FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball team extended their winning streak to 12 on Saturday night with a shut out over Stetson in their first conference match of the season.  The Eagles' streak ranks second among active streaks in the NCAA behind Nebraska who tallies 27 and ties for the third longest in FGCU's Division 1 history. The 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 25-14) victory also improves the Eagles record to an ASUN-leading 13-2, while the Hatters fall to 3-13.
 
"Without question, the defensive side of the ball is what won it for us tonight," said head coach Matt Botsford. "I feel like all season, I've been saying I'm not quite happy with where we are defensively, but we've seen progress being made and tonight it came together. The way we managed the net, the way we managed the floor defense, I was really, really happy."
 
As a team, FGCU held Stetson to a -.011 hitting percentage and out-blocked the Hatters 13-to-1. Libero Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./ Winter Park HS) managed the floor defense for the Green and Blue and tallied 13 digs in the match.
 
Senior Marlene Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) led the Eagles along the net with a career-high nine blocks. Freshman Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) added five more and led the floor for the first time in her career with 11 kills.
 
Sophomore setter Maggie Rick (Alpharhetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) paced the Eagles offensive with 24 assists and helped FGCU to a hitting percentage of .385. Rick currently leads the ASUN with 10.79 assists per set on the season.
 
In the first set of the match, eight of the first nine points went to the Green and Blue, forcing Stetson to take a timeout. The teams swapped the next eight scores before the Hatters went on a four-point run. Up 13-9, FGCU used their first timeout and scored four consecutive points when play resumed. The next six scores were split by the two teams. Ahead 21-12, kills from Moeller and sophomore Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) helped increase the Eagles lead to 10. At 24-14, a ball handling error from Stetson gave the Green and Blue a 25-14 win in the first set.
 
FGCU got off to another strong start in set two, capturing six of the first seven points. A pair of Eagles errors helped Stetson narrow the gap back to three. Four more Eagles scores, highlighted by kills from Borgiotti and senior Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS/Northern Iowa), increased the score to 11-4. Four rallies later, the Eagles went on another five-point streak, this time highlighted by two service aces from senior Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./Boone HS). With the Eagles up 17-7 the teams split the next eight points. Another kill from Borgiotti ended the set at 25-12 in favor of FGCU.
 
Down 2-0 in the match, Stetson jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the third set. FGCU tied things up at 8-all with a Borgiotti kill. The Green and Blue took a 15-10 lead after a five-point run. Stetson started to narrow the gap until five more consecutive points increased FGCU's lead to eight. Up 21-12, the Eagles captured three of the next five scores. The match was won when a light tap over the net from Moeller confused the Hatters defense and gave the Eagles a 25-14 victory in the third set.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. on Tuesday to take on in-state rivals Bethune-Cookman at 7 p.m. FGCU has downed the Wildcats in all eight of their meetings since 2007.
 
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 53-24 (.688) record, including a 22-7 (.759) 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.