JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a grueling five sets, the FGCU volleyball team dropped a heartbreaker to North Florida, but clinched a spot in the ASUN Championship after losses by Stetson and NJIT. The Eagles join Lipscomb and Kennesaw State, which also clinched a playoff berth with wins in tonight's ASUN matches. This season marks the sixth-straight year that FGCU has made it to post-season play.
 
With the loss, FGCU splits this year's series with North Florida 1-1, marking the first time UNF has defeated the Green and Blue since 2013. The Eagles fell behind early with a 25-21 loss in the first set, but seemed to gain momentum with back-to-back 25-13 wins in sets two and three. UNF flipped the script on the Eagles in set four snagging a 25-13 win of its own and forcing a fifth set. The Ospreys' blocking continued to create problems for FGCU offensively, which led to a negative hitting percentage and ultimately caused the Eagles to fall 15-8 in the final set.
 
"UNF blocked very well and had us out of system throughout the night," said head coach Matt Botsford. "Our offense was uncharacteristically high-error and inefficient through most of the match. Even in sets two and three we were really just carried by our serving. I'm very disappointed in our inability to counter what we were seeing across from us in sets four and five."
 
Even though the Eagles' attack lacked luster in tonight's match, senior Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lake, Minn./Northern Iowa/Centennial HS) provided a bright spot on offense. The hitter landed a team-high 16 kills on 36 attacks for a hitting percentage of .278. Pudwill added 11 digs and two blocks defensively for her third double-double of the season.
 
Sophomore Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) finished the night one kill shy of a double-double with nine kills and 15 digs, matching libero Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) who dove for 15 digs of her own.
 
Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) paced FGCU offensively with 31 assists on the Eagles' 41 kills. The setter also made an impact on defense with nine digs and two blocks on the night.
 
It was obvious from the opening set that the match would be a close one as the teams went back and forth swapping tough points. After six lead changes and 10 ties, UNF was able to hold off the Eagles with a three-point run that culminated in a set win.
 
The Eagles came out stronger in sets two and three by limiting errors and focusing on their serving. FGCU committed just seven errors in games two and three combined after accumulating 10 in the first set. The Green and Blue amassed five service aces between the two games en route to back-to-back 25-13 set victories.
 
The fourth set started out tight as the teams exchanged scores through the first 20 points. With everything tied at 10-all, momentum shifted toward UNF. A seven-point run lead to a 25-13 Ospreys win and forced the teams into a fifth set.
 
The Ospreys continued to roll through game five jumping out to a 9-0 lead over FGCU. The resilient Eagles fought back, scoring eight of the next 13 points, but the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as North Florida climbed to 15.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles will remain in Jacksonville another day to face JU at 5 p.m. 
 
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 61-26 (.701) record, including a 28-9 (.757) 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.