FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball team (12-6, 5-1 ASUN) had a record-breaking day defensively in a 25-15, 24-26, 25-14, 25-16 win over Lipscomb (10-8, 5-1 ASUN) in Alico Arena Sunday afternoon.
The Green and Blue tallied a program-record 30 block assists along with two of the solo variety. Freshman middle blocker
Tori Morris led the way with eight and one, respectively, while
Sharonda Pickering and
Daniele Serrano assisted on seven and six, respectively.
The previous record was 29 set at Lipscomb on Nov. 19, 2016, although that match featured a single-match record 18.5 blocks, 1.5 ahead of today's performance.
"I think it was the best performance (of the season) across the board when you figure each player and the contribution they made," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "We didn't have to rely too much on one person. Everybody was making an effort to help us find a way to win. From that standpoint, it was the most balanced match of the season."
With the victory, FGCU moves into a tie with Lipscomb for second place in the ASUN behind Kennesaw State (15-4, 6-0). The Eagles will be back in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. at home against Stetson (12-6, 4-2).
Overall, seven different players had at least one block assist, including
Kaitlan Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Gray's Creek HS) and
Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS), who also finished with six kills and three digs. The previous season-high in block assists for
Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) was three.
Cortney VanLiew led the offense with 16 kills while adding 10 digs and four block assists for her fourth consecutive double-double. She reached 250 kills on the season with her fifth straight match in double figures, and she's had double-digit digs in 10 of the past 12 matches. In fact, she's just 58 kills and 48 digs shy of matching her totals from all of last year in 14 fewer matches.
Outside of
VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS), the duo of Pickering and
Snowy Burnam each had nine kills. For
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS), she recorded a new season-high while hitting .346 and contributing six digs and three block assists.
Pickering (Sea Cow's Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands/Elmore Stoutt HS), meanwhile, hit .571 with seven block assists and one dig. With her performance, she pushed her career hitting percentage up to .404, sliding past Cara Ziegler (.403, 2006-07) for first place on the program's all-time list.
Guiding the offense was the duo of
Maggie Rick and
Chelsey Lockey, who combined for 42 of the team's 47 assists.
Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) led the Green and Blue with 23 while adding six digs and one kill. It was the 12th time this season she has produced at least 20.
Lockey (Eaton, Colo/Eaton HS), meanwhile, matched her season-high in assists (19) that was set on Aug. 31 against New Mexico, and she had four digs.
Defensively,
Dana Axner produced a team-high 20 digs, which was her fourth match of at least that many in her freshman campaign. She also finished third on the team in assists with five while adding one of the team's four aces. On top of that,
Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) now sits at 290 digs, just three shy of moving into the top 20 single seasons in program history – entering just the 19th match of her freshman season.
Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS), who finished third on the team with nine digs, led all players with three aces. She is now 145 digs shy of 1,000 in her career.
Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) now has at least six block assists in three of the past four matches and five times overall this year. She has 70 on the season, too, which matches her total from all of last year and is on pace to break the program's Division-I era record of 101 currently held by Olivia Mesner (2012). She also sits 52 shy of Mesner's career block assists record (280, 2011-14).
UPDATED ASUN STANDINGS
1. Kennesaw State – 15-4 (6-0)
2. FGCU – 12-6 (5-1)
2. Lipscomb – 10-8 (5-1)
4. Stetson – 12-6 (4-2)
4. Liberty – 7-12 (4-2)
6. North Florida – 6-16 (1-5)
6. NJIT – 3-17 (1-5)
6. Jacksonville – 2-16 (1-5)
9. North Alabama – 2-13 (0-6)
FOLLOW ALONG
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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 101-44 (.697) record overall, including a 47-15 (.758) 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.
