DELAND, Fla. – FGCU volleyball used a strong defensive effort and a fourth-set comeback to start Atlantic Sun play with a 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-15, 25-12) victory over Stetson Saturday, Sept. 26. The Eagles limited the Hatters to a .084 attacking percentage in the match to improve to 9-6 overall and 1-0 in A-Sun play. Stetson fell to 5-9 overall and 0-1 in conference play.
"It was a nice start to the conference schedule with a road win like this," said head coach
Matt Botsford. "We challenged our team after the break to play more aggressively and it started to show at the net with our blocking.
Lauren Tutwiler had another great match and spearheaded the frontline."
Led by 14 kills from
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School), three Eagles ended the match with double-digit kills.
Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) and
Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) both ended the match with 10 kills. Kazarian also picked up a season-best 20 digs to collect her second consecutive double-double. Carroll also earned a double-double with 11 digs.
Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) picked up 37 assists. Defensively,
Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) led the way with eight blocks and
Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) chipped in six blocks.
The Eagles used a strong offensive performance, hitting .400 in the opening set to win 25-15. The Hatters responded with a 25-22 second set win to even up the match. The Eagles came out of the break with a 25-15 set win, before coming from behind to take the fourth set 25-21.
FGCU took an immediate 4-1 lead behind kills from Carroll and Kazarian, only for the Hatters to tie the set at 5-5 a few points later. The two sides remained close until an 8-2 run turned an 8-7 deficit into a 15-10 lead for the Eagles. Four kills from Carroll and two blocks from Carroll and Tutwiler powered the run for FGCU as the lead continued to grow to 19-13, forcing the hosts to use their second timeout out the set. The Green and Blue didn't slow down as Carroll, Rick and Moeller recorded kills to give FGCU a 25-15 set win. The Eagles hit .400 in the set, led by Carroll's six kills and a .600 hitting percentage.
The Eagles faced a small deficit early in the second set, falling behind 6-4. A kill from Rick and attack error tied the set at six. The two sides traded points before Rhoades picked up a kill, putting the Eagles in front 12-11, sparking 4-1 run and forcing Stetson to call timeout. The Hatters brought the Eagle lead to 15-14, but their run was brought to an end by a block from Moeller and Rick. FGCU was unable to finish off Stetson, as the hosts came back to win the set 25-22.
With the third set tied at four, Rhoades collected two kills to put FGCU up 7-4. The freshman added another kill as part of a 6-2 run, giving FGCU a 10-6 lead. The Eagles continued to build momentum despite three straight points from the Hatters. Leading 12-9, Kazarian sparked another run for the Green and Blue that included three blocks to bring the FGCU lead to 18-11. Another block from FGCU's net defense brought the score to 20-12, paving the way for a 25-15 set win. Six Eagle blocks helped limit the Hatters to a -.079 hitting percentage in the set.
The Hatters came out and took a 6-1 lead in the fourth set and looked to put the Eagles away early. FGCU used an ace from
Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R Boone High School) and kills from Kazarian and Moeller to make it 6-4 and would get as close as 7-6 following a block from Moeller and Rhoades. However the Hatters used a 7-1 run to go in front 14-7 midway through the game. The Green and Blue refused to go away, taking advantage of four attack errors from the Hatters to cut the deficit to 17-14. After a timeout, the Hatters could not slow down the Eagles, as FGCU continued to climb back in the match. Kills from Kazarian,
Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) and
Marina Adami (Caxias Do Sul, Brazil/College of Central Florida) tied the match. Kazarian kept the offensive effort going with an ace, giving FGCU a 19-18 lead, its first lead of the set. Three kills from Carroll and another attack error gave the Eagles match point at 24-20 and Adami's third kill of the set secured the win for FGCU as the Eagles took the set 25-21.
"The fourth set was a real challenge and ultimately the substitutions of Leigh [Pudwill] and Marina [Adami] sparked an impressive turnaround," Botsford added. "Those two have a lot of experience and their poise carried us through some key points. I loved seeing that kind of emotion on the court and it lifted everyone."
UP NEXTFGCU continues A-Sun play with a pair of road contests. The Green and Blue travel to New Jersey to face A-Sun newcomers NJIT Friday, Oct. 2. The Eagles then head to Nashville for a contest against the reigning A-Sun regular season champions Lipscomb Sunday, Oct. 4.
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 28-17 (.622) record, including an 12-3 (.800) 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.
