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axner vs sdsu 08-31-19 recap
Brad Young
0
Bryant BRYANT 0-2
3
Winner FGCU FGCU 2-0
Bryant BRYANT
0-2
0
Final
3
FGCU FGCU
2-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Bryant BRYANT 14 17 23 (0)
FGCU FGCU 25 25 25 (3)
2
SDSU SDSU 2-1
3
Winner FGCU FGCU 3-0
SDSU SDSU
2-1
2
Final
3
FGCU FGCU
3-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
SDSU SDSU 25 23 23 25 11 (2)
FGCU FGCU 22 25 25 22 15 (3)

Next Match:

vs. South Florida

9/6/2019 | 11 AM

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Full Schedule
Sep. 06 (Fri) / 11 AM
vs. South Florida
History

Game Recap: Volleyball | | Nicholas Huenefeld (@niklaustradamus)

Axner (MVP), @FGCU_VB claim Homewood Suites Fort Myers Classic title

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FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU volleyball team (3-0) produced wins over Bryant (25-14, 25-17, 25-23) and San Diego State (22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 15-11) in Alico Arena on Saturday to claim the Homewood Suites Fort Myers Classic championship.
 
Dana Axner was named the MVP, while Cortney VanLiew was named to the all-classic team. It is only the third such start (3-0) to a season in the program's Division I era (2007-present).

"I'm really pleased for the girls," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "It was pretty spotty in the beginning. I was happy we kept the first set close because the serve and pass from both sides wasn't clean. It just wasn't a really quality brand of volleyball, but again, it's early in the season. You expect it. The second set, we come out in a big deficit and the fact that they stayed together and plugged away, we stole that set. From there, everything improved. Statistically, it was never great but we gutted it out, competed and found some ways to disrupt their hitters, which was a real struggle early on. So, I'm really, really happy with our response after the beginning of the match."
 
In a thrilling nightcap against San Diego State (2-1), the Eagles lost the opening set and faced a 20-15 deficit in the second. VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS), who had a team-high 21 kills, helped her team respond with a pair of kills and an ace to highlight a 6-0 run that gave FGCU a 21-20 lead. Moments later, Erin Shomaker's solo block gave the Green and Blue a two-point win to even up the match.
 
The third set featured a four-point deficit for FGCU, but VanLiew had four kills in the set alone to help lead her team to a come-from-behind 25-23 win. SDSU answered back to even the match, but the duo of VanLiew and Giovanna Borgiotti, who had three kills apiece in the final set, helped the Eagles claim a thrilling win.
 
The highlight of the match was a career-best performance from junior Alayna Ryan (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS), who tallied a career-high 12 digs and added a pair of aces. Defensively, the Eagles were paced by 25 digs from Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS), while Snowy Burnam chipped in 17.
 
Outside of VanLiew, who added 10 digs for her first double-double of the season, Daniele Serrano and Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) added 11 and nine kills, respectively, to pace the offense. Chelsey Lockey finished with a career-high 54 assists, while Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) had a team-high five blocks (one solo).
 
FGCU defeats Bryant behind Axner's late heroics
Axner had 10 of her match-high 16 digs in a 25-23 final set to give the Eagles a sweep of Bryant in Saturday's opener.
 
A balanced offensive attack saw VanLiew finish with a team-high nine kills, while Shomaker finished second with eight. Aja Jones, Borgiotti and Tori Morris each chipped in five apiece, while Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) had a match-high 32 assists.
 
In addition to Axner's 16, Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) added eight digs, and VanLiew contributed seven. Meanwhile, Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) led all players with five blocks, although Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) and Shomaker each had four. As a team, the Eagles recorded 22 blocks (three solo).
 
Notes
Axner pushed her three-match season dig total to 69 this year, pushing her career total to 693 and pushing her past Vanessa Benke (681, 2013-15) for eighth place on the program's Division I era list. Next up is Maggie Rick (823, 2015-18).
 
Next Up
FGCU will now hit the road for three weeks with the next stop coming at the Hurricane Invitational hosted by the University of Miami this coming weekend where the Eagles will face South Florida, Auburn and George Washington. The team will next play at home on Sept. 27.
 
Homewood Suites Fort Myers All-Classic Team
Dana Axner (FGCU), MVP
Cortney VanLiew (FGCU)
Cameryn Machado (SDSU)
Hannah Turnlund (SDSU)
Alisi Motu'apuaka (Bryant)
Taylor Sharrits (Akron)
 
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 119-45 (.726) 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--
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Players Mentioned

Maggie Rick

#5 Maggie Rick

S
5' 10"
Senior
Dana Axner

#7 Dana Axner

L
5' 8"
Sophomore
Giovanna Borgiotti

#2 Giovanna Borgiotti

OH
5' 10"
Senior
Snowy Burnam

#8 Snowy Burnam

OH/S
5' 11"
Junior
Amanda Carroll

#14 Amanda Carroll

OH
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Chelsey Lockey

#10 Chelsey Lockey

S
5' 9"
Sophomore
Tori Morris

#22 Tori Morris

MB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Alayna Ryan

#11 Alayna Ryan

OH
5' 11"
Junior
Daniele Serrano

#3 Daniele Serrano

MB
6' 1"
Senior
Cortney VanLiew

#12 Cortney VanLiew

OH
5' 11"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Maggie Rick

#5 Maggie Rick

5' 10"
Senior
S
Dana Axner

#7 Dana Axner

5' 8"
Sophomore
L
Giovanna Borgiotti

#2 Giovanna Borgiotti

5' 10"
Senior
OH
Snowy Burnam

#8 Snowy Burnam

5' 11"
Junior
OH/S
Amanda Carroll

#14 Amanda Carroll

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
OH
Chelsey Lockey

#10 Chelsey Lockey

5' 9"
Sophomore
S
Tori Morris

#22 Tori Morris

6' 0"
Sophomore
MB
Alayna Ryan

#11 Alayna Ryan

5' 11"
Junior
OH
Daniele Serrano

#3 Daniele Serrano

6' 1"
Senior
MB
Cortney VanLiew

#12 Cortney VanLiew

5' 11"
Junior
OH