NEWARK, N.J. -
Snowy Burnam had a match-high 11 kills as the FGCU volleyball team (26-4, 14-2 ASUN) captured its second consecutive outright ASUN regular season championship with a 25-17, 25-9, 25-13 win over NJIT (1-30, 0-15) in the Wellness and Events Center on Friday.
"That was a great way to end the regular season with a really nice performance on the road," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "While our blocking started a little slow, I was very impressed with the way the team adjusted after set one. Offensively, we were very clean, and I thought our hitters were making good decisions out there. To hit almost .500 also says a lot about the job Chelsey did. She is locating extremely well and putting her attackers in great spots."
With the win, the Eagles also set a new program record for regular season victories, topping the 2016 team's 25 wins, and they earned the top seed in the upcoming ASUN tournament, where they'll get a chance to tie or break the overall single-season wins record of 27 following a quarterfinal round bye.
Once FGCU's potential semifinal round opponents are known, we'll post it at FGCUathletics.com on the volleyball schedule page, plus we'll announce it on our Twitter page (@fgcu_vb).
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) recorded her seventh double-digit kill performance of the season at a .588 clip.
Amanda Carroll added seven kills over eight attempts (.875), while five others hit at least .300 as the Eagles finished at a season-high .493 as a team offensively.
Not only was that hitting percentage a season-high, but it's the best any Green and Blue team has ever hit in an ASUN match, as well as the top mark among any match in the program's Division I era.
Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) assisted on 36 of FGCU's 38 kills while adding four digs and three block assists.
Defensively,
Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) had a team-high eight digs, while
Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) added six.
At the net,
Tori Morris had a match-high six blocks, while
Erin Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS) and
Daniele Serrano added five apiece.
Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) had the team's lone solo block and moved within three total blocks of passing Meredith Hardy (ETSU, 2010-13, 474.0) for the ASUN's all-time career record.
Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) had three kills along with her block total.
Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) also contributed to the win with six digs, five kills and two aces.
Notes
FGCU is now 10-0 all-time against NJIT, and they haven't dropped a set along the way.
Axner failed to record at least 10 digs for just the second time this year, snapping her streak at 21 straight.
ASUN standings (as of post-match Friday)
*1. FGCU - 26-4, 14-2
*2. Kennesaw State - 18-8, 11-3
*3. Liberty - 18-9, 11-4
*4. Lipscomb - 13-12, 9-5
5. Stetson - 10-14, 7-7
6. North Florida - 14-16, 6-8
7. Jacksonville - 10-19, 5-9
8. North Alabama - 4-23, 2-12
9. NJIT - 1-30, 0-15
*clinched ASUN tournament berth
Most Division I victories (as of post-match Friday)
1. Stephen F. Austin - 27
2. Western Kentucky - 27
3. FGCU - 26
4. South Dakota - 25
Pittsburgh - 25
Colorado State - 25
7. Robert Morris - 24
Towson - 24
9. 8 teams - 23
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 141-49 (.742) record overall, including a 71-17 (.807) record in ASUN play. Including this 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 five straight seasons and at least 10 wins in conference play six 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 and now the team has won two straight regular season titles. 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. Last year, he led the team to a win over Miami (Fla.) - the program's first-ever road Power-5 win, and the Eagles followed that up with a straight-set win over the Hurricanes at a neutral site in 2019.
#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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