BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – An impressive offensive performance paved the way for a split for the FGCU volleyball team (7-5) on the final day of the Hoosier Classic. The Eagles opened the day by sweeping (25-12, 25-17, 25-14) UNLV (4-8) but fell to the Hoosiers (11-1) in five sets (15-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 15-10) Saturday.
 
A near-record breaking performance paved the way for the Eagles in a sweep over the Rebels. Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) led the way with 15 kills and Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) added 12 kills. Meanwhile, Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) dished out 32 assists.
 
Against the Hoosiers, the Eagles claimed the first and third set, but Indiana managed to fight off FGCU in the fourth set before winning the deciding fifth. Carroll posted 27 kills in the match, helped along by VanLiew's 14 kills and 11 more from Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS). Daniele Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) finished with five kills and a pair of solo blocks and two more assists.
 
Following the match, Carroll was named the Tournament MVP while Serrano and Rick were named to the All-Tournament Team.
 
MATCH 1: FGCU 3, UNLV 0
In the morning match, FGCU put forth a dominating performance, sweeping UNLV behind VanLiew, Carroll, and Serrano. The Eagles posted an impressive .462 attack percentage – the 2nd-highest in any match in the program's Division-I history and 3rd-highest all-time (.539 against Saint Xavier on Oct. 21, 2006; .464 vs. Saint Francis (Pa.) on Aug. 31, 2007).
 
By herself, VanLiew had 15 kills – the freshman's eighth double-figure kill match of the season – while UNLV had just 21 kills as a team. The reigning ASUN Freshman of the Week hit a season-best .583 percent, had three service aces and finished with a game-best 18 points.
 
Carroll continued her streak of recording 10 or more kills in every match this year with a dozen as the junior hit .435 percent – her 2nd-best performance of the campaign. Carroll added a pair of service aces and had 14 points. Serrano capped the morning with nine kills and game-high-tying three blocks.
 
"While the offensive numbers were outstanding, what I'm most happy with was the defensive effort and execution," stated Matt Botsford, whose team held UNLV to just a .063 attack percentage – more than .050 lower than any other opponent so far this season. "We have talked a lot about needing to raise our level in that area, and the team did exactly that. Cortney was great, and the way she responded after being pressured by their servers in the middle of the match says a lot about her as a competitor. I thought Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) and Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) played a big role in anchoring the floor defense, and the rest of the team followed suit."
 
With FGCU holding a 6-4 lead in the first set, the Eagles rattled off seven-straight points – starting with a VanLiew kill and closing with a Serrano kill – despite a UNLV timeout in the middle of the stretch to try and stop the run. With that 13-4 edge, the Green and Blue didn't allow the Rebels to get any closer than seven points the rest of the set, easily cruising to a victory.
 
Similar to the first set, FGCU used a big run early in the second set to take a commanding lead and never looked back. UNLV held a 3-2 lead, but the Eagles then ran off eight-straight points – bookended by a kill and a service ace from Carroll – to forge ahead, 10-3. From there, UNLV trimmed its deficit to 13-8, but the Eagles had little trouble in putting the Rebels away, despite four-straight points from the Las Vegas team with FGCU sitting on set point.
 
Another big run in the beginning stages of the third set again set the tone for the Green and Blue to coast to an easy victory. With FGCU leading, 4-3, the Eagles orchestrated a 6-0 run to open up another 10-3 advantage. UNLV hung around, but with FGCU leading, 14-9, the Eagles won eight of the next nine points to create a 22-10 lead and had no problem claiming their sixth-straight set to open the Hoosier Classic.
 
MATCH 2: INDIANA 3, FGCU 2
In a nearly identical match to what FGCU fans witnessed last season in Fort Myers, the Eagles and Hoosiers battled through five sets only for the home side to pull out the five-set win. 
 
"That was an exciting match to be a part of and I loved the way our players competed," Botsford said. "They were all so engaged in what was happening out there and invested in every point. Amanda (Carroll) did a great job all night and was so reliable in key moments both attacking and in serve receive. That MVP award was well-deserved. Another big impact in the match was the play of Gio (Borgiotti). She was generating a lot of offense on the right side and I loved how aggressive she was being in key moments."
 
The offensive display continued for the Eagles, hitting .433 through the opening set against the Hoosiers. After a slow start that saw the Hoosiers jumped out to a 5-1 lead, VanLiew and Carroll brought the Eagles level with the hosts at 8-8. From that point, FGCU rattled off a 7-1 run capped by a Carroll block. A VanLiew kill made it 19-12 Eagles before Rick and an attack error by the Hoosiers gave FGCU a 25-15 win in the first set.
 
 
Indiana tied the match with a 25-23 second set victory. FGCU countered another fast start from Indiana in the second set. FGCU got to within 13-11 and 23-22 thanks to a VanLiew kill, however, the Eagles could not complete the comeback, falling 25-23 in the second set.
 
The Green and Blue claimed the important third set 25-21. Trailing early, the Eagles utilized a Borgiotti kill to tie the set at 12-12. FGCU never relinquished the lead, using a 7-2 run to bring the lead to 17-14. The Hoosiers were able to keep the gap at 23-20 but consecutive attack errors allowed the Eagles to claim the set.
 
The back-and-forth affair continued as the Hoosiers forced the fifth set with a 25-22 win in the fourth. The set remained close, as the gap was never more than three points. However, the hosts finished with the lead. FGCU had the match tied at 12-12, 16-16, and 21-21 but the Green and Blue could not take the lead to finish off the match.

In the fifth, Indiana was able to get off to a strong start and despite a late rally from FGCU, claim a 15-10 victory. 

All-Tournament Team
Amanda Carroll - FGCU
Daniele Serrano - FGCU
Maggie Rick - FGCU
Elsa Descamps - UNLV
Taylor Andertgon - Samford
Deyshia Lofton - Indiana
Kendall Beerman - Indiana
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles contest against FIU has been postponed with a date to be determined. FGCU is back in action Friday against Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach.
 
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 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 74-33 (.692) 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.\