FLORENCE, Ala. - Head coach Matt Botsford recorded his 100th career ASUN win in a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 25-18, 25-23) of North Alabama on Sunday.

FGCU improved to 14-5 overall and 4-2 in the ASUN. North Alabama fell to 12-8 and 2-6 in league play with the loss.

"Good focus by the team and with the exception of the run in set three," coach Botsford said. "I thought our sideout offense took a big step forward. Lily continues to play at a very high level and you can see her and Chelsey's connection continuing to grow. Lauren was outstanding today, and I thought her ability to manage some tough situations with great attack placement was a big factor in our success and balance."

Botsford's winning pedigree has garnered 10-or-more ASUN wins in each of the last eight seasons, four-straight regular season championships and two ASUN Tournament titles en route to his 100th conference win. Botsford's winning tradition also includes 20-plus overall wins in six out of the last seven seasons and two NCAA Tournament victories.

Sunday's sweep over the Lions marked the eighth sweep of the season for FGCU, helping the Eagles keep pace in the ASUN Conference regular-season race. Five programs, including the Green and Blue, possess only two conference losses while Kennesaw State sits atop the standings at 7-1.

The Eagles also remained undefeated all-time against North Alabama, expanding the all-time record out to 6-0.

FGCU played lights out offensively and surrendered only three lead changes throughout the course of the match. Three Eagles posted double figures in kills, Erin Shomaker, Lily Felts and Lauren Clark. 

Shomaker (Granville, Ohio) led the way in the kills department behind her first double-double effort of the year, 18 kills and 12 digs. Felts (Knoxville, Tenn.) continued to be a force with 14 kills coming off her career-high day of 25 on Friday, while Clark (Champlin, Minn.) powered home 10.

Shomaker is now just six kills away from moving into third all-time in program history for career kills (1,164).

Setter Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo.) distributed the wealth Sunday, also posting a double-double effort (44 assists and 11 digs) for the ninth time this season. Lockey's career assist mark of 4,208 places her eighth all-time in the ASUN.

Libero Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio) tallied 22 digs to lead the Eagles defensively. On Friday, Axner produced a season-high 33 digs in a five-set loss to Central Arkansas. Axner is closing in on becoming the ASUN's all-time leader in career digs as she is now just 190 away from claiming the top spot.

FGCU will now set its focus on a road midweek battle at Stetson (12-6, 3-3 ASUN) on Oct. 19. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. at The J. Ollie Edmunds Center in DeLand, Florida. The contest is a rescheduled match that was postponed on Sept. 30 due to the effects of Hurricane Ian.

The Eagles return to Alico Arena on Oct. 21 (Friday) and Oct. 22 (Saturday) to host both Queens (Green Out) and Liberty (Title IX/Women In Sports Night). Both home first serves are set for a 6 p.m. start.

EAGLES ON THE RISE

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COACH 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 198-64 (.756) record overall, including a 100-22 (.820) 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.

ABOUT 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.