FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU volleyball won its fourth straight match with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-22) win over Bethune-Cookman Tuesday, Oct. 13. The Eagles outhit the Wildcats .215 to .158 in the victory, marking the seventh time in eight matches the Eagles have held opponents to under a .200 hitting percentage. FGCU improved to 14-7 overall in 2015, while the Wildcats dropped to 8-13.

"I thought we were really good from the service line tonight which helped us out a lot," said head coach Matt Botsford. "They have a really physical team and we knew it was going to be a point of emphasis. We did a nice job setting the tone from there. We've also seen a lot of improvements defensively over the last three weeks in terms of our numbers and we saw that trend continue tonight, allowing us to get more swings offensively."

Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) led the FGCU offense with 13 kills and was aided by nine kills from Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) and seven kills each by Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium). Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) recorded her second double-double of the year with 33 assists and 12 digs. Pudwill narrowly missed out on her third straight double-double, picking up 10 digs. Rick and Pudwill also recorded two aces each in the match. Defensively, Pudwill and Moeller combined for nine blocks.

The Eagles used a strong offense to spark the straight-set win by hitting .367 and claiming a 25-11 victory in the opening stanza. FGCU's defense continued to shut down opponents by holding the Wildcats to a .065 attack percentage. Needing to come from the behind in the second set, FGCU recorded six of the final seven points to claim the second set 25-23 and take a 2-0 lead into the break. The defense turned around the third set, recording three blocks in quick succession to turn a set tied at nine into a 12-9 lead for the Eagles. FGCU would go on to win the set 25-22.

Five Eagles recorded in a kill in the opening set but it was Pudwill and Carroll that led the way early for the Green and Blue. With the set at tied at four, a Wildcat error was responsible for the Eagles initial push. The error was followed by a kill from Carroll, a block from Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) and Kazarian, and a kill from Pudwill to give FGCU a 10-6 advantage. Of the first 10 points of the set for the home side, five came from the newcomers Pudwill and Carroll. Kazarian then got in on the offensive action, producing three of the next four points to extend the lead to 14-8. A pair of kills from Moeller and an ace from Pudwill forced the Wildcats to call timeout as FGCU grabbed an 18-10 advantage. Rick collected a pair of aces, followed by two errors from the visitors to claim the 25-11 first set win. Pudwill led the offense with four kills, as the Eagles outhit the Wildcats .367 to .065.

The Wildcats began the second set with an early 6-3 lead only to see their lead disappear with kills from Pudwill and Carroll. FGCU took a 13-10 lead on a 4-0 run sparked by a pair of Moeller blocks with one assisted by Carroll. The visitors stormed back however, taking a 20-17 lead late in the second set. The deficit would remain at three as the score line moved to 22-19 when Carroll recorded three kills around a Pudwill ace to give FGCU a 23-22 lead. A kill from Moeller and another from Carroll sent the Eagles into intermission with a 25-23 set win and a 2-0 lead in the match. Carroll paced the Eagles with seven Eagles, while Kazarian and Moeller added three each.

The third set turned on three defensive plays by the Eagles net defense. With the set tied at nine, Pudwill and Tutwiler recorded the first of three consecutive blocks by FGCU. Pudwill would then record a solo block before being joined by Moeller, putting FGCU in front 12-9. A pair of attack errors from the visitors then allowed the Eagles to take a 14-9 lead. After a Pudwill kill, another block from Pudwill and Moeller brought the score to 16-10. Kills from Pudwill and Carroll kept the home side up by six at 19-13, only for the Wildcats to come back, closing the lead to 20-19. Tutwiler posted back-to-back kills, ending the Wildcat run and starting a run for the Eagles. After a Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) kill, the Wildcats called timeout as FGCU looked to finish off the set leading 23-20. Pudwill and Moeller ended the match, sending FGCU to their fourth-straight win with a 25-22 set win.

UP NEXT

The Eagles head back on the road as Atlantic Sun play continues. The Eagles take on UNF and Jacksonville this weekend along with the final non-conference match of the season against Florida A&M on Monday. The Eagles and Ospreys are set to meet Friday at 7 p.m. while the match against the Dolphins is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m. The A-Sun matches feature three of the top four teams in the conference, all separated by one game.
The non-conference match against the Rattlers is scheduled for Monday, with first serve at 6 p.m.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
 
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU volleyball program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_VB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and on Instagram at @FGCU_VB.
 
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 33-18 (.647) record, including a 15-4 (.789) 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.