FORT MYERS, Fla. - An all-around performance from Chelsey Lockey and strong team defense helped lead the FGCU volleyball team (16-3, 6-1 ASUN) to a 25-21, 25-13, 21-25, 25-9 win over Kennesaw State (12-6, 5-1) inside Alico Arena on Sunday.
 
FGCU's win, coupled with Liberty's (12-7, 5-2) loss to Stetson, gives the Green and Blue a half-game lead in the conference standings. The Eagles will be back in action on Wednesday at 6 p.m. in a non-conference road match at Florida International.
 
"I'm really pleased with the girls the way they were executing, especially on the defensive end," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I thought that was a major factor, our ability to control a really good offense in Kennesaw State, both with the blocking and the floor defense. It was outstanding. That made the game a little bit easier, being less reliant on offense alone."
 
Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) was a big part of that as she produced a team-high 35 assists along with nine digs, five kills, two block assists, one solo block and one ace. Her play has helped FGCU win six straight in conference play while dropping just a pair of sets.

"I thought today was a really good all-around effort from each and every player," Lockey said. "I thought we all carried our own weight, and I think that really showed on the court to what we could do when we play our games."
 
Early on, the Eagles used a pair of big runs to secure the first two sets. FGCU opened up a 13-4 lead to begin the match behind 10 block assists in the set's first 17 points, including four from Daniele Serrano and three from Snowy Burnam. Lockey added one of her own while tallying five assists during the run.

Kennesaw State responded by chipping into the deficit, eventually pulling within 22-19. Lockey and Tori Morris, however, teamed up for a block, and Lockey followed with a kill to stretch the lead to five. Three points later, Erin Shomaker smacked home a successful attack for a one-set lead.

The late momentum carried over as FGCU scored nine of the first 10 in the second frame and eventually took a 2-0 lead following three straight kills from Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS), Cortney VanLiew and Lockey.
 
Kennesaw State then used a 9-1 run to seize control of the third set. FGCU was able to cut the deficit down to 16-14, but the Owls scored three straight, eventually led 23-18 and extended the match following a kill from Quin Sutphin.
 
"It's interesting," Botsford said. "You're happy to get leads like that and finish sets, but I do think it can lull you into a false sense of comfort and we know that Kennesaw is really talented, and we know enough about them as a competitive group that it was unlikely that we were going to see that again. Then, of course, they came out in the third set and elevated their game and we couldn't match it."

In the final set, though, FGCU used a 19-4 run to close the match and got another set-winning kill from Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS).

Offensively, VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) finished with a team-high 11 kills and completed her seventh double-double of the year with 10 digs, two block assists and two assists.
 
Serrano, who hit a team-high .467 among players with double-digit attempts and finished with a team-high five block assists, and Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS), who had a team-high two aces and finished second on the team with 12 digs, added seven kills apiece.  
 
Dana Axner had a team-high 15 digs, while Lockey and Amanda Carroll tallied nine apiece. Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) and Burnam each finished second on the team in block assists with three.
 
NOTES
Lockey surpassed Camil Dominguez (450, 2010-11) for the program's fifth-most career assists in ASUN regular season play on Sunday, while Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) sits eight digs shy of becoming only the fifth player in program history with 500 against conference teams in her career.
 
Serrano is now third in ASUN history in total blocks with 425.0, surpassing Campbell University's Rachel Templin, who had 422.0 from 2003-06.

Total Blocks - ASUN History
1. Meredith Hardy (ETSU, 2010-13) - 474.0
2. Morgan Van Alstine (North Florida, 2013-16) - 435.0
3. Daniele Serrano (FGCU, 2016-present) - 425.0



Fall Sports Single-Game, Season and Group Tickets On Sale
Single game tickets for volleyball, men's soccer and women's soccer are on sale now. Prices are $7 for adults and $5 for military/veterans (with ID) and youth (age 15 and under).
 
Season tickets (entry to each home game) are $55 for volleyball and women's soccer and $40 for men's soccer. Group tickets are $7 for groups of 15 or more and will include reserved seats, group recognition, a group activity and choice of FGCU gear or food. Fall Frequent Flyer passes, which includes a total of 30 entries to all three sports, are just $99.
 
For all inquiries, you can visit FGCUtickets.com, call 239-590-7145 or stop by the ticket office, which is open daily Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and one hour prior to all home events.
 
COACH BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford is in his sixth season as head coach of the FGCU women's volleyball program in 2019 after being hired on Feb. 10, 2014. In his tenure, Botsford-led teams have compiled a 132-48 (.733) record overall, including a 63-16 (.797) record in ASUN play. Including this past season, 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 four straight seasons and at least 10 wins in conference play five 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 next two, which saw .267 and .256 percentages, are the third and fourth highest in program history. In 2018, he led the program to its first regular season championship since 2012 (fourth overall) and its first-ever ASUN tournament title, NCAA tournament appearance, NCAA tournament win and victory over a ranked team. His first two campaigns resulted in ASUN regular season runner-up finishes, and the following two saw 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. This past season, he led the team to a win over Miami (Fla.) - the program's first-ever road Power-5 win.
 
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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 raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 78 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty consecutive semesters. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--