FORT MYERS, Fla. - On a night in which the program celebrated its three seniors, the FGCU volleyball team (23-3, 11-1 ASUN) produced a 25-15, 25-14, 25-9 win over Stetson (10-12, 7-5) inside Alico Arena on Friday to remain in sole possession of first place in the conference standings and extend several winning streaks.
 
"It was outstanding," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said of his team's performance. "It seemed we got a little bit better each set. It started off a little bit shaky. I thought we were a little tentative. I thought once their instincts kicked in and they just relaxed a little bit, we saw a nice trajectory throughout the match."  
 
Streaks, record chasing
FGCU not only improved its own winning streak to 13 straight, but snapped Stetson's eight-match run. The Green and Blue's current streak is three shy of matching the program's Division I era winning streak record that was set last year and remains tied for the seventh-longest in the nation.
 
The Eagles have also won 22 straight sets dating back to Oct. 13 against Kennesaw State, which ties the 2017 team for the second-longest such streak in the program's Division I era. The 2007 team holds the record with 30 straight.
 
Furthermore, this year's 23-3 start ties the 2007 team for the best 26-match start in program history. That team also finished 23-3, which means this year's squad can achieve the program's first-ever Division I era 24-3 start when it hosts North Florida at 2 p.m. on Sunday in what will be the team's regular season home finale.
 
In fact, with a win on Sunday, the Eagles can also tie Western Kentucky for the most wins in the nation as the Hilltoppers don't play again until Nov. 8. Stephen F. Austin also has the chance to join the 24-win club on Saturday, while four others have 22 apiece - Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, South Dakota and Colorado State.
 
Statistical Leaders
Cortney VanLiew had a match-high 15 kills to lead a trio of players in double-figures, which included Snowy Burnam (11) and Daniele Serrano (10). All three hit at least .333, led by a .455 percentage from Burnam, and the Eagles hit .324 as a team.
 
VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) surpassed Olivia Mesner (1,132, 2011-14) for the second-most kills in the program's Division I era. She now has 1,138, which is behind only Amanda Carroll, who has 1,451. This was her 11th match with at least 15 this year.
 
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) added 10 digs for her second double-double of the season (Sept. 20 vs UCF). Dana Axner led the team in digs with 23, while Chelsey Lockey added 13, which was just one shy of her season-high and pushed her season double-double total to six.
 
Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) has now tallied 18 consecutive double-digit dig totals, and this was her seventh with 20 or more this year. The 23 she produced on Friday represents the fifth time she's recorded at least that many in a three-set match, and she now has half of the top 10 three-set totals in the program's Division I history.
 
Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) is 37 assists shy of producing the 10th season with at least 1,000 in program history. She now has nine matches with at least 40 this season, as well as 30 or more in 23 of 26 and at least 20 in every match. Friday's output was the third time this year she has tallied 40 in a three-set match.
 
Daniele Serrano added a match-high five blocks (two solo) to push her career total to 448, which is just 27 shy of moving her past Meredith Hardy's (ETSU, 2010-13, 474.0) all-time ASUN record. Lockey and VanLiew each added two blocks.
 
Defensively, FGCU held Stetson to a .010 hitting percentage as a team, which is the second-lowest anyone has hit against the Eagles this year behind NJIT (-.054 on Oct. 19).
 
ASUN Roundup
The Eagles sit atop the ASUN standings with a 11-1 record, 1.5 games ahead of Kennesaw State (9-2), who will host a big showdown with Lipscomb (11-11, 7-4) on Saturday in an effort to stay within a game of the Eagles. FGCU meets Kennesaw State on the road Nov. 8.
 
With Friday's win, the Eagles are now 39-2 in sets vs conference teams since their loss to Liberty to open conference play.

Conference Standings
*1. FGCU - 23-3, 11-1
*2. Kennesaw State - 16-7, 9-2
3. Liberty - 15-9, 8-4
4. Lipscomb - 11-11, 7-4
5. Stetson - 10-12, 7-5
6. North Florida - 12-14, 5-6
7. Jacksonville - 8-18, 4-8
8. North Alabama - 3-22, 1-11
9. NJIT - 1-26, 0-11
*clinched ASUN tournament berth
 
Senior Night
Prior to Friday's match, the volleyball program honored its three seniors - Giovanna Borgiotti, (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS), Carroll and Serrano.
 
In nearly four seasons, they are on pace to become the first senior class in the program's Division I era to record at least 100 wins. The trio has helped lead the Eagles to a 99-26 record through Friday, including a 47-9 record in ASUN play while advancing to three straight ASUN tournament championship matches. Last year, they led the program to an ASUN regular season championship and its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, where the Eagles knocked off No. 13 UCF in the opening round.
 
Notes
FGCU is now 23-2 all-time against Stetson having won 13 consecutive matches in a streak that started Nov. 21, 2013. During that unblemished stretch, the Eagles only went to five sets twice and have produced sweeps in six of the past eight, as well as seven of 13 overall.

Burnam continued to inch her way up the record book in several categories on Friday. She became the 11th player in the program's Division I era with at least 600 in a career with her kill output, and she moved into the top 10 in career points.

Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) and Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) each played in their 124th career match, which moves them into a tie for fifth-most in the program's Division I era.


 
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).
 
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 138-48 (.742) record overall, including a 68-16 (.809) 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--