Albuquerque, N.M. – A balanced offensive attack and the defense of
Dana Axner helped lead the FGCU volleyball team (4-2) to a 25-20, 25-10, 25-23 win over Eastern Kentucky in the finale of the Lobo Classic on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, the Eagles won the event after finishing 2-1.
"I thought the team did a good job adapting to some new lineups while managing our efficiencies much better than last night," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "We continue to block and defend at a very high level and that remained consistent throughout the weekend. Individually, I thought Dana did a great job managing the backcourt and Snowy found a really nice grove offensively for us."
Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) tallied a match-high 18 digs while tying her season-high in assists with five. The freshman libero joined
Daniele Serrano on the All-Lobo Classic team after totaling 43 digs, 12 assists and one ace over three matches this weekend.
Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS), meanwhile, added five kills, four block assists and a solo block against EKU. She totaled 19 kills, three digs, three solo blocks and 17 block assists in the tournament.
Cortney VanLiew, who had a match-high 11 kills, opened the first set with a kill as the Eagles scored four of the first five points. Moments later, EKU trimmed its deficit to one, but back-to-back kills from
Maggie Rick and
Giovanna Borgiotti pushed it to 10-7.
The first two collegiate kills from
Kirstine Garder increased the lead to six, and
Sharonda Pickering slammed one home to give FGCU seven set points. After three straight from EKU, which forced a timeout from the Green and Blue,
Pickering (Sea Cow's Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands/Elmore Stoutt HS) and
Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) teamed up for a set-winning block.
In the second set,
VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) and Serrano produced kills, and
Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic HS) recorded an ace as the Eagles scored six of the first seven points.
A block from Borgiotti and Serrano pushed the margin to eight, and
Garder (Halden, Norway/Topvolley Norge) added another kill to push it to 20-9. The Green and Blue closed the set with three straight points on kills from a trio of players, including
Snowy Burnam with the set-winner.
EKU took its first lead of the match early in the third set following four straight points that gave them a 9-5 advantage. With the margin the same, FGCU went on a 4-0 run behind a pair of kills from VanLiew and an ace from
Alayna Ryan (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS) to tie things at 11.
With things tied at 22 apiece, VanLiew scored two of the final three points, including the match-winner, to give FGCU the victory.
In all, FGCU had nine players record at least one kill, led by VanLiew. Beyond her, Borgiotti,
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and Pickering each added six. Serrano and Garder also had five apiece. The team hit .321 over 106 attempts.
Rick (23) and
Chelsey Lockey (12) combined for 35 of the team's 44 assists, and Rick also led the team in aces (3).
Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) also finished second on the team with eight digs, while Borgiotti (7), VanLiew (6) and Rick (5) also contributed.
The Eagles will next host West Virginia, Albany and Western Illinois next weekend in the Homewood Suites Fort Myers/FGCU Classic in Alico Arena. Not only is it the team's home opener, but it's the only time they'll be at home until Oct. 5.
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 an 93-40 (.699) record overall, including a 42-14 (.750) 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 make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.
