FORT MYERS, Fla. - Strong defensive play at the net and solid serving helped lead the FGCU volleyball team (20-8, 10-3 ASUN) past Lipscomb (14-12, 7-6 ASUN) 25-19, 25-22, 25-22 in Alico Arena on Friday.

With the win, FGCU completed a regular season sweep of Lipscomb for the first time since 2012. On top of that, the program now has four straight seasons with 10 or more ASUN victories and three straight with 20 or more wins overall. The team will conclude its regular season with a 7 p.m. home matchup on Saturday against Kennesaw State, who clinched at least a share of the ASUN regular season championship with its three-set win over Stetson on Friday.

Prior to Friday's match, FGCU recognized Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS), who is the team's lone senior. The libero is one of just five players in program history to record 1,000 or more career digs. She currently has 1,050 after picking up nine against Lipscomb.

"I'm pretty proud of myself," Stephens said. "The circumstances I came into this program under with a new coach and everything. I felt like I adjusted really well. I'm proud of myself. The coaches always pushed me. It's super weird. I've played this sport for 14 years. I'm feeling a little sad finally. The grind always kind of gets to you, but I'm going to miss it."

As a team, FGCU hit just .168, but Kaitlan Krivdo (6), Snowy Burnam (5), Maggie Rick (4) and Daniele Serrano (4) combined for 19 of the team's 20 block assists, while Amanda Carroll added two solo blocks. On top of that, the Eagles produced seven service aces.

"The best stretches throughout season have been fueled by our defense, both at the net and behind it," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "And if you look at the stats and the way the game was unfolding, both teams were defending extremely well. It was hard to come by kills. So it was imperative that we keep up with what they were doing on the defensive end and we did exactly that. I was so impressed from the defensive perspective. It started with effort and we saw it this week in practice. We made it a point of emphasis, and I love the way they came out and executed."

Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) tallied a team-high 14 kills while hitting .306. She added eight digs and a team-high four service aces. With her four aces and two solo blocks, Carroll moved into fifth place on two career lists. First, she passed Whitney Hendry (92, 2004-07) on the career aces list with 94. She is six behind passing the trio of Roberta Santos (2007-08), Gigi Meyer (2011-14) and Brooke Youngquist Sweat (2004-07), who are tied for second with 99. She also now has 37 solo blocks, which allowed her to pass Devon Watts (36, 2004-05), and she needs two more to pass Kaitlin Holm (2011-13) for fourth place.

Furthermore, Carroll now has five straight matches with at least 10 kills. She had her double-double streak snapped at four, although she recorded four aces for the third time this season. It was two shy of her career-high set last year against Ohio University on Aug. 27.

Defensively, Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) tied Lipscomb's Brittany Thomas for the match-high in digs with 16. She now has double-digits in 12 of the past 13 matches. Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) finished second in digs, while Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and Carroll each tied for third with eight.

Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) tallied a pair of kills and a dig in addition to her match-high six block assists. Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) produced a team-high 32 assists and two service aces along with one dig in addition to her four blocks. She had her streak of five straight matches with 40 or more helpers snapped.

Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS), who tied Rick for third on the team in block assists, tied Burnam for second on the team in kills with six at a .306 clip. Serrano eclipsed Lauren Tutwiler (159, 2014-15) for seventh most career block assists, and she is now seven away from tying Kaitlin Holm (2011-13).

Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) finished second in kills with eight, while Alayna Ryan (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS) also contributed to the win with one assist, one service ace and one dig.

FGCU's seven team assists tied for the team's fourth highest output in a match this year, and the 20 block assists tied for the third highest output.

NOTES
FGCU still has a chance at the No. 2 seed in the ASUN Championship. They are currently one game behind Jacksonville with one left. Should FGCU knock off Kennesaw State and Jacksonville lose to USC Upstate, it would force a tiebreaker scenario. Since the two teams split their regular season matches, the next tiebreaker would be comparing the two teams based on sets won and lost vs all other ASUN teams. 

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 87-36 (.707) overall record, including a 42-13 (.764) 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.