FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball team gave the first-place Lady Bisons all they could handle, but dropped a five-set heartbreaker (24-26, 25-23, 25-18, 17-25, 15-17) to Lipscomb Friday night (Nov. 13). The Eagles had a match point opportunity as the contest neared its end, only for the Lady Bisons to come back and take the final set 17-15 as the Eagles fell to 20-10 overall and 9-4 in the Atlantic Sun. Lipscomb improved to 20-8 in 2015 and 12-1 in the A-Sun.

"This was a really competitive match from the start," said head coach Matt Botsford. "Those first two sets could have gone either way. I was really pleased with how we came out of the break and then Lipscomb just responded in the fourth. I couldn't have asked for anything more than to be in a position to win. That was our most complete game and it's a tough loss but hopefully this gives the team some confidence."

Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) paced the offense with a career-high 27 kills while hitting .411. The 27 kills from the junior ties the second-best performance by an Eagle in program history and is the most kills in a single match since 2008. Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) chipped in with double-digit kills while Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) recorded 47 assists, helping the offense to finish the match with a .271 hitting percentage. Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) led the floor defense with 19 digs and Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) ended the match with four blocks, two of which came in the fifth set.

The match began with both sides hitting above .370 during the first two sets. The Eagles held a 24-23 advantage late in the first set, but were unable to finish off the Lady Bisons, falling 26-24 to open the night. The Green and Blue bounced back, winning the second set 25-23 to even up the match heading into intermission. After the break, the Eagles used eight Pudwill kills, seven coming in the final nine points for FGCU, to win the third set 25-18. It was Lipscomb that responded in the fourth set, forcing a decisive fifth game with a 25-17 victory. The Eagles trailed 8-6 as the two teams switched sides but the home side rallied, taking a 12-11 lead and ultimately earned match point at 14-13. Lipscomb however came from behind to win, 17-15.

There were 15 ties and eight lead changes in the first set as both offenses exchanged attacks. Neither side was able to gain more than a one-point lead until a Pudwill attack put FGCU in front 16-14. On the very next point, a Lipscomb error gave FGCU a 17-14 lead, forcing the visitors to call timeout. FGCU fought off multiple attempts from Lipscomb to tie the set as the Eagles saw their lead shrink to 23-22 late in the game before Pudwill allowed the Eagles to serve for the set with her team-leading seventh. Leading 24-23, the Eagles were unable to finish off the Lady Bisons, falling 26-24. The Eagles ended the set hitting .378 as a team, led by Carroll's .429 hitting percentage. The freshman ended the game with three kills, while Kazarian added four.

The second set played out very similar to the first, with 14 ties and five lead changes. The Eagles trailed 16-14 midway through the second set until Pudwill and Tutwiler began a 5-0 run to take a 19-16 lead. A solo block by Carroll continued the three-point advantage as the score moved to 21-18. Lipscomb countered, cutting the lead to 24-23, but Pudwill ended the set with a kill, sending the Eagles into the locker room tied at one set each in the match. FGCU used a balanced attack in the second set as Kazarian, Carroll, Pudwill and Tutwiler all finished with three kills. Once again, the Eagles posted a .375 hitting percentage.

FGCU took control of the match momentarily with a 25-18 third set win, holding the Lady Bisons to a -.032 hitting percentage. FGCU began to pull away with a 7-0 run late in the set with the score tied at 17. Pudwill put FGCU in front 18-17 to spark the run and Benke followed with an ace followed by five Pudwill kills to close out the 25-18 win. The junior ended the set with eight kills while hitting .375 and the defense forced Lipscomb to make eight errors.

The Green and Blue fell behind early in fourth set, trailing 6-1 before a Carroll kill gave the Eagles side out. The deficit grew to 12-4 when a Lipscomb error sent Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) to the service line. The freshman promptly recorded an ace and capped a brief FGCU run with a kill, cutting the deficit to 16-10. Another Rhoades kill brought Lipscomb's lead to 19-14, but that was as close as the Eagles would get, falling 25-17 in the fourth set.

Pudwill got FGCU going in the fifth with four straight kills to start the decisive game. It was Lipscomb however that would lead 8-6 as the teams switched sides but Carroll, Pudwill, Kazarian and Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) tied the set at 10. FGCU took a 13-11 lead thanks to back-to-back blocks from Tutwiler and Rick. Pudwill then gave FGCU match point, leading 14-13 but Lipscomb immediately tied the game at 14. Pudwill's 27th kill of the match pushed the Eagles back in front 15-14, only for the Lady Bisons to record three consecutive points to take the set 17-15 and the match.

UP NEXT

The regular season concludes with Senior Night Saturday (Nov. 14). The Eagles will recognize Benke and Kazarian prior to the Eagles' match against NJIT scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. With a win, FGCU would secure the No. 2 seed in the upcoming A-Sun Championships and by doing so, earn a first round bye.

FOLLOW ALONG
 
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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 39-21 (.650) record, including a 20-7 (.741) 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.