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axner vs liberty 09-24-19
KJ Jugar (Liberty)
0
FGCU FGCU 10-3, 0-1
3
Winner Liberty Lib 8-5, 1-0
FGCU FGCU
10-3, 0-1
0
Final
3
Liberty Lib
8-5, 1-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
FGCU FGCU 22 23 22 (0)
Liberty Lib 25 25 25 (3)

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9/27/2019 | 7 PM

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

Axner's 24 digs not enough, @FGCU_VB falls to Liberty in ASUN opener

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LYNCHBURG, Va. - Despite a match-high 24 digs from Dana Axner, the FGCU volleyball team (10-3, 0-1) lost its conference opener to Liberty (8-5, 1-0) 25-22, 25-23, 25-22 on the road in the Vines Center on Tuesday night.
 
"Liberty did a great job at the net with their blocking and really disrupted our hitters from the start," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I'm disappointed that we weren't able to extend the match when there were multiple opportunities to do so, but we just could never string points together. Offensively, we had no rhythm and that is as high error as I've seen this team play. We have a lot of work ahead of us and have to expect to be pushed like this within conference in each match we play."
 
Liberty's blocking provided fits for the Eagles as FGCU's offense was held to a .048 hitting percentage while the Flames totaled 24 blocks (one solo). It was the first time the Eagles have been swept in conference play since Sept. 29, 2017 against Kennesaw State.
 
In the opening set, neither team led by more than three in a back-and-forth set that saw the teams knotted at 20 apiece. Liberty, however, scored four straight and held off back-to-back points from the Eagles to take the early lead.
 
Daniele Serrano slammed home a kill in the second set to give FGCU a 20-16 lead after they fell down 4-0 to begin the set. Liberty then scored four consecutive points to knot things at 20. A short time later, FGCU saw a replay reverse a potential kill that would have given them a 23-21 lead. Instead, Giovanna Borgiotti's kill on the next point only made it 23-22 instead of 24-21.  The Flames responded with the next three points to take a two-set lead.
 
Cortney VanLiew tapped home an errant pass to give FGCU a 22-21 lead in the third set, but Liberty called a timeout and responded with four straight points to close the match.
 
VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) had a team-high 12 kills, while Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) added seven off the bench. Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) fell one dig shy of a double-double while totaling 27 assists, nine digs and three block assists.
 
Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) added two assists in addition to her 24 digs, while the trio of Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS), Aja Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) and Lockey tied for the team-high in blocks with three apiece.
 
FGCU will be back in action this weekend with home matches against North Alabama on Friday at 7 p.m. and Lipscomb on Sunday at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear blue on Friday and can enjoy free pizza post-match while it lasts. Sunday's match will be a white out.
 
NOTES
Axner's 24 digs represents the third most in a three-set ASUN regular season match in program history - just behind Holly Youngquist's 26 against Campbell on Oct. 8, 2010 and her own total of 28 against Stetson on Oct. 10 of last year. Furthermore, she now has 322 career digs in conference play alone, which places her 10th on the program's career list.
 
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 126-48 (.724) record overall, including a 57-16 (.781) 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
Giovanna Borgiotti

#2 Giovanna Borgiotti

OH
5' 10"
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

Players Mentioned

Dana Axner

#7 Dana Axner

5' 8"
Sophomore
L
Giovanna Borgiotti

#2 Giovanna Borgiotti

5' 10"
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