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serrano vs fau 09-21-19
Brad Young
3
Winner FGCU FGCU 10-2
0
Florida Atlantic FAU 6-4
Winner
FGCU FGCU
10-2
3
Final
0
Florida Atlantic FAU
6-4
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
FGCU FGCU 25 25 25 (3)
Florida Atlantic FAU 14 14 18 (0)

Next Match:

at Liberty

9/24/2019 | 6 PM

Next Match

Full Schedule
Sep. 24 (Tue) / 6 PM
at Liberty
History

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

Serrano makes history as @FGCU_VB claims Sunshine State title

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ORLANDO, Fla. - Cortney VanLiew had a match-high 16 kills to earn tournament MVP recognition as the FGCU volleyball team (10-2) swept Florida Atlantic (6-4) 25-14, 25-14, 25-18 to capture the Sunshine State Classic championship.

"Our sideout game was very sharp today," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "We continued to pressure from the service line, and our players were making good decisions on the court. We found a really nice balance as attackers that allowed us to keep FAU off balance."
 
VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) added six digs and two block assists while hitting .483. The junior outside hitter recorded 46 kills (.330) along with 24 digs, five block assists and two aces this weekend. Dana Axner, who combined for 55 digs and 11 assists, and Chelsey Lockey, who had 130 assists and six block assists, were also named to the all-tourney team.

"Cortney was outstanding today and did a nice job mixing up speeds and angles offensively while also managing first touch really well," Botsford said.
 
Daniele Serrano, who recorded seven kills at a .467 clip, had three block assists and one solo block in the win over FAU. In doing so, she now has 402.0 career blocks, becoming the first player in program history to surpass 400.

"Dani played very efficiently and her blocking impact jump started a lot of point scoring runs for us," Botsford said. 
 
With her output this weekend, Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS) not only stands above all players in program history, but she moved into fifth place in ASUN history - surpassing Stetson's Ellen Hawks, who had 400.0 from 2010-13. Next up on the list is Danielle Neville (Jacksonville, 2002-05), who had 408.0.

ASUN All-Time Block Leaders
1. Meredith Hardy (ETSU, 2010-13) - 474.0
2. Morgan Van Alstine (North Florida, 2013-16) - 435.0
3. Rachel Templin (Campbell, 2003-06) - 422.0
4. Danielle Neville (Jacksonville, 2002-05) - 408.0
5. Daniele Serrano (FGCU, 2016-present) - 402.0
 
Against FAU, the Eagles held a slim 16-14 advantage in the opening set after two straight points from the Owls. However, FGCU got a kill and an ace from VanLiew and back-to-back kills from Erin Shomaker to spur a 9-0 run to close the set.
 
FAU was within three midway through the second frame, but the Green and Blue went on a 13-3 run and, despite three straight points from the Owls late, FGCU took a 2-0 lead following a kill from Serrano. Following that, the Eagles scored 10 of the first 14 points in the third set and led by as many as nine while cruising to a 25-18 third set victory.
 
Outside of VanLiew, Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS) finished second on the team with nine kills, three digs and one block assist. Snowy Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) chipped in eight kills and tied for second on the team in digs with 10. She also had a team-high three aces and a block assist.
 
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) joined Serrano in achieving a milestone. The senior had 10 digs to push her career total to 1,086, surpassing her former teammate Courtney Stephens (1,084, 2014-17) for third place on the program's Division I era list. Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS), who had a match-high 19 digs, also moved up to seventh on the same list, pushing her total up to 831 and elevating her past Maggie Rick (823, 2015-18). She sits 47 shy of Karissa Rhoades (877, 2015-18) in sixth place.
 
Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) led all players with 36 assists while adding three digs, two kills and a block assist. Aja Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) chipped in four kills and three blocks (one solo).
 
Next Up
FGCU will now have a quick turnaround as they'll leave for Lynchburg, Va. on Monday to battle Liberty at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. Following that, the Eagles return home for the first time since Aug. 31 to host North Alabama on Friday at 7 p.m.
 
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 126-47 (.728) 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

Dana Axner

#7 Dana Axner

L
5' 8"
Sophomore
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
Daniele Serrano

#3 Daniele Serrano

MB
6' 1"
Senior
Cortney VanLiew

#12 Cortney VanLiew

OH
5' 11"
Junior
Aja Jones

#1 Aja Jones

MB
6' 1"
Freshman
Erin Shomaker

#6 Erin Shomaker

OH
6' 2"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Dana Axner

#7 Dana Axner

5' 8"
Sophomore
L
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
Daniele Serrano

#3 Daniele Serrano

6' 1"
Senior
MB
Cortney VanLiew

#12 Cortney VanLiew

5' 11"
Junior
OH
Aja Jones

#1 Aja Jones

6' 1"
Freshman
MB
Erin Shomaker

#6 Erin Shomaker

6' 2"
Freshman
OH