FORT MYERS, Fla. - FGCU Volleyball begins a three-game ASUN road stretch with battles against Central Arkansas and North Alabama this weekend.
FGCU is scheduled to face UCA on Friday at 7 p.m. and North Alabama on Sunday at 2 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
Accompanied by a three-game win streak, the Green and Blue enters the weekend slate 13-4 overall and 3-1 in league play for second-place in the ASUN. UCA is 12-7 on the year and tied for fourth in the ASUN standings at 4-2. UCA has also won five straight. North Alabama holds a 12-6 record and sits 10th in conference action at 2-4.Â
The Eagles are 1-1 all-time against UCA and 5-0 against North Alabama. Last season, the Eagles swept both the Bears and the Lions.
Ninth-year head coach Matt Botsford is one win away from capturing his 100th career ASUN victory.
DUELING ASUN HONORS
The Green and Blue's own Erin Shomaker was also named ASUN Player of the Week for the second time this season for her dominating performances against Lipscomb and Austin Peay.
The Granville, Ohio native recorded a combined 47 kills in the two relocated ASUN wins. In a 3-1 win over Lipscomb, Shomaker was virtually unstoppable. She fired a career-high 29 kills and broke FGCU's record for the most kills ever in a four-set match. In a sweep of Austin Peay, Shomaker moved into fourth all-time in career kills at FGCU (1,136).
UCA also took home two ASUN weekly awards this week. Freshman setter Caylan Koons was named ASUN Freshman of the week, while freshman libero Alexis McDaniel earned ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honors.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE EAGLES
Shomaker currently ranks second in the ASUN in total kills (248) despite having played two less games due to Hurricane Ian postponements. Her 4.13 kills per set also ranks second in the conference and 32nd nationally.
Lily Felts (Knoxville, Tenn.) and Lauren Clark (Champlin, Minn.) flank Shomaker and have each produced over 125 kills on the season.
Fifth-year senior setter Chelsey Lockey (Eaton Colo.) directs the Eagles offense and is 27th nationally in assists per set (10.60). She has recorded 636 assists on the year with seven outings of 40-or more. Lockey has also added eight double-doubles to her resume this season. Lockey also paces the Eagles in aces with 24. For her career, she is 15th among all active Division I players in career assists (4,120).
Libero and defensive specialist Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio) has tallied a team-leading 254 digs, including three matches of 20-plus. Her 2022 dig total ranks ninth in the ASUN and she is fifth among all active Division I players in career digs (2,212).
At the net, Juliana Lentz (Miami, Fla.) leads all Eagles with 35 total blocks. Both Lockey and Clark have pitched in with 29.
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
As a team this season, FGCU has been setting the tone from the service line. In fact, FGCU ranks ninth nationally in aces per set (1.97). The Eagles also rank top 50 nationally in hitting percentage (.248), opponent hitting percentage (.177) and assists per set (12.63).
In the ASUN, FGCU ranks first in assists per set and in service aces per set, second overall in hitting percentage.
EAGLES ON THE RISE
| Place. Name (Year) |
FGCU Career Kills |
| 1. Cortney VanLiew (2017-21) |
1,657 |
| 2. Amanda Carroll (2015-19) |
1,483 |
| 3. Brooke Youngquist (2004-07) |
1,173 |
| 4. Erin Shomaker (2019- |
1,136 |
| 5. Olivia Mesner (2011-14) |
1,132 |
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| Place. Name (University and Years) |
ASUN Career Digs |
| 1. Shelley Walroth (Jacksonville: 2006-09) |
2,456 |
| 2. Dana Axner (FGCU: 2018- |
2,212 |
| 3. Ann Mullins (Lipscomb: 2005-07) |
1,969 |
| 4. Nicole Baran (North Florida: 2009-12) |
1,900 |
| 5. Adriana Nieto (NJIT: 2015-18) |
1,878 |
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| Place. Name (Year) |
FGCUÂ Career Assists |
| 1. Maggie Rick (2015-18) |
4,540 |
| 2. Gigi Meyer (2011-14) |
4,408 |
| 3. Chelsey Lockey (2018- |
4,120 |
| 4. Chandra Lefever (2006-07, 09) |
3,108 |
| 5. Laura Manovill (2004-05) |
1,809 |
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.Â
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!
COACHÂ BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford finished 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 196-63 (.757) record overall, including a 99-21 (.825) 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 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. Now, the team has won four-straight regular season titles, including two ASUN Tournament Championship 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. In 2018, he also 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. In 2021, Botsford led the Eagles to 27 victories, tying the program record previously set in 2016, 2018 and 2019 seasons, and a NCAA First Round win over Texas Tech. The win over the Red Raiders marked the second NCAA First Round win for the Green and Blue following its 3-2 win over No. 13 UCF in Orlando in 2018.
#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.
ABOUTÂ FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 92 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 45 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn at at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as four 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 26 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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.
