NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After trailing two sets to one and having its back against the wall in the fifth and final frame, #3 FGCU dug deep to earn a dramatic win against #2 Kennesaw State (19-25, 25-21, 20-25, 26-24, 15-11) and advance to its first ASUN Championship Final since 2009 Friday night at Lipscomb's Allen Arena.

The Eagles, who will face the host and top-seeded Bisons at 6 p.m. ET tomorrow with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line, improved its record to 27-5, while Kennesaw State's season ended with an 18-11 mark. With the win, FGCU claimed the season series against the Owls and improved to 13-6 in the all-time matchup. Friday night also marked the first time in program history the Green and Blue have won a pair of games in the ASUN Championship.

Trailing 2-1, the Eagles found a way to prevail in a hard-fought fourth frame during which neither team led by more than four points. After leading the entirety of the set, FGCU was two points from elimination before receiving back-to-back kills from Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.N./Sandia HS) to reclaim the lead and ultimately force a fifth and decisive set with a highly-competitive 26-24 win.

In the final frame, the Eagles fell behind early like they did in the first and third set and were forced to burn an early timeout trailing 4-1. However, four straight points coming out of the break gave FGCU the lead they maintained for the remainder of the match. Carroll recorded three straight kills to give the Green and Blue a 13-9 advantage, and freshman outside hitter Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) put an exclamation point on the night with back-to-back kills to close it out, 15-11, and send FGCU to the finals.

For the second straight night, Carroll led the way offensively with another double-double as she registered a game-high 21 kills and team-high 20 digs. Borgiotti joined the New Mexico native with a double-double of her own – her fourth of the season – with 14 kills and a season-high 16 digs. However, defense was the story in tonight's match as FGCU registered 15 blocks, including four from both Daniele Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) and Marlene Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium), and held the Owls to a .109 hitting percentage.

'I'm so proud of this group and their ability to continue to fight even when the game wasn't coming easy this evening," said FGCU head coach Matt Botsford. "Amanda had another big match, but this one was different. Tonight, we needed her to impact the defensive side of the ball more, and she did just that. Gio was terrific, and I was so proud of how aggressive she stayed throughout the match. Maggie (Rick) did a really good job closing things out in the fourth and fifth sets, putting our hitters in good spots, and Karissa (Rhoades) came up with some great defensive plays."

Kennesaw State came out swinging in the opening frame as they jumped out to an 8-3 lead after converting on all of their first five attacks. The Owls extended its lead to 14-8 midway through the set, but FGCU drew to within four after a kill by Carroll and block assist from Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Northern Iowa/Centennial HS) and Serrano. After Kennesaw State went on another run, FGCU battled back to within four for a second time but failed to get any closer as they dropped the set, 25-19.

FGCU's start to the second set was a mirror image of Kennesaw State's in the first as a kill, block, block and kill sequence got the Eagles out to a quick 4-0 lead that they never surrendered. Pudwill and Borgiotti were instrumental from the offensive side with four kills apiece in the frame while the defense totaled four blocks and held the Owls to a .000 hitting percentage en route to winning the frame, 25-21.

Following a 10-minute intermission, the momentum swung back to the Owls as they led from coast-to-coast to go up two sets to one. FGCU burned its second timeout of the set trailing 10-3 and Kennesaw State extended its lead to 14-6 midway through, but the Eagles used a seven-point run thanks to a trio of service aces from Borgiotti to draw within one of the Owls. However, that was as close as FGCU would get as Kennesaw State claimed the set, 25-20. The Eagles struggled with a -.065 hitting percentage in the frame.

The Eagles found a way to win the aforementioned fourth set behind five kills from Carroll and a couple of timely slams from Moeller while maintaining the defensive pressure and holding the Owls to a -.024 hitting percentage. Like the second frame, FGCU picked up its strong play at the net with six blocks in the set, including four in the first eight points, to stymie Kennesaw State's attack. From there, the Green and Blue used its fifth-set comeback to continue the best season in program history.

UP NEXT
#3 FGCU will look to claim its first ASUN Tournament Championship in program history against #1 Lipscomb at 6 p.m. ET tomorrow. The Eagles and Bisons split a pair of regular-season matches with the road team emerging victorious on both occasions. Lipscomb holds a 15-5 advantage in the all-time series, including a win against FGCU in the 2009 ASUN Title Game.

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 67-27 (.713) record, including a 32-10 (.762) 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.