terms of execution, was in sets one and two," said head coach
Matt Botsford after the victory. "Even after losing set two, when we went into the locker room, I felt that the quality of play was good and if we continued to play that way we would find opportunities. I was displeased with our response coming out of the break and I think things got a little bit sloppy on our side, but we found ways to get creative and we turned it around in set four. It's great to get a win, but I'd like to play a cleaner brand of volleyball."
The Eagle attack was chock-full as the team combined for a season-high 73 kills on the night and produced an attack percentage of .222 through five sets. As a unit, the team shaped 73 assists, 97 digs and three total blocks. The FGCU defense held UNF to an attack percentage of .156 with just 46 kills.
Individually,
Eleonora Kazarian led the attack with 22 kills, while three others contributed double-digits. Senior
Jessica Barnes added a season-high 20 kills, while classmate
Olivia Mesner added 17 for the Green and Blue and led the team with an attack percentage of .538. In the second start of her career, rookie
Mackenzie Allen produced 11 kills and added 22 digs for her second double-double in as many games.
Senior setter
Gigi Meyer set a new FGCU Division I match record with 68 assists on the night. Meyer facilitated the offense and led the team's service with two aces.
Defensively, senior libero
Whitney Masters paced the team with 27 digs with Allen just behind at 22. Kazarian produced her third double-double of the season with 13 digs, while Meyer also tallied a double-double at 13 digs.
The Eagles and Dolphins traded points to open the match, but after tying the first set at six and seven points, the Green and Blue used a 7-0 run to take control of the contest. With a seven-point advantage, the home team never relinquished the lead and used an attack percentage of .229 to earn a 25-19 win to open the match.
The second set saw strong attacking from both teams as the Eagles hit .317 and allowed the Ospreys to attack successfully on 27.3 percent of their 33 attacks. The teams traded the lead five times and saw 11 tie scores, including three times late in the set. After a 22-22 knot, the visitors scored three-straight points on one kill and two FGCU attack errors. The run gave UNF a 25-22 win and evened the match at 1-1.
FGCU's attack slowed in the third set. With several early service errors, the home team fell behind 9-5 and was unable to catch the Ospreys as the visitors held a slight advantage through the duration of the set. UNF extended its lead to a set-high six points and ultimately went ahead 2-1 on a 25-18 win.
With help from seven kills by Mesner and eight from Kazarian, the Eagles retaliated in the fourth set. FGCU produced an attack percentage of .265 and doubled the UNF kill production with a 20-10 advantage. The teams traded the lead twice but after a tie at 15-15, the visiting team took a slight advantage. With a 21-18 deficit, FGCU called timeout to regroup and prepare for a comeback.
After the timeout, the Eagles rallied for six-straight points. With three kills from Mesner and one from Barnes, the Green and Blue outscored the Ospreys 5-1 to end the set and took the win 25-22. With the come-from behind 'w', the home team evened the match and sent it to a decisive fifth set.
The Eagles carried the momentum into the fifth set and used a four-point run to take a quick 7-4 lead. After a timeout, UNF cut the deficit to just one point but a Barnes kill sparked another four-point streak for the Eagles who took a 12-7 lead. The Ospreys brought the score to 13-10 before FGCU sealed the match with one final kill from Kazarian. The junior's 22nd kill of the contest gave FGCU a 15-11 win and pushed the team to a 3-2 victory over the visiting Ospreys.
UP NEXTThe Eagles will continue Atlantic Sun action at Alico Arena Saturday night. The team will take on Jacksonville University in a 6 p.m. matchup. The Dolphins were selected to finish second in the league in the preseason coaches' poll and have started conference play at 1-1 after defeating UNF but falling to Stetson in five sets Friday evening.
