JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – FGCU volleyball entered the weekend with the opportunity to create a gap between second and third place and the Eagles did just that with a 3-2 (25-17, 22-25, 22-25, 25-22, 21-19) win over Jacksonville Saturday (Oct. 17). With the victory today and the win over UNF yesterday, the Eagles are now two games in front of the Dolphins and three in front of the Ospreys with a record of 16-7 overall and 6-1 in the Atlantic Sun. Jacksonville meanwhile drops to 7-12 and 4-3 in conference play.

In the win, FGCU recorded 108 digs as a team, the second-highest total in the Division I era. Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) and Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) led the way for the Eagles, with 33 and 32 digs, respectively. Benke's 33 digs is the third-highest individual total since FGCU transitioned to Division I in 2007. Along with her 32 digs, Carroll led the team with 23 kills and also added nine blocks, falling just shy of her first career triple-double. Instead, the freshman collected her tenth double-double of the season. Her 23 kills is the fifth-best performance in a five-set match for any Eagle in the Division I era.

"After the first set Jacksonville turned the tables on us and it started at the service line," said head coach Matt Botsford. "We were forced to function out of system because of how they were playing. Amanda [Carroll] didn't have a great offensive match last night, but came back and played lights out. She put up some ridiculous numbers, especially for an outside hitter. Our defense was the key tonight though and we were able to disrupt them along the net. We're not where we want to be defensively but we've spent a lot of time on it and we've been able to rely on both floor and net defense lately."

Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) surpassed double-digit kills for the Eagles. Kazarian collected 16 kills while Moeller added 13. Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) supplied 46 assists in the win while Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) led the team with 10 blocks and Kazarian added four of her own.

FGCU's defense set the tone, holding the Dolphins to a .020 hitting percentage in the opening set, winning 25-17. After the Dolphins won the second and third sets by 25-22 finals, the Eagles bounced back, forcing a fifth set with a 25-22 fourth set victory. FGCU held a 13-8 lead in the fifth and final stanza but were forced to extra points before coming away with a 21-19 win.

Carroll provided an immediate spark as FGCU looked to set the tone early. The freshman recorded three kills, helping FGCU to a 6-2 lead. After a block from Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) and Tutwiler gave FGCU an 8-3 lead, the Dolphins responded, cutting the lead to 9-8.Following a timeout from FGCU, the Green and Blue earned side out with a kill from Moeller, sparking a 6-2 run that included kills from Carroll and Pudwill.  FGCU maintained its five point lead with a solid net presence, not allowing the Dolphins offense to gain any momentum. Moeller began the final run for FGCU with a kill, and with the help of attacking errors from Jacksonville, Rick and Carroll finished off the 25-17 set win for FGCU. The Eagles limited the Dolphins to a .020 hitting percentage in the opening frame while Carroll's eight kills led the Green and Blue offensively.

Kazarian got the Eagles going early in the second set with a kill and then joined Tutwiler in a block, putting the visitors in front 4-1 early. Jacksonville later tied the set at seven only for Moeller and Tutwiler to regain the lead for FGCU with a kill each. Jacksonville responded with an 8-0 run, creating a 16-10 advantage for the home side. Kazarian recorded back-to-back kills, beginning a 9-3 run for FGCU which tied the set at 19. The Dolphins regained their lead however and ultimately won the set 25-22.

With the match tied at one set each, the Dolphins took an early 6-3 lead before FGCU responded behind three kills from Pudwill and an attack error from JU. The Eagles led 8-7 momentarily, only for the home side to respond with a 4-0 run. The Eagles got to within 11-10 on a Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park High School) ace and managed to tie the set at 14 on a Kazarian kill. With the set tied at 19, Jacksonville used a 3-0 run to take a 22-20 lead, and went on to win the set 25-22. Pudwill, Carroll and Kazarian each recorded three kills in the set.

Needing to win the fourth set, FGCU took an early 4-0 lead and never trailed. Carroll got the offense going early with a pair of kills and then the Eagles were assisted by three Dolphin errors to take a 7-4 lead. FGCU saw its lead shrink to 12-11, but Tutwiler ended the run and started a 4-1 run for the visitors. Leading 17-14, Kazarian and Moeller pushed the Eagle lead to 21-14 only for the Dolphins to respond, cutting FGCU's lead to 22-20. Kazarian and Moeller gave FGCU set point and Carroll's seventh kill of the set ended it for the Eagles, forcing a fifth set with a 25-22 win. Kazarian pitched in four kills, while Moeller added three of her own kills.

Trailing 3-4 in the fifth set, a block from Tutwiler and Carroll changed the momentum. Immediately following the block, Rick recorded back-to-back aces, extending the lead to 6-4. Carroll continued the run with a kill resulting in a timeout by Jacksonville. Kills from Moeller, Kazarian and Tutwiler forced another timeout from the home side, as the lead increased to 10-5. Jacksonville however came back, cutting the lead to 13-12. A kill from Rick gave FGCU match point, but the hosts picked up the next two points, tying the set at 14. Trailing for the first time in the fifth set at 18-19, Kazarian, Pudwill and Moeller ended the match, giving FGCU a 21-19 set win and a 3-2 match win.

UP NEXT

The Eagles play their third game in four days Monday (Oct. 19) in Tallahassee when FGCU meets its final non-conference opponent of the season, the Florida A&M Rattlers. First serve is scheduled for 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 35-18 (.660) record, including a 17-4 (.809) 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.