NEWARK, N.J. – FGCU volleyball's offense posted one its better statistical performances of the season in a 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-19) victory over NJIT Friday, Oct. 2. The Eagles hit .393 against the Highlanders to improve to 10-6 overall and 2-0 in A-Sun play. The .393 hitting percentage is the sixth-best team performance in the Atlantic Sun this season. The Highlanders fell to 4-13 and 0-2 in its inaugural season in the A-Sun.

"I was happy with the road win but I was disappointed with our execution and our focus," said head coach Matt Botsford. "We have to be better moving forward and manage some of the lapses we saw tonight. There were some solid statistical performances, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Collectively we had a lot of breakdowns in our system and that needs to improve."

Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) both hit above .500 in the match. Carroll finished the night with 10 kills, surpassing 200 kills during her freshman season. Moeller added seven kills as well as a pair of blocks. Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) each had nine kills. Kazarian ended the match with a .438 hitting percentage. Defensively, FGCU held the Highlanders to a .116 attack percentage.

Playing in Newark, N.J. for the first time, the Eagles seized a comfortable lead in the first set and held off a late rally from the Highlanders to secure a 25-22 win. FGCU put on an offensive show to overpower NJIT in the second set, hitting .500 on the way to a 25-14 second set win to go into the break with a 2-0 lead. The Green and Blue wrapped up the match with a 25-19 win, holding the hosts to an .077 attack percentage while receiving kills from seven different players.

FGCU led 7-6 in the first set before using a 7-1 run to take a commanding 14-7 lead. Using kills from Moeller, Pudwill and Carroll, the Eagles took the home crowd out of the match with the Highlanders searching for their first A-Sun victory. The lead would grow to 17-11 on kills from Kazarian and Pudwill, forcing the hosts to call timeout. FGCU had to withstand a late NJIT rally as the Highlanders cut the lead to 23-22 late. The Green and Blue hung on, recording the final three points including a block from Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) and Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) to end the set at 25-22. Carroll and Kazarian led the Eagles with four kills, helping the Eagles post a .370 hitting percentage to open the match.

The Eagles and Highlanders split the first 20 points of the second set as both sides looked to gain control. FGCU was the first to break off on a long run, putting together a 7-1 run behind kills from Kazarian and Carroll and an ace from Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R Boone High School). Leading 17-11, the middle blockers started to chip in offensively for FGCU, pushing the lead to 21-12. At that point, the Green and Blue took advantage of a pair of Highlander errors, allowing Carroll to collect the final kill of the set in a 25-14 FGCU win. Pudwill paced the Eagles with five kills during a set the Green and Blue hit .500 as a team.

FGCU never trailed in the third set, immediately taking a 4-1 lead. NJIT cut the lead to 4-3, only for the Green and Blue to open the lead to 8-5 behind kills from Tutwiler, Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School). The home side would once again attempt to tie the set, bringing the score to 10-9, but Pudwill ended the run with a kill. FGCU used the kill from the junior transfer to begin a 4-1 run, however it was the Highlanders that would be quick to respond, cutting the lead to 17-15. FGCU held off NJIT in the third set, ending the night with a 25-19 victory capped by a Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) ace.

UP NEXT

The Eagles remain on the road and travel to Nashville for a contest with the defending A-Sun regular season champions Lipscomb Sunday, Oct. 4. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. in The Music City. Both teams enter the match 2-0 in A-Sun play.

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 29-17 (.630) record, including a 13-3 (.813) 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.