FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball team (1-0) got its 2017 season off to a fast start as the Eagles defeated FIU (0-2), 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-23), in front of one of the most raucous student sections in program history Friday evening inside Alico Arena.

The Green and Blue took a commanding 2-0 lead against the visiting Panthers behind some exceptional defense and trailed for just one point in the first two sets combined. However, FIU jumped out to an early lead and maintained its advantage throughout much of the third set behind its most efficient hitting of the night. FGCU dug its deepest when it mattered most, though, and responded from a 20-17 deficit to outscore the Panthers 8-3 down the stretch and secure a come-from-behind win in the third and final frame.

Outside hitter Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) played an instrumental role in the Eagles' third-set comeback as she registered 10 kills in the frame and accounted for seven of FGCU's last 13 points. The junior standout, who registered a match-high 17 kills and came up one dig shy of a double-double, hit .692 in the final set. Fellow junior Kaitlin Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) was efficient for the entirety of the match as she hit .333 or higher in all three frames and turned in a .389 percentage while totaling nine kills on the night. Additionally, Daniele Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) was a force on both side of the net as she accounted for seven kills with two solo blocks and one block assist, while Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) played distributor on 39 of FGCU's 41 assists.  

"The first set, defensively, it was exactly what we were looking for," said FGCU head coach Matt Botsford. "That was something we were hoping would carry over into sets two and three. Although that didn't necessarily happen, I thought we did some nice things offensively to balance it out. Obviously, we got into a tight one in the third and were happy to finish that one out as well. Our middles were fabulous tonight. Katie (Krivdo) was pretty darn good with both blocking and from an offensive standpoint, and Dani (Serrano) was her usual self and a real big threat that FIU had to pay attention to. If we can get that kind of production from those positions, it will open things up for our other players."

FGCU was able to turn in its most dominant performance of the night in the opening frame as the Eagles jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back. Although FIU stayed within striking distance for a short time, Serrano got the Eagles going with a kill and solo block that forced FIU to call its first timeout, sparked a 9-2 run for the home team and got extended the lead to 18-7 . Carroll then used three straight aces to push the Green and Blue to set point, and FGCU was able to put the first set away after holding the Panthers to a .077 hitting percentage.

Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbia East HS) made a quick impact in the second frame as she hammered back-to-back lobs over the net to give the Eagles a 6-2 lead. FIU battled back to take the lead, 9-8, but FGCU rattled off seven straight points behind a trio of kills from Serrano to take a 15-9 advantage. After FIU cut the Eagles' advantage to 20-18 and forced FGCU to call a timeout, the Green and Blue won five of the next eight points to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.

FIU jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third frame and appeared to swing the momentum as the Panthers maintained a three-point advantage throughout the first half of the set. However, FGCU used a mini-run to tie the score, 11-11, and took its first lead of the frame at 17-16 after back-to-back kills from Ciara DeBell (Ocala, Fla./Vanguard HS) and Serrano. FIU responded to win four straight points, though, and forced Botsford to take his second and final timeout of the set in a 20-17 deficit. From there, the Eagles went on the aforementioned run behind Carroll and company to close out the Panthers in straight sets.

UP NEXT
The Eagles are back in action with a match against Georgia Southern (1-1) at 11 a.m. tomorrow. They will then finish off the 2017 Hilton Garden Inn Invitational with a matchup against IUPUI (1-0) at 7 p.m. Tomorow's match against the Jaguars has been deemed a Green Out. A pizza party and poster signing will also take place in the Hospitality Suite following the match. 

COACH BOTSFORD
Head coach Matt Botsford finished his third season at the helm of the 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 two shy of the all-time mark. His teams have combined for an overall 68-28 (.708) record, including a 32-10 (.762) 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 15 All-Conference 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.