FORT MYERS, Fla. – A strong offensive performance in the first two sets propelled the FGCU volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-15, 25-15, 15-25, 25-22) victory over UNF Friday (Oct. 30). With the win, the Eagles guaranteed themselves a spot in the 2015 Atlantic Sun Championships. The Green and Blue have now won nine consecutive matches to move to 19-7 overall and 8-1 in A-Sun play while remaining in a tie for first place. UNF meanwhile falls to 17-9 in 2015 and 3-6 in conference action.

"We're in a position now where hopefully we can take advantage of seeding and put ourselves in a spot to fight for one of the top seeds," said head coach Matt Botsford. "There's a lot of volleyball left to play but now it's about positioning."

FGCU hit .412 and .372 in the first two sets respectively and ended the night hitting .285 as a team. Led by double-doubles from Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida), the Eagles matched the fourth-longest winning streak since the program transitioned to Division I. Carroll finished the match with 17 kills and 16 digs while Kazarian added 13 kills and 11 digs. Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) recorded 13 kills and eight digs for the Green and Blue while Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) finished with nine kills. Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) ended the night with 52 assists, one shy of her current four-set best of 53 against Princeton. Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) led the defense with five blocks, three of which came in the first set, while Kazarian tallied three blocks.

"Those first two sets were the fusion of offense and defense that we've been looking for," Botsford added. "It was honestly about as good as it gets and I'm glad we were able to see a glimpse of that. The third set was not quite the response we wanted out of the break, but I was happy with how we fought in the fourth. UNF was playing pretty well and the response was something we needed to see."

The Eagles opened the match hitting .412 to claim the opening stanza 25-15. The second set saw more offensive production from FGCU but also a solid defensive effort, leading the home side to a 25-15 victory. FGCU was unable to complete the sweep however, falling 25-15 in the third set, but bounced back to take the fourth game 25-22 and win the match 3-1.

FGCU got off to a fast start behind a kill from Kazarian and an ace from Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R Boone High School). The lead grew to 4-0 with a kill each from Pudwill and Kazarian. FGCU continued its offensive outburst with kills from Rick, Carroll and Moeller, resulting in a UNF timeout as the Eagles led 8-1. Despite an Osprey kill, the FGCU lead continued to grow with kills from Carroll and Pudwill and two Osprey errors. FGCU then used kills from Carroll and Kazarian to maintain a ten-point advantage, taking a commanding 15-5 lead. UNF cut the lead to 19-11, only for the Eagle net defense to take over. Rick and Tutwiler recorded the first block of the match, giving FGCU a 21-12 lead. A few points later, Tutwiler was joined by Carroll turning away another Osprey attack. It was Tutwiler again who featured in the third and final block of the set. The sophomore was joined by Kazarian, giving the Green and Blue set point at 24-15. Carroll then stepped to the service line and gave FGCU a 25-15 set win with an ace. Moeller, Carroll and Kazarian each recorded four kills, sparking an Eagle offense that hit .412 to open the match.

It was more of the same for FGCU in the second set, taking another 4-1 lead behind kills from Kazarian and Carroll. A 6-0 run capped by a Jordan ace increased the Eagle lead to 11-2 only for Carroll, Kazarian and Pudwill to string together four straight kills, giving FGCU a 15-3 lead. The Ospreys came back, closing the gap to 18-9 but the Green and Blue did not allow the visitors to get any closer, finishing off the 25-15 second set win. Carroll paced the Eagles with six kills, while Kazarian and Pudwill each tallied five. Rick dished out 17 assists in the set, helping the Eagles to a .372 hitting percentage.

UNF came out of the break and used a 7-3 run to put FGCU in an early deficit. Moeller and a block by Tutwiler and Carroll sparked a 4-2 run, but UNF responded with a 5-1 run, increasing the deficit to 14-8. Moeller looked to spark an FGCU run trailing 16-11, but the Ospreys earned side out and forced a fourth set, winning the third set 25-15.

The Eagles led throughout the early stages of the fourth set following an early 4-1 lead. Carroll, Pudwill and Tutwiler provided the offense early for the Green and Blue. Kazarian and Moeller then joined in, pushing the Eagle lead to 10-5. UNF used a 5-1 run to close the gap to 11-10 and eventually took a 14-13 lead. The Eagles called timeout trailing 15-14 before the momentum swung back in their favor. Pudwill tied the match with a kill and gave FGCU a 16-15 lead on a solo block. The junior, along with Carroll, gave the home side an 18-16 lead on back-to-back kills. UNF pulled to within 23-22 but a block by Kazarian and Tuwiler followed by a Kazarian kill ended the match with a 25-22 fourth set victory.    

UP NEXT

FGCU welcomes Jacksonville to Alico Arena for a 6 p.m. contest on Halloween. The Dolphins fell in five sets to Stetson Friday and carry an 8-13 overall record and a 5-4 conference mark into Saturday's match.
 
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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 38-18 (.679) record, including a 19-4 (.826) 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.