FORT MYERS, Fla. - On the same night they unfurled their 2018 ASUN championship banners, the FGCU volleyball team (1-0) used a mixture of familiar and new faces to produce a 25-18, 24-26, 25-19, 25-14 win over Akron (0-2) in its season opener on Friday night as part of the Homewood Suites Fort Myers Classic.
 
"It took a little bit of time to find our rhythym," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I thought Akron did a really good job. We had difficulty managing their left sides for a large portion of the match. We finally figured something out at the end, but it took longer than we would have liked. We had three freshmen play and two that had a significant role in Aja (Jones) and Erin (Shomaker). Those two did great. It's tough to come into an environment like this, but I thought they were outstanding."
 
Reigning ASUN player of the year Cortney VanLiew tallied a match-high 22 kills along with five digs, while Daniele Serrano added 13 kills at a .458 clip to go along with her four block assists. Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) led all players with 48 assists and registered 11 digs for her fourth career double-double. Defensively, Dana Axner had a match-high 28 digs with four assists.
 
Erin Shomaker and Aja Jones also made their impact on the match, finishing third and fourth on the team, respectively, in kills. Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) had seven kills and hit .385 with four block assists and a solo block, while Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS) chipped in nine kills while hitting .412.
 
As a team, FGCU hit. 313 with just 15 errors over 144 attempts. Amanda Carroll and Snowy Burnam each added nine digs.
 
In the opening set, the Eagles managed to take a 22-14 lead after losing four of the first five points. Then, a back-and-forth second set saw Akron take a 24-21 lead, but Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) produced a kill and then teamed with Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) for a double-block to knot things at 24. Akron took the next two, though, to even the match up.
 
Following that, things remained close as each team traded a 4-0 run to open the third. A pair of kills from Shomaker helped give FGCU an 8-5 lead and another mini-run later helped the Eagles take a five-point lead before finishing off a 25-19 win. A 10-2 run midway through the final set then allowed the Green and Blue to cruise to a match-clinching set win.
 
FGCU will now get a quick turnaround as they will host reigning NCAA Tournament participant Bryant at 11 a.m. on Saturday before closing the event with a 7 p.m. tilt against San Diego State in Alico Arena. There will be free Dunkin' for all fans while supplies last for the morning match, while the evening will feature Stars and Stripes Night where marketing will give away free mini USA flags and honor veterans and first responders throughout the night.


NOTES
With her 22 kills, VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) eclipsed 800 in her career. She now has 812 and needs 115 more to surpass Kaitlin Holm (926, 2011-13) for fourth-place in the program's Division I era.
 
Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) increased her career dig total to 1,011, which puts her 74 shy of passing Courtney Stephens (1,084, 2014-17) for third place on the Division I era list. Meanwhile, just one match into her sophomore season, Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) now has 652 career digs - just 30 short of surpassing Vanessa Benke (681, 2013-15) for eighth on the same list.
 
Friday night represented the 14th 20 + dig performance of Axner's career, and it was tied for her third most in an FGCU uniform. VanLiew's 22 digs was her sixth of 20 or more in her two plus year career.
 
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).
 
Season tickets (entry to each home game) are $55 for volleyball and women's soccer and $40 for men's soccer. Group tickets are $7 for groups of 15 or more and will include reserved seats, group recognition, a group activity and choice of FGCU gear or food. Fall Frequent Flyer passes, which includes a total of 30 entries to all three sports, are just $99.
 
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 116-45 (.720) record overall, including a 57-15 (.792) 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 78 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12 seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just eight 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--