DELAND, Fla. - The FGCU volleyball team (20-3, 7-1) gave a dominating performance in its 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-10) victory over Stetson (4-18, 1-7) on the road. The Eagles' shutout marks their 20th win 2016. With 23 matches played on the year, this is the fastest FGCU has reached the 20-win mark since its first Division I season in 2007.
 
"I'm very happy with the progress we've continued to make on the defensive side of the ball," said head coach Matt Botsford. "That has been a major point of emphasis, and the team has worked hard to make improvements in that area. Marlene (Moeller) and Daniele (Serrano) did a great job on the offensive end, and I thought Maggie (Rick) utilized them extremely well in transition. They both worked hard to create space and were really well positioned to be aggressive with our counter attack." 
 
The Green and Blue controlled the match both offensively and defensively, achieving a hitting percentage of .354 while holding their competitors to just .011. Setter Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) assisted on 28 of the Eagles 37 kills en route to FGCU's second shutout over the Hatters this year and 14th total of the 2016 season.
 
Sophomore hitter Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) led the Eagles offense with 15 kills on 28 attacks for a hitting percentage of .500. The victory marks Carroll's 18th double-digit kill performance of 2016.
 
Middle blockers Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) and Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) kept things tight around the net with four combined blocks and contributed to the attacking game, recording hitting percentages of .625 and .500 respectively.
 
The Eagles' defense has improved drastically in the second half of the season thanks in part to the excellent play of junior libero Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS). For three-straight weeks, Stephens has facilitated a defense that has held opponents under a .100 hitting percentage including .011 today.
 
FGCU jumped out to a strong 12-5 lead early in the first set, forcing a Stetson timeout. The Hatters came out with a spark after the break and cut their deficit to six before the Eagles went on a five-point run.  Up 21-10, FGCU captured four of the next seven points with kills from Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lake, Minn./Northern Iowa/Centennial HS), Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and Moeller to take set one 25-13.
 
After Stetson got out to a 5-4 start over FGCU in set two, the Eagles tallied five straight scores to reclaim dominance. With the Hatters trailing by four, the teams exchanged points until the score increased to 22-18. Finally, FGCU utilized a three-point run highlighted by a Moeller kill to down Stetson 25-18.

The Eagles made a statement in the third and final set with eight-straight unanswered scores before allowing Stetson on the board. FGCU continued to strike, increasing its lead to 11. At 21-10, the Eagles went on a four-point run, including a service ace from Carroll to take home the set 25-10 and the match 3-0 for the Green and Blue.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles will return to the nest to face in-state rival Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. Earlier this season, FGCU swept the Wildcats in Daytona Beach en route to tying the longest winning streak in program history with 15 straight wins.
 
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 third year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program.  His teams have combined for an overall 60-25 (.706) record, including a 28-8 (.778) mark in ASUN play. In his inaugural season, the Eagles finished with a record of 19-11 with a second-place ASUN finish. Botsford has coached 10 All-Conference selections in his two seasons. 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. A former professional volleyball player, he is a 1998 graduate of Tri-State University (now Trine), 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.