CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Despite falling behind 2-1 through three sets, the FGCU volleyball team rallied to produce a strong showing and a 3-2 win in its season opener against Florida A&M Friday evening in the Miami Hurricane Invitational.  The Eagles started the 2014 campaign with a 25-23 win in set one, but dropped sets two and three (25-22, 26-24).  The Green and Blue responded well to the deficit and earned 10-point victories in the final two sets (25-15, 15-5) to seal the victory. With the 'W' at Miami's James L. Knight Sports Complex, the Eagles begin the season at 1-0, while FAMU falls to 0-1.
 
"It feels great to get a win," said first-year head coach Matt Botsford after his first career victory at the helm of a program.  "I wasn't pleased with the first two sets, but even though we lost the third set, we started to see some of the competitiveness that we've been striving for.  We saw a change that carried over to four and five and I really saw a glimpse of our potential in those sets."
 
"We had great individual performances tonight.  I'm happy in our seniors and the job they did staying composed.  It is impressive for a freshman to come in and do what Lauren [Tutwiler] did.  She showed a lot of poise.  I knew she could manage on the defensive side of things, but what she did offensively was really great to see and a really big help in what we were trying to accomplish."
 
The Eagles saw a well-rounded attack that included four players with double-figure kills.  Veterans Jessica Barnes and Olivia Mesner each recorded 17 attacks, while junior transfer Vanessa Benke also produced 17 kills in her debut for the Green and Blue.  Freshman Lauren Tutwiler added 12 kills, an attack percentage of .381 and two blocks in her first collegiate appearance.
 
Senior Gigi Meyer facilitated the strong offensive effort with 59 assists and added a match-high five service aces.  Defensively, Whitney Masters led the Eagles with 26 digs on the evening, with Barnes and Benke both finishing with 15 digs for their first double-doubles of the season.  Mesner added to the defensive contributions with three total blocks through the five-set thriller.
 
As a unit, the Eagles hit .224, while holding FAMU to an attack percentage of .185.  FGCU recorded a match-best percentage of .389 in the fifth and final set and stifled the Rattlers to percentages of -.065 and .000 in the fourth and fifth sets, respectively. FGCU hitters combined for 69 total kills compared to the Rattlers' 45.
 
FAMU pressured the Eagles quickly in set one to take a 2-0 lead before Barnes scored the Eagles' first point of the season on a kill from the opposite side.  The Green and Blue traded points with the Rattlers and saw eight tie scores through the first set with neither team ever taking hold of play.  FAMU continued to battle and again tied the Eagles at 23 all before Benke ended the first set in FGCU's favor with two-consecutive kills.  Barnes and Benke combined for eight kills in the first set to spark the Eagle offense.
 
The Rattlers again challenged the Eagles in set two and kept the score close through the majority of the set.  With a .424 attack percentage, FAMU took a slight lead at 18-14 and maintained the advantage through the end of the set.  The Eagles cut the deficit to two points but were unable to pull ahead and ultimately fell 25-22 to even the match at 1-1.
 
FGCU allowed FAMU to open the third set with a brief lead.  However, the Eagles rallied to contain FAMU's attack and tied the set at nine.  With FGCU led by four kills from Tutwiler, the teams tied on 12 of the next 14 tallies, bringing the third set to extra points.  With the set knotted at 24 all, the Rattlers capitalized on two FGCU errors to go ahead 2-1 in the match with a 26-24 set victory. 
 
The fourth set saw the Eagles take control of the match's momentum.  With Meyer serving, FGCU scored four-straight points and maintained the lead through the early parts of the set.  FAMU created a brief challenge for the Eagles but the Green and Blue held onto the advantage.  With six Benke kills proving to be the most salient points of the match, the Eagles sparked a run to take a 16-10 lead and held onto the lead.  The Eagles outscored FAMU 9-5 in the remaining portion of the set to take a hearty 25-15 victory and even the match at 2-2.
 
The Eagles carried the energy from the fourth set into the decisive finishing set and again produced a four-point run to begin the bout.  After taking a 7-5 lead, the Eagles put their stamp on the match with eight-straight points to steal a 15-5 set win and earn the match victory, 3-2.   
 
The Eagles will continue action at Miami's Hurricane Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 30 with two matches.  FGCU will face Seton Hall at 10 a.m. before taking on the host Hurricane's at 7 p.m.  Live video via HurricaneSports.com will be available for the evening faceoff.