FORT MYERS, Fla. – After an outstanding 2021 season in leading the FGCU volleyball team to an ASUN Championship Title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Second Round, senior Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) was named one of 12 ASUN Fall Winners for Life as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. The award is given each semester to one student-athlete from each conference school who best demonstrates the ASUN's core values. 
 
"Dana is such a tremendous ambassador for our program and truly epitomizes what this award recognizes in our student-athletes across the conference," said head coach Matt Botsford. "She sets such a remarkable example in terms of her competitive drive, her academic excellence, and her service to others."
 
During the past season, Axner was a key force in FGCU's terrific season which saw the Eagles (27-6) reach the NCAA Round of 32 following a win over Texas Tech before falling to eventual national champion Wisconsin. Individually, Axner earned All-ASUN First Team honors and was a member of the ASUN All-Academic Team. Additionally, she was a Top 30 selection for the Senior CLASS Award and is a two-year member of the Eagles Council as well as a member of the E.A.G.L.E. Leadership Institute.
 
On the court this fall, she finished the season with 490 digs which moved her into second all-time at FGCU for career digs with 1,958. She now ranks third all-time in ASUN history with that total while her 5.0 digs per set ranks third all-time in FGCU history and fifth in the ASUN. She ranks 15^th among active NCAA players for career digs as well.
 
For her career, Axner has helped FGCU win a pair of league championship titles (2018, 2021) with NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance each time. She was a member of the 2020 ASUN All-Decade Team and has been a two-time ASUN Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019). Axner has also been honored all four years of her career as an All-ASUN player earning first team honors in 2018, 2019, and 2021 while picking up second team honors in 2020. That makes her just the second player in FGCU history, along side Maggie Rick, to accomplish that feat.
 
Axner became the first Academic All-American in the program's history and only the fifth CoSIDA Academic All-American in FGCU history following the 2021 spring season. She holds a 3.907 cumulative GPA in secondary mathematics and has been recognized on the FGCU President's List, a member of the Dean's List, a member of the AD's Honor Roll, and a member of the ASUN Honor Roll throughout her career.
 
In the community, Axner has over 80 hours of volunteer hours within the community on top of her work as a student teacher at a local middle school. She has worked with the Stop Foundation, Path of Love, Beach Cleanup and Night at the Nest, while also taking part in campus and community initiatives.
 
2021-22 ASUN Conference Fall Winners for Life Team
Elyssa Francis, Bellarmine - Women's Soccer
Gracie Hair, Central Arkansas - Women's Soccer
Molly Michalak, Eastern Kentucky - Volleyball
Dana Axner, FGCU - Volleyball
Isa Dostal, Jacksonville - Volleyball
Marshall Clark, Jacksonville State - Football
Lauren Chastang, Kennesaw State - Volleyball
Calli Doan, Liberty - Women's Cross Country
Shelby Craft, Lipscomb - Women's Soccer
Maggie Sullivan, North Alabama - Volleyball
Ariana Munoz, North Florida - Women's Soccer
Elena Djokovic, Stetson – Volleyball
 
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.
 
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!

COACH BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford is in his eighth season as head coach of the FGCU women's volleyball program in 2021 after being hired on Feb. 10, 2014. In his tenure, Botsford-led teams have compiled a 184-59 (.757) record overall, including a 96-20 (.827) record in ASUN play. Including this past year's unprecedented spring 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 six of the past seven seasons and at least 10 wins in conference play every season. 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 three straight regular season titles, including a division title and ASUN tournament runner-up finish in the spring 2021 season. 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. In 2018, 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.
 
#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 87 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 43 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. 25, 2021-22), 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 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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--