FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball team enters the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to earn a first round bye in the upcoming 2015 Atlantic Sun Volleyball Championships. The Eagles currently hold the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament, trailing only Lipscomb in the standings. The Green and Blue welcome the Lady Bisons to Alico Arena Friday (Nov. 13) for a 7 p.m. contest and then turn their attention to NJIT for Senior Night Saturday (Nov. 14) at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available for both matches and can be purchased by calling the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 or by visiting FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. Friday's match is a Blueout and fans and Dirty Birds are encouraged to wear blue as the Eagles look to take down the first place Lady Bisons. The match against NJIT will be the final home contest of the regular season and the Eagles will honor two departing seniors prior to Saturday's meeting with the Highlanders. Arrive early to honor and celebrate the careers of
Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) and
Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) before FGCU meets NJIT in the regular season finale.
FEED FGCUFGCU Athletics announced the start of its FeedFGCU campaign, which will take place at every home event during the month of November. The campaign aims to support the FGCU Campus Food Pantry by posting boxes at marketing tables inside each venue for fans to place donated items aiding students experiencing food insecurity. Fans who donate 10 or more items will receive an FGCU-branded lunch box. In its second year, the department hopes to build upon the more than 476 pounds of food collected and donated last season.
SENIOR SEND OFFSaturday's match against the Highlanders marks the final home contest for Benke and Kazarian. In just two years, the duo have helped guide the Green and Blue to 39 wins while putting themselves in the FGCU record books.
Benke transitioned from an outside hitter to the team's libero in her final season. As a junior, Benke recorded 135 kills before suffering a season-ending injury, cutting her time short. This season, she has eclipsed the 500 dig mark and enters the weekend with the fourth-best single season mark in FGCU history while her 626 career digs is good for eighth all-time at FGCU.
Kazarian's 402 kills in her first season wearing Green and Blue was a single-season FGCU Division I record and the fourth-best performance in program history. Now at 660 kills, Kazarian sits ninth all-time. Defensively, Kazarian's 158 career blocks puts her eighth at FGCU in just two seasons.
A-SUN SCENARIOS* Lipscomb wins the A-Sun title outright with a win or an FGCU loss this weekend.
* FGCU earns a first round bye with two wins or a win and a Kennesaw State loss.
* FGCU earns a share of the A-Sun regular season title with two wins and two Lipscomb losses.
FGCUThe Eagles maintain second place in the Atlantic Sun as the only team in the conference with 20 wins, entering the weekend with a 20-9 record overall and a 9-3 mark in the A-Sun. Led by 378 kills from
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School), the Eagles boast the second most efficient offense during conference play trailing only Lipscomb. The Eagles are hitting .208 as a team through 12 A-Sun matches, while limiting opponents to a .166 hitting percentage. Kazarian has added 258 kills to the Eagle attack while
Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) has emerged has an offensive target, coming into the weekend with 199 kills.
Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) has proven to be one of the best setters in the conference with 1,083 assists this season, behind only Lipscomb's Kayla Ostrom.
Defensively, the Eagles look to Benke to set the tone with the floor defense. The senior is second in the conference with 4.66 digs per set, totaling 503 on the year. Along the net,
Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) has made the most of her opportunities, recording 84 blocks this season, 64 coming in conference play.
LIPSCOMBThe Lady Bisons secured at least a share of the 2015 regular season title with two wins last weekend. At 19-8 overall and 11-1 in conference play, the Lady Bisons boast the conference's best offense, with 14.43 kills per set while hitting at a .246 clip. Molly Spitznagle leads the A-Sun with a .337 hitting percentage while compiling 203 kills. Brittnay Estes and Jewell Dobson have both posted more than 300 kills this season, led by Estes' 321, good for fourth in the conference. Kayla Ostrom runs the Lipscomb offense, collecting a league-best 1,233 assists.
Brittany Thomas is the key figure for the Lady Bisons floor defense, collecting 439 digs this season while Jewell Dobson leads the net defense with 62 blocks. As a team, Lipscomb has limited opponents to .143 hitting percentage, the best in conference play.
FGCU dropped the first meeting of the season 3-0 more than one month ago. With the loss, the Eagles trail the all-time series 4-13.
NJITIn their first year in the A-Sun, the Highlanders have compiled a 6-23 overall record and a 1-11 mark in the A-Sun. The Vukotic sisters continue to lead NJIT offensively, as both have recorded more than 250 kills this season. Danica Vukotic leads all Highlanders with 369 kills, more than one-third of the team's total production. Emily Krachenfels enters the weekend two assists shy of 800 in her first year as the team's setter.
Tess Albyn's 72 blocks puts her at the top of NJIT's defensive figures. Albyn has been the most consistent member of the NJIT net defense, recording .71 blocks per set. Adriana Nieto is the leader of the floor defense, compiling 416 digs in 103 sets.
The Eagles won the first meeting between the two programs, defeating the Highlanders 3-0.
UP NEXTWith the conclusion of the regular season, the Eagles enter the 2015 A-Sun Championships in search of their first tournament title since the transition to Division I. The first round of the tournament is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19 with the championship on Saturday, Nov. 21.
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 39-20 (.661) record, including a 20-6 (.769) 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.
