FORT MYERS, Fla. - FGCU volleyball and head coach Matt Botsford has added three future Eagles as part of the 2023 signing class.
The Green & Blue continued to flex its pipeline muscle within the state of Indiana by picking up two from the Hoosier state, Ella Chapman and Ava Smith. The third signee, Shanelle Puetz, joins the Eagles from California.
"This is a talented group and one that will be an integral part of the continued rise of FGCU volleyball on the national stage," Botsford said. "Each of these young women understand what we are trying to accomplish here, and share a vision as to how they can contribute to that journey. Our staff is so excited to work with them, compete with them, and help them reach their goals as they transition to the next level."
Ella Chapman
MB | Greensburg, Ind.
Greensburg Community High School
Chapman, a 6-foot-4 middle blocker from Greensburg, Ind., was the first to put pen to paper. Chapman competed for Greensburg Community High School and holds the school record for the most single season kills (441) and blocks (144).
Chapman also broke the school record for total career blocks with 354. She is a two-time all-conference and an all-district nominee. In 2022, Chapman earned all-state honors while leading the Pirates to a 34-1 record and a 3A State Championship appearance.
In the classroom, Chapman is a member of the National Honor Society and earned academic all-state gold level distinction. She plans to major in mathematics at FGCU.
Two of Chapman's uncles played collegiate sports. One played basketball at the University of Indianapolis while the other played football at the same institution.
BOTSFORD SAYS:
"Ella is fairly new to the sport, but her ascent has been impressive and caught a lot of eyes early. At 6-4 with quick feet, she has learned very quickly how to leverage her physical gifts and make an impact on the court. What stands out is her ability to adapt and the speed in which she has done so. With our system emphasis on blocking, I think Ella will be an important piece of our front-line defense for many years to come. She is also developing nicely on the attacking side, and has a powerful arm that will be tough for opposing defenses to match up against. I think Ella is just scratching the surface of her talents within the sport, and it will be exciting to watch her grow throughout her career."
Ava Smith
OH | Carmel, Ind.
Park Tudor High School
Smith is a 6-foot-1 outside hitter from Carmel, Ind. Smith attended Park Tudor High School, earning back-to-back first team all-state recognition. Smith is also a three-time first team all-county, and a two-time all-district recipient.
In 2021, Smith was named the conference co-player of the year and an Indiana All-Star selection (Juniors 1A-4A).
As a senior, Smith fired 467 kills while hitting .405 to help her squad post a 23-6 overall record and two playoff wins. From the service line, she recorded 42 aces and tallied 190 digs on the defensive side of the ball.
Smith earned academic distinction in the classroom, and plans to major in psychology at FGCU. She continues her family's tradition of collegiate athletics, as her father ran track at Wabash College.
BOTSFORD SAYS:
"Ava is an explosive outside hitter who has a host of tools that will serve her well at the next level. Our priority with that position, in this class, was to find a player that we think can develop into a high-level point scorer. I have no doubt that Ava will do exactly that. Her blocking instincts are already there and as an attacker, she is hitting with a lot of range and velocity, from a contact point that is elite. Even more impressive than what she is doing above the net is how she has grown with her first contact. Ava has worked hard to build up her serve-receive and that added dimension will allow us to utilize her strengths from all over the court. She is going to be an exciting player for our fans to watch -- and I trust that with her work ethic, she will be in position to make an early impact."
Shanelle Puetz
S | Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Mater Dei High School
The third and final signee is Shanelle Puetz, a 5-foot-10 setter from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Puetz holds Mater Dei High School's program record for the most assists in a single season (1,143). She earned all-league MVP honors, including a national player of the year nominee.
Puetz guided the Monarchs to a 29-9 resume and a state playoff victory over Mira Costa. The Monarchs even posted a win over the top nationally ranked team in the country during a tournament in Texas.
She plans to study criminal justice at FGCU. Her sister played collegiate volleyball at Life Pacific University.
BOTSFORD SAYS:
"Shanelle is a highly decorated setter that possesses the mindset and toolbox to be exceptional at the collegiate game. One of the things we look hard at when recruiting for that position is creativity. Shanelle displays that at such an impressive level to compliment sound technique and excellent location. She is very clearly a student of the craft, and for someone in that role, you absolutely have to be. She is constantly getting the necessary reps in, and it shows as she continues to progress. Her experience over these past couple years at both the club and high school level demonstrate that she understands how to put her teams in position to be successful. I expect that Shanelle will be ready to compete from the time she arrives, and that she will find a way to contribute early."
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COACH BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford completed his ninth season as head coach of the FGCU women's volleyball program after being hired on Feb. 10, 2014. In his tenure, Botsford-led teams have compiled a 210-66 (.761) overall record, including a 109-23 (.826) mark in ASUN play. Botsford the winningest coach in FGCU history and ranks 13th in the nation among all active DI coaches in career winning percentage. He has taken the program to heights it has not seen in the Division-I era (2007-present), registering at least 20 wins in eight of the past nine seasons (excluding COVID 2020) and at least 10 wins in conference play every year. This season (2022), Botsford recorded his 200th career win at FGCU with a 3-0 sweep of Queens en route to back-to-back ASUN Tournament Titles and a third NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2018, he led the Eagles program to its first regular-season championship since 2012 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, FGCU has made seven straight ASUN title match appearances, won four-straight regular season titles (five total under Botsford), including capturing three ASUN Tournament Championship crowns. On Sept. 10, 2016, Botsford led the Eagles 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 his squad 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, the Green & Blue posted its best-ever RPI of 31 and tallied 27 victories, tying the program record previously set in 2016, 2018 and 2019 seasons, and notched a NCAA First Round win over Texas Tech. The win over the Red Raiders marked the second NCAA First Round win for the Eagles following its 3-2 win over No. 13 UCF in Orlando in 2018. Furthermore, FGCU has now been the home to the ASUN's Player of the Year for the six consecutive season.
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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 47 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 and No. 25 in 2022-23) 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 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 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.
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