ATHENS, Ohio - FGCU volleyball suffered a tough loss in its season opener at the hands of Villanova on Friday, Aug. 26^th at the Bobcat Invitational. The Eagles fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-21) to the Wildcats in their first of three weekend matches. Despite the loss head coach Matt Botsford saw positive play from his two starting freshmen, outside hitter Ciara DeBell (Ocala, Fla./Vanguard HS) and middle block Danielle Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS).
 
"I saw some strong individual performances tonight that were very encouraging," said Botsford. "Both starting freshmen played their roles exceptionally well, and we got a nice lift from Kaitlan Krivdo off the bench. We weren't able to pressure Villanova enough from the service line which put their offense in a great position to spread us thin along the net."
 
In her first match as an Eagle, DeBell led the team's offensive attack with 11 kills, including a service ace in the second set, and a hitting percentage of .345. Fellow freshman Serrano showed strong potential along the net, recording a solo block in the first set and three block assists.
 
Senior Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS/Northern Iowa) and junior Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) paced the team defensively with 12 digs each. Pudwill also contributed with four blocks.
 
As a unit, the Eagles struggled offensively with a hitting percentage of .142, while allowing Villanova an attack rate of .250. While FGCU was able to take the lead halfway through the second set, they trailed throughout much of the match, and were outpaced by Villanova in kills (42-37), digs (57-49) and blocks (10-7) by the end of the match.
 
FGCU kept it close to start the day, as the teams split the first 12 points of the match. Villanova senior Claire Clutchfield gave her team the edge when she posted back-to-back kills that put the Wildcats up 8-6. The teams briefly exchanged points once more, before a seven-point Wildcat run threw FGCU's offense off kilter.  Despite Villanova's 19-11 advantage, the Eagles continued to fight, and were able to grind out seven more tough points before the Wildcats ended the set at 25-18.
 
FGCU went down 4-1 to start off the second set, but fought their way back to tie it up at 10-all. A service error by Villanova junior Allie Loitz began a four-point FGCU run that gave the Eagles to their first lead of the night at 17-13. When Loitz pounded down a kill to boost the score to 17-14, Pudwill answered with a kill of her own followed by a service ace from DeBell. A kill by Villanova senior Michaela Berendt caused the Eagles temporarily lose their rhythm as they dropped 10 of the next 12 points. FGCU sophomore Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) pushed back with a kill late in the set to put the score at 24-22, but the effort proved to be too little, too late, when a service error gave Villanova the win in the second set.
 
The third set opened up with back-to-back Villanova points followed by back-to-back FGCU points. After a handful of attack errors by the Eagles, Villanova found themselves with a 9-5 advantage. FGCU brought the game back within one point after a series of exchanges that featured two DeBell kills. The next three points went to Villanova, before the streak was broken by another DeBell kill – her fourth of the set. The Wildcats answered with four consecutive kills that brought the score to 17-10. A service error by Villanova freshman Emma Decker shifted momentum back in the Eagles favor as FGCU was able to capture nine of the next 13 points. With the score at 22-19, Villanova put the heat back on the Eagles. They scored four of the next six points, broken up by two Kaitlan Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) kills, to win the set 25-21.
 
The Eagles will look for their first win as they continue play at the Bobcat Invitational with a pair of matches on Saturday. FGCU begins the day with a 10 a.m. match against host Ohio before wrapping up the weekend with a 5 p.m. contest against No. 22 Western Kentucky.
 
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 enters his third year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program.  His teams have combined for an overall 40-22 (.645) record, including a 21-7 (.750) 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.