ATLANTA - Daniele Serrano and Dana Axner have been selected as the ASUN's player and defensive player of the week, respectively, for their efforts in leading the FGCU volleyball team (24-3, 12-1) to another clean slate last week.
 
"Dani and Dana were both terrific this weekend and really came up big in some key moments for us," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said.
 
The duo led the Eagles to straight-set victories over Liberty, Stetson and North Florida, which extended the team's overall winning streak to 14 and its set winning streak to 25. With a win over Kennesaw State on the road Friday, the Green and Blue can clinch the program's second consecutive outright ASUN championship and the top seed in the conference tournament.
 
Serrano's (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) selection is her first of the season and the second of her career (Nov. 12, 2018). The senior middle blocker produced 28 kills at a .583 percentage while adding 19 total blocks (four solo) for the week combined. She opened the week with six kills and six blocks against Liberty, but produced double-digit kills against Stetson and North Florida. On Sunday, she tallied a career-best .733 hitting percentage and produced the match-winning point via a solo block.
 
The middle blocker also pushed her career block total to 455, which is just 20 shy of passing Meredith Hardy (ETSU, 2010-13, 474) for most in ASUN history.
 
"As a senior, you expect to see Dani elevate her game as we get down the stretch and that is exactly what is happening," Botsford said. "Her impact on both sides of the ball is so important to our success, and she is in a great rhythm right now."
 
Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS), meanwhile, tied Jacksonville's Mayara Prestes for the most ASUN defensive player of the week selections in conference history with five. She previously set the conference record for freshman of the week selections (6) last year.
 
To earn the award, Axner pushed her consecutive matches with double-digit digs streak to 19. She had at least 16 in every match last week, including 23 in the win over Stetson, which gives her five of the 10 highest three-set, single-match totals in program history.
 
"Dana continues to assert herself within each match and has spearheaded our great team defense," Botsford said. "The way she is reading the court right now and expanding her defensive range shows the growth of her game."
 
Axner now has 456 digs this year, which includes eight with at least 20 or more. She was honored prior to the match against North Florida for reaching 1,000 career digs earlier this month. The sophomore libero currently has 1,080, which is just five short of passing Courtney Stephens (2014-17, 1,084) for fourth-most in the program's Division I era.
 
To put Axner's achievements in perspective, she has played 245 fewer sets than Stephens and her 5.24 career digs/sets is 1.09/set better than the next best player in the era (Vanessa Benke, 4.15, 2013-15).
 
FGCU will now conclude its regular season with a trio of road matches starting on Friday at Kennesaw State and concluding with tilts at Lipscomb (Nov. 10) and NJIT (Nov. 15). The Eagles will then host the ASUN tournament Nov. 21-23.
 
2019 ASUN Weekly Award Winners
Nov. 4 | Player: Daniele Serrano, FGCU; Defensive Player: Dana Axner, FGCU; Freshman: Sydney Bolding, Jacksonville
Oct. 28 | Player: Brianna Schmid, Stetson; Defensive Player: Chelcie Spence, Stetson; Freshman: Elena Djokovic, Stetson
Oct. 21 | Player: Emily DeStaffino, Stetson; Defensive Player: Karlee Groover, Kennesaw State; Freshman: Rocio Moro, North Florida
Oct. 14 | Player: Eva Deisa, Stetson; Defensive Player: Rocio Moro, North Florida; Freshman: Kaylee Oscarson, Stetson
Oct. 7 | Player: Morgan Elmore, Lipscomb; Defensive Player: Karlee Groover, Kennesaw State; Freshman: Sydney Bolding, Jacksonville
Sept. 30 | Player: Amelia Johnson, Liberty; Defensive Player: Dana Axner, FGCU; Freshman: Anna Katherine Griggs, North Alabama
Sept. 23 | Players: Cortney VanLiew, FGCU/Quin Sutphin, Kennesaw State; Defensive Player: Dana Axner, FGCU; Freshman: Rocio Moro, North Florida
Sept. 16 | Player: Gabby O'Connell, North Florida; Defensive Player: Tori Morris, FGCU; Freshman: Julianna Askew, North Florida
Sept. 9 | Player: Lauren Chastang, Kennesaw State; Defensive Player: Karlee Groover, Kennesaw State; Freshman: Erin Shomaker, FGCU 
Sept. 3 | Player: Cortney VanLiew, FGCU; Defensive Player: Dana Axner, FGCU; Freshman: Rocio Moro, North Florida
 
Weekly Awards By School
FGCU - 9
North Florida - 6
Stetson - 6
Kennesaw State - 5
Jacksonville - 2
Liberty - 1
North Alabama - 1
Lipscomb - 1
 
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 139-48 (.743) record overall, including a 69-16 (.812) 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--