FORT MYERS, Fla. - Head coach
Matt Botsford and the FGCU volleyball program, fresh off clinching at least a share the program's second straight ASUN regular season championship, has announced a talented two-person recruiting class for next fall.
Hannah Rae Kivett
6-1 Setter
Chandler, Ind./Castle HS
Kivett, who was named one of only 27 seniors nationally to be among PrepVolleyball.com's Senior Aces, is a three-time First Team All-Metro and All-SIAC selection. She was named her conference's player of the year as a senior and earned AVCA All-Region recognition.
"Hannah has all the tools to develop into a great collegiate setter, and I can't wait to get her in the gym to start working," Botsford said. "She has a wealth of experience within the position and knows how to run an efficient offense while understanding her role on the court. At 6-1, her height will benefit us as a blocking team and allow her to be an offensive threat as well. What really stands out is her dedication to the craft of setting. She is extremely motivated to learn and has the kind of work ethic that will accelerate her growth in a new environment."
Kivett, who was born on Sept. 11, 2001, broke her school's single-season record for assists. She played club for Evansville United under the director of Olivia Goldstein, while Daniel Watson was her coach at Castle.
"I chose FGCU because of their great volleyball program, coaching staff, beautiful campus and great location," Kivett said.
Juliana "Juju" Lentz
6-2 Middle Blocker
Miami, Fla./St. Brendan HS
Lentz, who plans to major in marine sciences, led St. Brendan to the state semifinals for the first time in 39 years as a senior. She finished the season with 207 kills and 120 blocks while helping her team to a 25-5 record and earning all-county MVP recognition.
"Juliana possesses the type of physicality and athleticism that will make her a disruptive force at the net from the moment she walks in the gym," Botsford said. "Her combination of quickness and power off the floor is going to translate well into the offensive side of the game, and she is already showing a knack for blocking that will help our program right away. While Juliana is training a lot as a middle, she has the versatility to hit at different locations along the net, and I would expect we will look for opportunities to continue to develop those skills."
Lentz, who was coached by Emilio Urgell, played for Club Med Academies under the direction of Melissa Piazza. She aspires to work with rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing marine life.
"I chose FGCU because of the amazing atmosphere and facilities on campus," Lentz said.
NOTES
The FGCU volleyball team (25-4, 13-2 ASUN) will look to win an outright ASUN championship for the second straight season when it meets NJIT on the road at 6 p.m. tonight. A victory would also wrap up the No. 1 seed and a quarterfinal round bye in the ASUN tournament, which will be hosted in Alico Arena Nov. 21-23.
The Eagles are coming off its first NCAA Tournament berth and opening round win over No. 13 UCF. FGCU has won 20 or more matches in five consecutive seasons and tallied 10 or more conference victories in six straight.
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 80 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.
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