FORT MYERS, Fla. - The top-ranked FGCU volleyball team (18-3, 7-1 ASUN) produced 11 aces as a team to help produce a 25-7, 25-11, 25-15 win over NJIT (1-22, 0-8) in Alico Arena on Saturday night.
 
With the victory, the Eagles have now won eight straight overall and sit tied with Kennesaw State (14-6, 7-1) atop the conference standings. They're also 8-0 inside Alico Arena this year and have won 12 consecutive ASUN home matches.
 
"I thought we served extremely well, and that's something we've done consistently throughout the season, and it's played a big part in our success," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I thought our floor defense was great. Offensively, the numbers look really, really good. I still don't think the offense was clicking in terms of the rhythm the way we would have liked, but the players were getting the ball down."
 
As a team, FGCU hit .400 as Chelsey Lockey orchestrated the offense with 28 assists, while also finishing with six digs, two aces and two kills. Tori Morris had seven kills in seven attempts, while Daniele Serrano tied her in kills and hit. 583. Overall, the Eagles had 35 kills, including five apiece from Cortney VanLiew and Snowy Burnam.
 
FGCU's .400 hitting percentage is the highest they've ever hit in a match against NJIT, topping its .398 on Oct. 7, 2017. Their 11 aces is also a new high against the Highlanders, and the tally fell just two shy of matching the program's high in a Division I era match overall.
 
Defensively, Dana Axner led all players with 10 digs. Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) added her six, while Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and Amanda Carroll each had five. Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) led the way in aces with three, while three others had two.
 
Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) increased her career dig total to 983, which puts her just 17 shy of becoming only the seventh player in the program's history to reach 1,000. And she'd be the first to achieve the milestone as a sophomore in the Division I era. The only other player to do it in her first two seasons was Whitney Hendry, who had 1,108 at the end of her sophomore campaign - although her first three seasons came when the Eagles competed at the Division II level.
 
At the net, the trio of Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS), Burnam and Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) had three block assists apiece. With her output, Serrano increased her career block total to 430, which is six shy of moving her past Morgan Van Alstine (North Florida, 2013-16, 435.0) for second place in 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) - 430.0
 
FGCU will be back in action on Tuesday against Bethune-Cookman in Alico Arena at 6 p.m. The match will mark the final non-conference tilt of the season for the Eagles.
 
Updated ASUN Standings
1. FGCU - 18-3, 7-1
1. Kennesaw State - 14-6, 7-1
3. Lipscomb - 9-9, 5-2
4. Liberty - 12-8, 5-3
5. Stetson - 7-11, 4-4
6. North Florida - 10-12, 3-4
7. Jacksonville - 7-15, 3-5
8. North Alabama - 3-18, 1-7
9. NJIT - 1-22, 0-8


 
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 134-48 (.736) record overall, including a 64-16 (.800) 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--