FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU volleyball program, fresh of its second-consecutive ASUN Championship runner-up finish, will kick off its 15th season in the Sunshine State Challenge hosted by the University of Miami Aug. 24-25.

The event will feature a trio of in-state matchups against Florida Atlantic, Central Florida and Miami, who combined to produce a 61-29 record last year, led by a 22-6 performance from the Hurricanes.

"I'm looking forward to this season and being able to see what we can do with such an experienced team," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "We have high expectations and this schedule will provide us early opportunities to compete against some quality programs."

The 30-game regular season schedule for the Green and Blue will also see non-conference stops in Albuquerque, N.M. for the Lobo Classic and Orlando, Fla. for the VolleyKnights Invitational Sept. 14-15.

FGCU battles Yale, Alabama State and host-school UCF in the VolleyKnights Invitational, while the Lobo Classic will witness the return of senior Amanda Carroll to her hometown in her final collegiate season. She will lead the Eagles against New Mexico, New Mexico State and Eastern Kentucky Aug. 31 – Sept. 1.

"Having a chance to play in New Mexico is something we have been working on for a couple years," Botsford said. "I know it means a lot to Amanda, and we really wanted to make sure she got the chance to compete back in Albuquerque."

The non-conference portion of the schedule concludes with a road tilt at Bethune-Cookman on Oct. 16 and a home matchup against Florida International on Oct. 23.

Outside of the FIU matchup, FGCU kicks off a slate of 12 matches in Alico Arena on Sept. 7-8 with the Homewood Suites Fort Myers/FGCU Classic as the Eagles host West Virginia, Western Illinois and Albany over those two days. The meeting with the Mountaineers will be the first-ever between the teams.

"I'm really excited that we will get another opportunity to play a Power-5 team on our home court," Botsford said. "West Virginia is a talented bunch, and I think that should be a good one for the fans."

FGCU's home calendar includes seven conference matches in October, including a 2017 ASUN final rematch against Kennesaw State on Oct. 5 and a first-ever meeting with brand-new ASUN member North Alabama on Oct. 26. Another new conference member, Liberty, comes to town on Nov. 10 for the regular season finale.

The 2018 version of the FGCU volleyball team will feature five seniors, led by three players looking for program records or career milestones. Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), who already holds the career records for kills, kills per set, attack attempts, points and points per set, is 587 kills shy of breaking Megan Devine's (ETSU) ASUN career record. She also needs just 31 digs to become the sixth player in program history with 1,000 in a career.
 
Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) is 724 assists shy of surpassing Gigi Meyer for the program's career record. She already holds the third, fourth and fifth-best single-season assist totals in the program's Division-I era. Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS), meanwhile, needs 258 digs to become the seventh player in program history with 1,000.

Among the non-seniors are Snowy Burnam and Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS), who both earned ASUN All-Freshmen team recognition last year. In fact, Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) became just the second student-athlete in NCAA history to be named the conference's top freshman in both indoor and beach volleyball.

The 2018 squad also returns juniors Daniele Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS), who was a First Team All-ASUN selection last year, and Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS), while also welcoming a four-member freshmen class.

For the full 2018 schedule, visit here. The full roster can be found here.

Single-game tickets will be on sale later this summer. For more information on season tickets or any general inquiries, visit fgcutickets.com.
 
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
Head coach Matt Botsford, who also heads the school's beach volleyball program, is entering his fifth season at the helm of the FGCU indoor volleyball. He led the team to a 22-10 finish, including a 10-4 mark in ASUN play, in 2017. The team advanced to the ASUN Championship final for the second consecutive season. 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 just two shy of the all-time mark. His teams have combined for an 89-38 (.701) overall record, including a 42-14 (.750) mark in ASUN play. In his inaugural season, the Eagles finished with a record of 19-11 with a second-place ASUN finish, and he improved that win total to 21 in his second season. Botsford has coached 18 All ASUN selections in his four 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.