FORT MYERS, Fla. - Amanda Carroll and Cortney VanLiew combined to hit .423 with 27 kills as the FGCU volleyball team swept North Florida 25-17, 25-20, 25-14 in Alico Arena on Saturday.

With the win, FGCU (15-6, 6-1 ASUN) has now won six straight matches, including five in straight sets to push their consecutive sets won streak to 16 dating back to the final set against Lipscomb on Sept. 30. North Florida fell to 8-15 overall and 1-6 in ASUN play.

"I was really pleased with the bounce back offensively," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Each set, we played a little bit smoother, a little bit cleaner. We wanted to manage the game. I thought the left sides took the lead on that. We didn't get the result we wanted to in terms of our numbers from the left side yesterday, and it was completely different today. I thought they created a lot more opportunities for themselves, so that was nice to see."

Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), who hit .483, led the way with 16 kills, seven digs and two block assists. She eclipsed 1,200 career kills with her seventh termination, which came on the opening point of the second set. VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) added 11 kills, eight digs, one solo block and one block assist. She now has at least 11 kills in four consecutive matches. The duo had 63 percent of the team's kills. Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) added 30 assists, which gives her 18 matches this year with at least that many. She also had six digs.

Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla/Bloomingdale Senior HS), who finished second on the team with five assists, led FGCU with 10 digs. It was her sixth straight match in double digits. Overall, the Eagles had five players with at least five digs. Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS), who had five, now has 969 digs in her career, which pushes her closer to becoming just the fifth player in program history with 1,000.

At the net, FGCU was held without a block in the first set, but Kaitlan Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) and Snowy Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) had seven and six block assists, respectively, over the final two sets. Both totals were a season-high for each player. Daniele Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS), who teamed with VanLiew for FGCU's lone two solo blocks, also joined Carroll with a pair of block assists as the Eagles finished with 11 total blocks on 18 block assists.

"Kaiti Krivdo played phenomenal," Botsford said. "Her blocking was outstanding. Snowy has improved every week from a blocking standpoint. She wasn't what we would like her to be on the offensive end the last two nights, but there's still ways to be productive and effective, and for us, it was her blocking that was really setting things up for us."

As a team, FGCU hit .352, which is their fourth best output of the season. Defensively, the Eagles held North Florida to a .098 hitting percentage, which was also the fourth time this year they held an opponent under .100. In fact, FGCU held the Ospreys to a -.069 percentage in the third set alone. The team's block assist total is its third best of the season.

FGCU closed the first two sets in strong fashion. In the opener, FGCU led 20-17, but North Florida had just scored four straight to force a timeout from the Eagles. Serrano produced a kill out of the timeout. Stephens followed with an ace, and Rick added a sneaky kill before a UNF attack error and another ace from Stephens gave the Eagles the final five points of the set. In the second set, FGCU closed on a 7-1 run. With North Florida up 19-18, a service error and an attack error gave the Eagles the lead. Rick followed with an ace to force a North Florida timeout. Carroll added a kill out of the timeout, and VanLiew closed the set with a kill. In the final set, FGCU led throughout and held several 11-point leads.

"(The team was) really proud of how competitive they were in those situations," Botsford said. "Game two was the perfect example. That was nip and tuck and all of a sudden we go on a run there at the end and then again, coming out of the break, the way they performed in the beginning of set three. That to me is the kind of competitive response that I would expect and that I'm happy to see from them."

The Eagles will be back in action on Tuesday with a non-conference matchup against Bethune-Cookman in Alico Arena at 6 p.m. FGCU swept the Wildcats on the road Sept. 2.

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 fourth season at the helm of FGCU volleyball. In 2016, Botsford's squad produced one of its most successful seasons ever at 27-6, with the win total representing the most in Division I program history and falling just two shy of the all-time mark. His teams have combined for an 82-34 (.707) overall record, including a 38-11 (.776) mark in ASUN play. In his inaugural season, the Eagles finished with a record of 19-11 with a second-place ASUN finish, and he improved that win total to 21 in his second season. Botsford has coached 15 All ASUN selections in his three 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.

IRMA RELIEF DONATIONS
In the wake of Hurricane Irma, many individuals and families throughout Southwest Florida are still in desperate need of assistance. To aid in those relief efforts, FGCU Athletics will be collecting donations at all Eagle home games for the immediate future. Donation items most needed include: non-perishable food, clothing, household items and first-aid supplies. Additionally, those unable to attend upcoming home games can drop off donations in canisters located in the Alico Arena lobby. All donations will be given to those hardest hit in Lee and Collier counties.