LEXINGTON, Ky. - The FGCU volleyball team (6-2) lost a pair of matches to No. 15 Kentucky (30-28, 25-19, 24-26, 25-17) and Indiana (25-23, 25-18, 25-23) at the University of Kentucky's Memorial Coliseum on Friday as part of the Bluegrass Battle.

The Eagles, who saw their 19-match regular season winning streak come to an end, will conclude their participation in the event with a 1 p.m. matchup against Cleveland State on Saturday.

"I was pretty disappointed with the execution level (in the first match) as Indiana did a great job dictating play from the service line," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford. "We were very high error and just couldn't find much of a rhythm. That being said, against Kentucky, I was very proud of how we competed. We came out much more focused, and for a majority of the match, our first contact was very efficient. Tori (Morris) played great tonight against a quality opponent, and I loved how we were fighting for every point as a group. Kentucky makes it tough to score and there are no easy points, but there were a lot of positives out there that we can build on."

In the finale, FGCU and Kentucky traded blows in an opening set that featured 18 ties and eight lead changes. Ultimately, the Wildcats claimed a 30-28 victory and took a 2-0 edge with a six-point win the following set.

However, behind a solid team effort, FGCU extended the match with a back row kill from Cortney VanLiew to finish the third set. In the fourth, the Eagles led 7-5 following a kill from Erin Shomaker, but Kentucky reeled off four straight and outscored FGCU 20-10 to close the match.

Offensively, VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) led the way with 17 kills while adding seven digs and three blocks (one solo). Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS) added a season-high 11 kills along with two blocks, while Tori Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) had eight kills at a .571 clip while adding five blocks (two solo).

Chelsey Lockey led the Eagles with 41 assists and added 14 digs and two blocks for her third double-double of the season. Defensively, she was joined by Dana Axner (18 digs, two aces, two assists) and Amanda Carroll (14 digs, one solo block, one assist). Daniele Serrano contributed four blocks (one solo) and seven kills.

In the morning, FGCU (9) and Indiana (17) combined for 26 service errors as the Memorial Coliseum had giant fans running due to 90 plus degree temperatures and no air conditioning. Despite that, the Eagles nearly made a thrilling comeback in the opening set behind a 4-0 run but dropped a pair of two-point sets in the sweep.

VanLiew (12) and Shomaker (7) combined for 19 of the team's 26 kills, while Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) had 20 assists and eight digs. VanLiew added 10 digs for her third double-double of the season, while Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) had seven digs and three assists.

Notes
VanLiew has now reached double-digit kills in seven of eight matches this year with 125 total. Against Kentucky, she became the fifth player in the program's Division I era to reach at least 900 career kills, and she needs just 12 more to surpass Kaitlin Holm (926, 2011-13) for fourth place. Furthermore, she surpassed 1,000 career points, becoming the fifth in the Division I era to do so.

Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) recorded one solo block on Friday to push her career total to 40. She needs one more to tie Ashley Yance (41, 2007-09) for third place in the Division I era.

Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) had six total blocks on the day to push her career total to 383.0, which moves her up to ninth place on the ASUN's career list. She surpassed Alex Kelly (380.0, Lipscomb, 2007-10) and is now nine away from tying Jacksonville's Kylie Jacob (2010-13) and Belmont's Sara Jacobson (2002-05) for seventh place.

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 122-47 (.722) 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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