RICHMOND, Ky. - A historic win for Florida Gulf Coast University on the volleyball court came with historic performances from several players as the Eagles defeated Eastern Kentucky University 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13) Saturday afternoon in Atlantic Sun Conference play.
Juliana Lentz tied for the fourth-most blocks by an Eagle in school history with 11 total in the contest. She reached the mark on the strength of four solo stuff and seven that were assisted.
Shelby Kent set a career-high with 22 kills.
Skylar English tied her career-high with 17 kills.
Reese Burry cleared 300 digs for the season with 26 Saturday, her third match in four with over 20 digs.
Lily Tessier's 56 assists were her most in an Eagles jersey and the most she recorded since 57 for Iowa Sept. 9, 2022.
But above all of that, the match was the 200th that FGCU had won in ASUN regular season play. Since joining the conference in 2007, only once have the Eagles posted a losing record in conference play. With an unbeaten mark in 2023 through 10 league matches, the Eagles are assured a winning record against ASUN foes in the regular season for the 10th straight season.
"What a great match," said FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford. "I'm so proud of our players and I just love seeing how tough they compete when things get tight. I thought that, with the exception of set four, our block and defense was outstanding against a really good offense. Juliana and Reese were obviously a huge part of that, but everyone contributed."
After seeing EKU (16-6, 6-4 ASUN) score the final three points of the fourth set to force a fifth, the Eagles (18-5, 10-0 ASUN) seemed to be playing from behind from the jump. The Green and Blue were down 7-3 in the middle stages, but kept the Colonels within arm's length. EKU would hold a 12-10 advantage late, but the final run of the match would belong to the guests. English and Kent would notch back-to-back kills to tie the set at 12-all, then a block from Lentz and Kent gave the Eagles a 13-12 lead. An attack error gave FGCU its first look at match point, ahead 14-12. A kill by the hosts fended off one, but Kent's 22nd kill of the day ended the contest and handed the Colonels their first loss on their home floor in 2023.
"Skylar and Shelby really picked up the point scoring as the match went on, and I thought they started making some really nice decisions," Coach Botsford said. "Lily set a really nice match, but her service pressure was equally valuable."
FGCU had 11 aces as a team, with two each from Tessier, English, Burry,
Alexandra Zakutney, and
Shanelle Puetz.
The Eagles will be back in action in DeLand, Florida, as they take on Stetson University for the second time this season. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
