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vanliew una recap 09-27-19
Brad Young
0
North Ala. UNA 2-11, 0-1 ASUN
3
Winner FGCU FGCU 11-3, 1-1 ASUN
North Ala. UNA
2-11, 0-1 ASUN
0
Final
3
FGCU FGCU
11-3, 1-1 ASUN
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
North Ala. UNA 11 9 14 (0)
FGCU FGCU 25 25 25 (3)

Next Match:

Lipscomb

9/29/2019 | 2 PM

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Full Schedule
Sep. 29 (Sun) / 2 PM
 Lipscomb
History

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

VanLiew's record night leads @FGCU_VB past North Alabama

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FORT MYERS, Fla. - Cortney VanLiew played just two sets, but produced a record-breaking night offensively to lead the FGCU volleyball team (11-3, 1-1 ASUN) to a 25-11, 25-9, 25-14 win over North Alabama (2-12, 0-1) in Alico Arena on Friday night.

"I thought the story was the serve and pass game," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Our passers did an excellent job, and that really kicked off the offense. The offensive numbers were good. We limited the errors we were making and the ones that we did make were good, solid errors trying to be aggressive."
 
VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East) totaled 16 kills over 20 attempts with just one error. Not only did her kill output match North Alabama's entire team combined, but her .750 attack percentage was the best in the program's Division I era (2007-present) among players with at least 20 attempts.
 
Additionally, VanLiew now sits at 999 career kills, which puts her just one shy of becoming just the fourth player in program history with at least 1,000 - joining Amanda Carroll (1,424), Brooke Youngquist Sweat (1,173) and Olivia Mesner (1,132). Her next crack at joining that club will come Sunday at 2 p.m. against Lipscomb in Alico.
 
"I haven't really been keeping track (of how close I am to the record)," VanLiew said. "People just keep telling me how close I am. It would be an awesome milestone to accomplish, and I know that I'll be in good company with those other three players."
 
Maybe the most impressive thing about VanLiew's night was that she played just two sets. She had nine kills in the opening frame at a .615 clip and then hammered home seven more over seven attempts in the second.
 
As a team, FGCU scored the first five points of the match and led 14-3 following back-to-back kills from Erin Shomaker and Daniele Serrano (Sanford, Fla./Seminole HS). A kill from Aja Jones pushed the lead to 22-7 before VanLiew scored the final three points of the set for the Green and Blue via kills.
 
An 11-0 run midway through the second set allowed the Eagles to take an 18-3 lead, with the run being capped by a Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) kill. Despite North Alabama splitting the next 12 points with FGCU, Snowy Burnam smacked home a right-side kill for a two-set lead.
 
The visiting Lions scored the first three points of the third set, but the Green and Blue scored nine of the next 12 en route to finishing off the sweep.
 
Outside of VanLiew, Shomaker added seven kills at a .417 clip, while Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) had six and Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) had five. Chelsey Lockey had 37 of the team's 46 assists, while Dana Axner chipped in three.
 
Meanwhile, Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) had a match-high 15 digs. Carroll added seven, and Burnam had six. At the net, Tori Morris (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam HS) had the team's lone solo block, while Jones (4) and Burnam (3) combined for seven of the 12 block assists.
 
Notes
The previous single-match hitting percentage record was held by Jacqueline Cowden (.731), which was set on Sept. 26, 2009 vs North Florida, and VanLiew's percentage fell just short of the overall mark of .762 set by Ericka Fonseca against LIU Post (FGCU was a Division II program from 2004-06).
 
Axner is now eight digs shy of surpassing Karissa Rhoades (877, 2015-18) for sixth-place on the program's Division I era career digs list.
 
Friday night's match represented the first time in Carroll's (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) career that she did not record a single attack attempt.
 
With her assist output, Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) became the seventh player in program history to reach 1,000 in a career. She now sits at 1,010 and is 70 shy of surpassing Camil Dominguez (1,089, 2010-11).
 
FGCU is now 3-0 all-time against North Alabama.


 
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 127-48 (.726) record overall, including a 58-16 (.784) 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

Karissa Rhoades

#1 Karissa Rhoades

L/DS
5' 11"
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
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

Karissa Rhoades

#1 Karissa Rhoades

5' 11"
Senior
L/DS
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
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