DELAND, Fla. – A solid defensive effort and a balanced offensive attack guided the FGCU volleyball team (9-5, 1-0 ASUN) to a 3-0 (25-16, 25-14, 25-21) victory over the Stetson Hatters (1-12, 0-1 ASUN) Saturday afternoon.

The conference-opening match saw the Eagles hold the hosts to a .122 attack percentage, the third-lowest output of the season for a FGCU opponent. The Eagles started quickly led by five Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) kills in the opening game and four aces – two each from Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) and Courtney Stephens (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) – to claim the first set 25-16. For the second day in a row, Sharonda Pickering (Sea Cow's Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands/Elmore Stoutt HS) sparked a run for the Green and Blue, helping put the second set out of reach as the Eagles went into the break leading 2-0 thanks to a 25-14 win. Daniele Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) and Kaitlan Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) stole the show in the third set. With some Eagles on the bench, Serrano and Krivdo stepped up, combining for 11 kills to lead FGCU to a 25-21 win.

"We were really good from the service line and that's been something over the last couple weeks that's really dictated quite a few of our matches," said head coach Matt Botsford. "I thought we handled the ball pretty well in the first two sets, obviously things got pretty sloppy in the third but I'm glad the kids were able to battle it out. Dani (Serrano) and Kaitlan (Krivdo) both hit over .500 tonight and played really well in that third set. Krivdo hit at a really high efficiency and Dani, when we made some changes, stepped up and showed a lot of leadership."

Serrano led all Eagles with 11 kills – hitting .550 on the afternoon. Krivdo also hit above .500, finishing the third set at .556. VanLiew ended the day with 10 kills and seven digs while Carroll tallied seven kills through two sets. Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) dished out 40 assists in the match and Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) led the team with 23 digs. FGCU finished the day with seven aces, led by Stephens who posted three.

At the net, Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS), and Pickering each played a role in three blocks, while Krivdo and Serrano ended the match with two blocks.

FGCU changed the set from the service line with four aces in the opening stanza. Trailing 8-6, FGCU went on a 6-0 run, helped along by a pair of aces from Carroll as well as two VanLiew kills. After the Hatters closed to 13-11, VanLiew earned sideout with her third kill of the set, allowing Stephens to step to the service line and produce back-to-back aces to open up a 17-11 lead. A pair of Rick kills and a block from the junior setter helped FGCU close out a 25-16 victory.

"[Serving] makes a big difference for us and it takes teams out of system," Botsford commented on his team's seven aces. It's still not as clean as we would have liked but we'll take it."

Pickering sparked an early run for FGCU that pushed a 4-3 lead to a 14-6 advantage that all but put the set out of reach. The Eagles stifled the Hatters defensively, forcing the hosts to hit -.061 in the set. Conversely, the Green and Blue hit .296. Two more aces down the stretch and two Borgiotti kills set up Serrano, who closed out the 25-14 win with her second kill of the set and sixth of the match.

Utilizing the bench in the third set, the Eagles fought off Stetson for a 25-21 victory to complete the sweep. The Green and Blue used five kills from Serrano and six more from Krivdo to fend off the Hatters. Krivdo was involved in a pair of blocks that put the Eagles in front 15-11 only for the hosts to come back and tie the set at 18-18. Snowy Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) followed a Krivdo kill to make it 22-20 before Krivdo tallied her final two kills of the set to finish off the Hatters.

UP NEXT
The Eagles remain on the road to face their top-two rivals for ASUN supremacy. First up, FGCU meets Kennesaw State Friday in Georgia. Then the Eagles make the trip to Nashville to face the defending champion Bisons Saturday.

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 76-33 (.692) record, including a 33-10 (.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.