TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – FGCU volleyball extended its winning streak to seven matches with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-8) win over Florida A&M Monday (Oct. 19). The Eagles outhit the Rattlers .400 to .115 in the win to improve to 17-7 on the year while the Rattlers fell to 4-16.

"It was nice to finish off the road trip in that fashion especially with that third set," said head coach Matt Botsford. "During the break we talked a lot about our defensive intensity. It's been one of the things that propelled us through this stretch and I didn't think it was there at times tonight. In the third set we kept them to negative numbers which isn't easy to do and we continued our good offensive play which was a nice combination."

Fresh off of their Atlantic Sun awards, Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) led the way for FGCU. Carroll recorded 11 kills and hit .588 while Benke paced the floor defense with 14 digs. Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) continued her solid play, hitting.636 with eight kills and four blocks. Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) both tallied seven kills in the win for the Green and Blue. Pudwill ended the match hitting .545, completing a list of three Eagles who hit better than .500 and also led the team with five blocks. Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) supplied 27 assists to power the offense.

"There's been a lot of consistency during this stretch," Botsford added. "Looking at the numbers tonight you can see more confidence building between our setters and hitters. We also got to do some things with our line up to see some different options and evaluate how it can help us moving forward. I thought Leigh [Pudwill] was really impressive with her game at the net not only with her blocking but also what she was doing offensively. Maggie [Rick] continues to do a great job running the offense and Lauren [Tutwiler] has been a big part of this stretch which continued tonight. Her blocking numbers have been lights out and her offense really showed tonight."

The first set remained close until FGCU used a 5-0 run to put the set out of reach and go on to win 25-16. The Green and Blue then built an early lead in the second set, propelling them to a 25-19 victory and a 2-0 lead in the match. The third set was all FGCU, as the Eagles completed the sweep with a 25-8 win in the third game.

The opening stanza was tied at eight until three kills from Carroll began a 7-2 run for the Eagles. Along with a kill from Tutwiler and a block from Tutwiler and Carroll, the Eagles were helped by two errors from the Rattlers to build a 15-10 lead. The home side used a 4-0 run to bring the Eagle advantage to 15-14, only for Tutwiler to end the run and spark the Eagles. Following a block from Pudwill and Tutwiler, Carroll recorded the first of three aces in the match for the freshman, forcing the Rattlers to call timeout. FGCU didn't slow down, using a pair of Kazarian kills to increase its lead to 20-15. Pudwill, Kazarian and Carroll recorded four of the final five points, giving FGCU the 25-16 win in the set. Carroll recorded five kills in the opening set, while Kazarian and Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) each added three kills.

It didn't take long for the Green and Blue to build a sizeable lead in the second set. Carroll, Kazarian and Pudwill got the offense going, each picking up a kill to put FGCU in front 7-3. Then Moeller kept the offense going with two kills, increasing the advantage to 9-5. Rick later tallied back-to-back aces as the lead grew to 14-7 before Carroll and Tutwiler collected a kill each to put the Eagles in front 18-10. FGCU saw its lead shrink to 20-15, but hung on to the five point advantage, winning the set 25-19. Tutwiler's five kills in the set led the Eagles, with Pudwill and Carroll adding three kills.

The Green and Blue stifled the Rattlers in the third set, limiting the home side to a -.161 hitting percentage. An early 7-1 run by the Eagles set the tone in the third game. Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School), Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School), Kazarian and Pudwill contributed offensively during the run capped off by a block by Aldrich and Pudwill. The Eagles quickly earned side out after a Rattler kill and built a 15-5 lead behind kills from Aldrich and Carroll along with three Rattler errors. A pair of Carroll kills and two blocks from Tutwiler and Pudwill increased the lead to 19-6 before four Rattler errors and kills from Allen and Kazarian ended the set. The Eagles outhit the Rattlers .333 to -.161 to close out the match, led by three kills from both Kazarian and Carroll.

UP NEXT

FGCU begins the second half of conference play Saturday (Oct. 24) against Stetson. Sitting in a tie for first place with Lipscomb, the Eagles and Hatters are scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve inside Alico Arena.

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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 36-18 (.667) 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.