FORT MYERS, Fla. -
Snowy Burnam's double-double paced the FGCU volleyball team (19-6, 10-1 ASUN) in a 25-7, 25-8, 25-17 win over North Alabama (2-18, 0-11 ASUN) in Alico Arena Friday night.
"I was really happy with the way we served the ball and with our serve receive," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "It's something we emphasized going into this. It really helped jump start the defensive side of the ball, where I thought we were really good."
With the victory, FGCU achieved five straight seasons with 10 or more conference wins for the first time in program history. With a win in Sunday's 1 p.m. home matchup against NJIT, they would record 20 wins for a program-record fourth straight season. Furthermore, the Green and Blue have now won eight straight matches and 16 consecutive sets.
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) led all players with 10 kills while adding 11 digs, two solo blocks, two assists and one block assist. Offensively,
Sharonda Pickering (9) and
Cortney VanLiew (8) contributed in kills, while
Maggie Rick had a match-high 26 assists.
Dana Axner had a team-high 14 digs, while
VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) added 12.
Pickering (Sea Cow's Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands/Elmore Stoutt HS) led the team with three block assists, while
Daniele Serrano and
Tori Morris each had two.
The Green and Blue cruised through the first two sets. In the opener, they scored seven of the first eight, led by a pair of kills from Pickering and an ace from
Karissa Rhoades. North Alabama pulled within five, but FGCU scored seven straight and 14 of the final 15 points in the set.
North Alabama scored the first point of the second set, but FGCU reeled off 10 straight following that to conclude a 24-2 run that spanned two sets. In fact, they closed the set on an 8-0 run, capped by another ace from
Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS). A kill from VanLiew in the third set gave the Eagles a 13-6 lead, and despite North Alabama scoring four of five points late, the sweep was secured.
With her assist total,
Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) produced her seventh match with at least 25 this season. She now has 4,301 in her career, which is 108 shy of passing Gigi Meyer (4,408, 2011-14) for the program's all-time record.
Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) notched her 13th consecutive double-digit dig performance and the 22nd of the season. She has now eclipsed Whitney Masters (421, 2012) for the seventh-most digs in a season in the Division-I era. Next up is the trio of Holly Youngquist (459, 2009), Rhoades (460, 2017) and Youngquist (466, 2011). The single season record is 558, set by Vanessa Benke in 2015.
Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) had multiple block assists for the fourth straight match and the ninth time this year.
FGCU is now 2-0 all-time against North Alabama with both victories coming in straight sets.
ASUN Standings
1. Kennesaw State – 20-4, 11-0
2. FGCU – 19-6, 10-1
3. Lipscomb – 14-9, 9-2
4. Liberty – 12-13, 8-3
5. Stetson – 12-10, 4-6
6. North Florida – 9-19, 4-8
7. NJIT – 4-22, 2-9
8. Jacksonville – 3-21, 2-10
9. North Alabama – 2-18, 0-11
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU volleyball program, follow us on Twitter at @FGCU_VB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and on Instagram at @FGCU_VB.
COACH BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford is in his fifth season as head coach of the FGCU women's volleyball program in 2018 after being hired on Feb. 10, 2014. In his four plus seasons, Botsford-led teams have compiled a 108-44 (.709) record overall, including a 52-15 (.773) record in ASUN play. He has taken the program to heights it has not seen in the Division-I era (2007-present) – registering at least 20 wins overall in three straight seasons and at least 10 wins in conference play four straight seasons. Furthermore, the team's offensive efficiency has drastically improved since Botsford started. In his first two seasons, his squad produced hitting percentages of .212 and .220. The past two, which have seen .267 and .256 percentages, are the third and fourth highest in program history. All four seasons under Botsford have seen a top-3 ASUN regular season finish and at least an ASUN semifinal appearance. His first two campaigns resulted in regular season runner-up finishes, and the past two have seen the Eagles advance to the tournament championship. On Sept. 10, 2016, Botsford led his team to a five-set win over Indiana in Alico Arena, which signified the program's first-ever win over a team from a Power-5 conference.
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 contribute, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.
