FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball team (15-2, 2-0) extended its win streak to 14 with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-17) win against ASUN Conference foe NJIT (8-10, 0-2) Friday night at Alico Arena. The Eagles win streak remains the second longest in the nation – trailing Nebraska (28) – and is tied for the second-longest streak in program history – just one win shy of matching the all-time mark from 2012. Additionally, the Eagles win not only marked their third consecutive in straight-set fashion, but also their ninth such win in the current 14-match win streak.

In the absence of leading hitter Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), who sat out tonight's game with an injury, senior leader Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lake, Minn./Northern Iowa/Centennial HS) and sophomore Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) picked up the slack with 10 and nine kills, respectively. To go along with her 10 kills and .273 hitting percentage, Pudwill was two digs shy of picking up her second double-double of the season.

Daniele Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) and Marlene Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) were efficient at the net as they led the way with .429 and .333 hitting percentages, respectively. Moeller added three block assists on the night to provide defense when it was needed.

As a team, FGCU totaled 40 kills to NJIT's 29 and 38 assists to the Highlanders' 27. Of the Eagles 38 assists in the game, Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) recorded 31 of them.

"Anytime you get a win, a straight-set win at that, you've got to be happy," said FGCU head coach Matt Botsford. "But it didn't feel like we were very good tonight in enough phases of the game. I thought we served great and, ultimately, that was probably the difference. We put a lot of pressure on NJIT from the service line, but we were pretty careless outside of that. It's a quick turnaround before tomorrow night, but we'll try to get some things figured out."

Other than dropping the first point of the match, FGCU led the entirety of the first set thanks in large part to hitting .500 as a team in the opening frame behind six kills from Pudwill. However, NJIT refused to go away as they used a pair of well-timed runs to draw to within two points every time FGCU looked to have a comfortable lead. Coming out of FGCU's second timeout of the set, NJIT cut the Eagles lead to one on two occasions, but the Green and Blue were able to capitalize on six of the last eight points in the set to claim a 25-20 win.

After trading points in the early stages of the second set, FGCU fell behind 11-14 before using an eight-point run behind the serving of libero Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) to assume a 19-14 lead. Immediately after, NJIT used a run of their own to tie the game at 20. Then, much like the start of the set, the teams traded the next seven points before FGCU claimed a 25-23 win. All in all, there were six lead changes in the frame.

In the third and final set, the Eagles and Highlanders found themselves locked in a 10-10 tie after neither team assumed more than a two-point lead to that point in the frame. However, FGCU outscored NJIT 11-3, including three consecutive service aces from Rhoades, to take a 21-13 lead and ultimately cruised to a 25-17 win in the final frame.

UP NEXT
The Green and Blue remain in the friendly confines of Alico Arena to host USC Upstate at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The Eagles are 15-0 in the all-time series with the Spartans and have yet to drop a home match this season.

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 55-24 (.696) record, including a 23-7 (.767) 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.