JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball team downed Jacksonville 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-17) for the second time this year to move to 22-4 (8-2 ASUN) on the season. The Eagles shutout marks their 16th of the year, putting them just one shy of tying the program record. A win in their next match would also allow the Eagles to tie the school's record for wins in a single season set by the 2007 team.
 
FGCU utilized a strong frontcourt to overpower JU in three-straight sets, as they out-blocked the Dolphins 11 to six. The Green and Blue also limited their errors, committing just 14 in the match with 109 attacks and 43 kills for a hitting percentage of .266.
 
"We had a good combination of serving and blocking from the entire team tonight," said head coach Matt Botsford. "We're still a bit out of rhythm offensively, and we're going to have to work hard this week to make some strides in that area. Marlene (Moeller) and Leigh (Pudwill) were very effective at the net. We're going to need that kind of production heading into this weekend's matches."
 
Pudwill (Lino Lake, Minn./Northern Iowa/Centennial HS) had another solid night all-around tallying 13 kills, 8 digs and 2 blocks in the match with a .455 hitting percentage, while Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) led the Green and Blue along the net with five total blocks (two solo) on the night.
 
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) also contributed defensively with a team-high 13 digs and four blocks (three solo). On the offensive side, Carroll collected 13 kills giving the sophomore hitter her eighth double-double of the season.
 
Setter Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS), who owned a conference-high 10.73 assists per set going into tonight, paced the Eagles offense with 39 assists on 43 kills. Rick has assisted on 78 percent of the Eagles' 1,243 kills so far in 2016.
 
In the opening set, the Eagles' defense, led by libero Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS), held the Dolphins to a hitting percentage of just .026 en route to a 25-19 win. Pudwill collected a team-high five kills including the final two points of the set, while Moeller and freshman Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) each collected four.
 
FGCU's offense stepped up its game in set two as the Eagles jumped out to a commanding 7-1 lead. JU clawed back cutting the advantage to four, but failed to slow down the Eagles as FGCU plowed its way to a .536 hitting percentage and another 25-19 set win.
 
Set three started off much like the first two with another early lead for FGCU. At 10-4, back-to-back Eagles blocks caused Jacksonville to take a timeout. When play resumed, the Green and Blue collected three more blocks, two from Carroll and one from Pudwill, for a total of five in the set. A four-point run highlighted by two kills from Carroll gave FGCU a 25-17 set win and a 3-0 victory in the match. The Eagles now hold a 13-10 advantage all-time over Jacksonville.
 
UP NEXT
The Green and Blue will be back in the Nest next weekend for their final home stretch of the 2016 season. FGCU will take on Lipscomb at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, before facing Kennesaw State on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. FGCU, Lipscomb and Kennesaw State all clinched playoff berths this weekend.
 
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 62-26 (.705) record, including a 29-9 (.763) 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.