FORT MYERS, Fla. - FGCU Volleyball draws (6) Iowa State for its NCAA First Round matchup on Friday, Dec. 2 from Gainesville, Florida.
Friday's official first serve is set for 4:30 p.m on SECN+. The victor of the Eagles-Cyclones (19-11) matchup will face the winner of (3) Florida and Florida A&M on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Second Round. General admission all-session passes for the general public will go on sale Monday starting at 9 a.m. (follow this link for purchasing). Single-session tickets will go on sale Wednesday at 9 a.m.
"Selection Sunday is always such an exciting event," head coach Matt Botsford said. "The anticipation of hearing your name called, the question marks surrounding potential opponents, it really is a memorable experience. Getting the opportunity to watch this group celebrate that moment together is always special to me and now we get back to work and start prepping for a very talented Iowa State team."
All First and and Second round games of the NCAA Tournament are slated to begin Dec. 1-2 or 2-3. The Regional games of the Big Dance will be Dec. 8 and 10. The national semifinals are Dec. 15, and the national championship is set for Dec. 17 on ESPN2 from Omaha, Nebraska.
The NCAA tournament consists of four regions of 16 teams, 64 total teams. Thirty-two spots are automatic qualifiers, conference champions, while the remaining selections are at-large bids. Regional play will be hosted by the top 16 national seeds.
FGCU soars into tournament 26-6 overall as the ASUN's automatic qualifier, winners of a season-best 10 straight. FGCU also possesses a season-best RPI of 36 with a 5-1 record against RPI teams of 51-100.
The Eagles' 2022 NCAA ticket marks the third all-time appearance in the Big Dance. FGCU is 2-2 all-time in the NCAA tournament, winning two First Round matches. In 2018, FGCU upset No.13 UCF and last year in 2021, the Eagles took down Texas Tech.
In the Eagles' 26 wins this season, FGCU recorded 17 sweeps and one Power Five victory over Maryland. The 3-1 victory over the Terps marked the eighth Power Five win in program history. FGCU has now recorded 20-or-more wins in eight out of the last nine seasons under coach Botsford, excluding the 2020 COVID year.
Bostford also posted his 200th career win as FGCU would finish the regular season 13-3 in league play, earning the No. 2 overall seed for the ASUN Tournament. In the conference tournament, the Eagles took care of No. 7 North Florida and No. 6 Kennesaw State en route to their seventh straight ASUN title match appearance. FGCU then swept the No. 1 overall seed in Liberty to capture back-to-back ASUN Tournaments crowns.
Five Eagles earned ASUN postseason honors, including the Player of the Year. Tennessee transfer and outside hitter Lily Felts (Knoxville, Tenn./Tennessee) was named the ASUN Player of the Year. Felts' honor marked the sixth consecutive season that FGCU has been home to the league's Player of the Year.
Outside hitter Erin Shomaker (Granville, Ohio) and setter Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo.) joined Felts on the first team. Libero Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio) was named ASUN Second Team, while outside hitter Lauren Clark (Champlin, Minn.) garnered third team distinction.
Furthermore, Axner stamped her name in both the FGCU and the ASUN record book by becoming the all-time leader in career digs (2,465). Lockey has left her own mark in FGCU lore this season by becoming the Eagles' all-time leader in assists (4,704).
EAGLES ON THE RISE
| Place. Name (University and Years) |
ASUN Career Digs |
| 1. Dana Axner (FGCU: 2018- |
2,465 |
| 2. Shelley Walroth (Jacksonville: 2006-09) |
2,456 |
| 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 |
| Place. Name (Year) |
FGCU Career Kills |
| 1. Cortney VanLiew (2017-21) |
1,657 |
| 2. Amanda Carroll (2015-19) |
1,483 |
| 3. Erin Shomaker (2019- |
1,298 |
| 4. Brooke Youngquist (2004-07) |
1,173 |
| 5. Olivia Mesner (2011-14) |
1,132 |
| Place. Name (Year) |
FGCU Career Blocks |
| 1. Daniele Serrano (2016-19) |
483 |
| 2. Olivia Mesner (2011-14) |
342 |
| 3. Ashley Yance (2005-06) |
287 |
| 4. Ericka Fonseca (2005-06) |
247 |
| 5. Chelsey Lockey (2018- |
226 |
| Place. Name (Year) |
FGCU Career Assists |
| 1. Chelsey Lockey (2018- |
4,704 |
| 2. Maggie Rick (2015-18) |
4,540 |
| 3. Gigi Meyer (2011-14) |
4,408 |
| 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.
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 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 210-65 (.764) record overall, including a 109-23 (.826) 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 seven of the past eight seasons (excluding COVID 2020) 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 three 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 (https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/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 https://www.fgcu.edu/adminservices/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 94 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 46 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an 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 & 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 six 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.
