FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU volleyball team (22-3, 10-1 ASUN) avenged its lone ASUN loss with a 25-17, 25-20, 25-22 win over Liberty (14-9, 7-4) inside Alico Arena on Tuesday.
 
"We found offense in some different places," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Snowy had a huge offensive output for us. Tori obviously early on. Dani was having some success on the offensive end. So, I think it was a little easier to distribute. It makes it harder to defend us. We didn't hit for some outstanding numbers but we got a lot of good looks at some different locations along the net. So, that made things a little easier and the defense continued to do what it's been doing all season."
 
With the win, FGCU not only extended its season-best winning streak to 12 and stayed in sole possession of first place in the ASUN standings, but they have also won 19 consecutive sets, while also remaining undefeated at home (10-0).
 
The Eagles have tied Creighton and New Mexico State for the seventh-longest winning streak nationally. They are four shy of matching the program's Division I era winning streak record of 16 set last year.
 
Longest Division I winning streaks
1. Western Kentucky - 20
2. Colorado State - 19
3. South Dakota - 18
4. Stephen F. Austin - 15
5. Towson - 14
6. Fairfield - 13
7. Creighton - 12
     FGCU - 12
     New Mexico State - 12
10. VCU - 11
 
Meanwhile, FGCU's set streak is three shy of matching the 2017 team for the second-longest in the program's Division I era behind the 2007 team, who won 30 straight. Additionally, FGCU is now tied with Stephen F. Austin and Milwaukee for the second-most wins in the nation behind Western Kentucky (23).
 
Most Division I victories
1. Western Kentucky - 23
2. Stephen F. Austin - 22
     Milwaukee - 22
     FGCU - 22
5. Pittsburgh - 21
    South Dakota - 21
7. Colorado State - 20
     Towson - 20
 
Erin Shomaker had a match-high 10 kills for her fifth double-digit performance of the season, while Snowy Burnam and Tori Morris each had eight kills with zero errors over a combined 36 attempts. Cortney VanLiew (7) and Daniele Serrano (6) also contributed in the kills category.
 
"Tori and Snowy were outstanding, right from the start," Botsford said. "Tori what she was doing at the net, impacting their hitters, but probably the most significant thing was what she did offensively. And because of the quick start she had, it started to open things up because they had to make sure they were honoring her presence up there. And that was part of the reason Snowy had the success she had and that started to move around the court."
 
In the opening set, FGCU produced a pair of 5-0 runs that proved crucial. The first one was capped by a kill from VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) and put the Eagles up 15-8, while the final run came to close the set and featured a pair of kills from Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS), including a ferocious overpass kill on the set-winner.
 
Another kill from VanLiew capped a 12-2 run for the Eagles early in the second set, but the Flames responded with a 7-0 run that trimmed their deficit to three. Despite that, FGCU didn't let their lead dip below that mark as Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) and Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) capped the set with back-to-back kills.
 
The final set saw Liberty take several leads including a 14-13 advantage following a 3-0 run. Shomaker and VanLiew, though, answered with back-to-back kills to spur a 5-1 run for the Green and Blue. Although the teams exchanged the final eight points back and forth, FGCU never trailed by fewer than two the rest of the way.
 
Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) had another solid match running the offense with a match-high 35 assists while adding three digs and one kill. She also had one of the team's three solo blocks and is now 77 assists shy of producing the 10th season with at least 1,000 in the program's Division I era.
 
Defensively, Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) stuffed a match-high seven shots, including one of the solo variety. She now has 443.0 career blocks, moving within 32 of surpassing Meredith Hardy (ETSU, 2010-13, 474.0) for the most in ASUN history. In addition to that, the senior middle blocker competed in her 135th career match, which along with teammate Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), ties Karissa Rhoades (2015-18) for the fifth-most in program history.
 
Burnam contributed three block assists, while VanLiew had two. Lockey, Morris and Shomaker also had one apiece.
 
VanLiew and Dana Axner each had a team-high 16 digs, while Burnam chipped in eight. Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) extended her double-digit streak to 17 straight, eclipsed 400 digs on the season and is 51 shy of surpassing Courtney Stephens (1,084, 2014-17) for the fourth-most career digs in the program's Division I era. VanLiew, meanwhile, became the ninth player in the same era with at least 700 career digs with 708.
 
Notes
FGCU is now 4-1 all-time against Liberty in a series that dates back to the beginning of last year when the Flames joined the ASUN from the Big South Conference.
 
The Eagles clinched a spot in the ASUN tournament with Tuesday's win and have also now won 10 or more matches in conference play in six consecutive seasons.
 
Burnam inched her way up the record book in several categories on Tuesday. Not only is she now three kills shy of becoming the 11th player in the program's Division I era with at least 600 in a career, but she moved into sole possession of ninth place on the career block assist list with 156, moved into the top 10 in career blocks with 167 and needs one more point to move into the top 10 in that career category.
 
Prior to Tuesday's match, the Eagles had the chance to celebrate Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night. Each member of the volleyball team selected an MVP to show their appreciation for his or her contributions to their development throughout their FGCU careers.
 
Next Up
FGCU will host Stetson (Friday at 7 p.m.) and North Florida (Sunday at 2 p.m.) this weekend. Prior to Friday's match, the program will honor its senior class before facing the Hatters, who are one of only two teams to take a set from the Green and Blue since their conference-opening loss to Liberty. Fans are encouraged to wear green on Sunday in what will be the team's regular season home finale.

ASUN Standings
1. FGCU - 22-3, 10-1
2. Kennesaw State - 16-7, 9-2
3. Lipscomb - 11-10, 7-3
4. Liberty - 14-9, 7-4
5. Stetson - 9-11, 6-4
6. North Florida - 11-14, 4-6
7. Jacksonville - 7-17, 3-7
8. North Alabama - 3-21, 1-10
9. NJIT - 1-25, 0-10


 
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 137-48 (.741) record overall, including a 67-16 (.807) 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 79 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 plus seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight plus 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--