FORT MYERS, Fla. – The second half of conference play begins Saturday (Oct. 24) when FGCU volleyball welcomes Stetson to Southwest Florida. The first place Eagles have won seven-straight matches and 10 of their last 11 dating back to Sept. 25, the best stretch of any A-Sun team.

Saturday's match is scheduled for a 7 p.m. first serve and tickets are still available. Tickets are $5 for youth and $7 for adults. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets or call the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145. The weekend's match also represents two special occasions for FGCU volleyball. The contest against the Hatters is a Pinkout and is also Alumnae Day. Pink out shirts will be available at the match and proceeds will go towards the Side-Out Foundation. FGCU has chosen to participate in the organization's Dig Pink event in the fight against breast cancer. Shirts are $10 for short sleeve and $15 for long sleeve. The Green and Blue also welcome back more than 20 alumnae to be recognized and honored between the second and third set.

The match will be streamed live on ASun.tv and live stats will also be available. Fans are also encouraged to follow along on Twitter by following @FGCU_VB.

THE GREEN AND BLUE

Winners of 10 of their last 11, the Eagles begin the second half of the conference season 6-1 (17-7 overall) and in a tie for first place in the A-Sun with Lipscomb. FGCU won four matches in six days, defeating Bethune-Cookman, UNF, Jacksonville and Florida A&M during that time. Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) was named the A-Sun co-Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week after recording 44 kills, 39 digs and 14 blocks. Against the Dolphins, Carroll compiled 23 kills, 32 digs and nine blocks to end her award-winning week. Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) also took home an award earlier this week, earning her second Defensive Player of the Week honor in as many weeks. Benke posted 33 digs against the Dolphins and 14 against the Rattlers just two days later.

As a team, the Eagles rank 24th nationally in total team blocks (202.0), 29th in assists (1,065) and 33rd in total kills (1,127). Individually, Maggie Rick's (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) 869 assists is second in the conference and 23rd in the country. Meanwhile, Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) leads the conference with a .349 hitting percentage and is also 91st nationally in that category. Carroll's 352.5 points is good for 44th in the country and her 300 kills puts her 61st in the NCAA. Benke is 36th in the country with 389 digs.

STETSON

The Hatters travel to Southwest Florida with a 9-12 record in 2015 along with a 3-4 mark in the A-Sun. Currently in a tie for fifth with UNF, Stetson has won four of its last five matches overall and three of its previous four A-Sun contests. Haley Tippett leads Stetson with 227 kills and adds 213 digs to the floor defense. McKenna Foster and Madison Akins have eclipsed 180 kills to aid Tippett offensively. Akins and Madison Fitzsimmons recorded double-digit kills against the Eagles in the first matchup this season, leading the way for the Hatters. Fitzsimmons is now fourth on the team with 140 kills. Kayla Weller has supplied 657 assists for the Hatters this season, good for sixth in the conference.

Defensively, Stetson leans on Fitzsimmons along the net as one of only two eligible players in the conference averaging more than 1.00 block per set, the other is Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School). As a freshman, Fitzsimmons has compiled 89 blocks this season.

Following the earlier 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-15, 25-21) win over the Hatters, the Eagles are now 14-2 all-time against Stetson.

RPI Top 100

FGCU continued to climb in the latest RPI release. According to the Oct. 19 RPI rankings, the Eagles are ranked No. 87, five spots behind Lipscomb at No. 82. Kennesaw State has the conference's third-best RPI at No. 121.

The Eagles final opponent with a top 100 RPI is Lipscomb Nov. 13 to start the final weekend of the regular season.

UP NEXT

The Green and Blue remain at home as UNF and Jacksonville come to Southwest Florida. The Eagles and Ospreys meet Oct. 30 inside Alico Arena followed by a contest with Jacksonville Oct. 31.

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 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.