NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Just two days after seeing its 14-match winning streak snapped, the FGCU volleyball team (25-4, 13-2 ASUN) produced a 25-21, 25-19, 25-14 win over Lipscomb (13-12, 9-5) on the road in Allen Arena to clinch at least a share of the program's second straight ASUN regular season championship.
"I'm really proud of this group for the way they competed and executed today," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "We got better each set defensively, and I thought our serving really picked up as well."
The title, which is the fifth in the program's history, can be secured outright with a win on the road over NJIT in Friday's regular season finale. Reigning ASUN player of the year
Cortney VanLiew had a match-high 16 kills while the Eagles sit tied with South Dakota and Pittsburgh for the third-most wins in the nation.
"This group has been so steady all season," Botsford said. "I am happy to see them rewarded with a championship. They are a motivated group and have really worked hard to put themselves in this position. There is still work to do, and we are looking forward to getting back in the gym and finding ways to improve ourselves even more."
VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) added seven digs and three block assists en route to her third match with at least 15 kills over the past four outings. Her 46 attacks is one shy of the program's record for most against an ASUN opponent in a three-set match.
Offensively, aside from VanLiew, the trio of
Erin Shomaker (9),
Snowy Burnam (7) and
Tori Morris (6) combined for 22 kills. Among players with double-digit attempts,
Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) hit a team-high .385.
Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) contributed a match-high 36 assists along with six digs and three block assists, while fellow sophomore
Dana Axner had a match-high 21 digs along with five assists and three aces.
In fact,
Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) eclipsed 500 digs on the season for the second time to open her career and surpassed teammate
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) (554, 2015-present) for the third-most digs in program history against ASUN teams. She now has 557 in just 100 sets. Furthermore, she has 20 plus digs in four straight matches - over just 13 sets.
Daniele Serrano paced a solid team defensive effort at the net with seven blocks (two solo), while Morris added four and a trio of others chipped in three apiece -
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS), Lockey and VanLiew.
With her effort,
Serrano (Seminole HS/Sanford, Fla.) now has 467 career blocks, which is just eight shy of surpassing Meredith Hardy's (ETSU, 2010-13, 474.0) all-time ASUN record.
The Green and Blue used two key runs to take control of the match. With Lipscomb leading 21-19 in the opening frame, FGCU got six straight points behind a pair of kills from VanLiew to take the early lead. Then, down 16-14 in the second set, the Eagles scored seven straight, highlighted by two blocks and a kill from Serrano. FGCU then scored six of seven and 14 of the first 20 points in the final set.
Sunday's outcome was the first time Lipscomb has been swept at home since FGCU did it on Nov. 2 of last year.
Updated ASUN standings
*1. FGCU - 25-4, 13-2
*2. Kennesaw State - 18-8, 11-3
*3. Liberty - 17-9, 10-4
*4. Lipscomb - 13-12, 9-5
5. Stetson - 10-13, 7-6
6. North Florida - 14-16, 6-8
7. Jacksonville - 10-19, 5-9
8. North Alabama - 4-23, 2-12
9. NJIT - 1-29, 0-14
*clinched ASUN tournament berth
Most Division I victories
1. Stephen F. Austin - 26
2. Western Kentucky - 26
3. FGCU - 25
South Dakota - 25
Pittsburgh - 25
6. Colorado State - 24
Robert Morris - 24
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 140-49 (.741) record overall, including a 70-17 (.805) 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--
