KENNESAW, Ga. --- In an all-time classic battle of the conference's two division winners, the FGCU volleyball team (14-3) saw its season end in the ASUN tournament championship match on Saturday as Lipscomb (17-2) produced a 25-21, 26-28, 25-19, 21-25, 16-14 win inside the KSU Convocation Center.
 
"I'm so proud of our group for battling through a match like this where we just could never find a rhythm," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Lipscomb dialed up the service pressure early and we found ourselves on our heels all night. Despite that, the players pushed and pushed and found ways to extend the match and keep it tight."
 
Erin Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS) capped off a phenomenal sophomore campaign with a match and career-high 27 kills while adding 11 digs. She was named to the all-tournament team as she posted back-to-back double doubles this weekend to push her season total to eight. It was also her fifth match with at least 20 kills this season.
 
Another career night came from junior setter Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS), who tallied a career-best 56 assists along with seven digs and two blocks. It was her fourth match with at least 50 this year. Aja Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) capped off a terrific weekend with 11 kills, seven blocks and four digs as the sophomore was named to the all-tournament team.
 
Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) added a team-high 21 digs for the Eagles, who also got seven kills and five blocks from Emma Szypszak (Mequon, Wis./Homestead HS) and seven kills, three blocks and two digs from Kortney Reynolds (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder HS). Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) chipped in nine kills, six digs and two blocks.
 
"Kortney Reynolds made a huge impact off the bench and really helped spark a resurgence in that second set and beyond," Botsford said. "Erin helped us through some tough spots with timely kills, and Dana was excellent in the backrow."
 
Instant replay played a large role in the match, both for and against the Eagles, who dropped the first set and thought they lost the second set, as well, on a net violation. Replay, however, reversed the call and determined Lipscomb was in the net and FGCU went on to claim a 28-26 win and tie the match.
 
After Lipscomb won the third set, the Bisons thought they had tied up the fourth set at 18 apiece. However, replay ruled that an FGCU attack was tipped, which gave the Eagles a 19-17 lead. Using the momentum, they knotted the match at two apiece.
 
Then, in the fifth set, FGCU was up 11-7. On the ensuing point, a Lipscomb attack was ruled long, but it was overturned into a touch on replay and the Bisons reeled off a 4-0 rally to knot the set at 11 apiece. The two teams then traded points until the Eagles had match point at 14-13, but Lipscomb scored the next three points to win the title.

"We had a lot of youth out there tonight contributing in meaningful ways, which was exciting to see," Botsford said. "Emma, Aja, Juliana, Shelby and Kortney played important roles and this experience will be valuable down the road for them and the program."
 
For complete coverage of the volleyball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter at @FGCU_VB, on Instagram at @FGCU_VB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and online at FGCUathletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU volleyball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
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COACH BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford is in his seventh 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 157-53 (.749) record overall, including an 81-19 (.810) record in ASUN play. Including 2019, 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 five straight seasons and at least 10 wins in conference play six 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 and now the team has won two straight regular season titles. 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. Last year, he led the team to a win over Miami (Fla.) - the program's first-ever road Power-5 win, and the Eagles followed that up with a straight-set win over the Hurricanes at a neutral site in 2019.
 
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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 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 40 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. 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--