FORT MYERS, Fla. - Five members of the Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball team received postseason recognition from the Atlantic Sun Conference Tuesday afternoon, highlighted by Juliana Lentz and Lily Tessier being named First Team All-ASUN and Ella Chapman earned Freshman of the Year, Third Team All-ASUN, and ASUN All-Freshman Team honors.

Alexandra Zakutney received Second Team All-ASUN recognition, while Reese Burry joins Chapman as a member of the ASUN All-Freshman Team.

"I'm proud of our entire team, but I'm really excited for these five to receive recognition from the other coaches in our conference," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "They've each put in a lot of hard work, so to see them recognized means a lot to me as a coach."

The conference's leader in total blocks and blocks per set, Lentz received her first ASUN First-Team honor in her senior season with the Eagles. The Miami native has 134 total blocks entering the conference championship. In conference play, her .372 hitting percentage ranked third in conference matches for the season.

"Juliana has had such a phenomenal career here in the Green and Blue," Coach Botsford said. "To see her finish her senior season being recognized as one of the top players in the conference is a proud moment. She has always been an elite competitor and she used that focus to build herself into a great middle. The impact that she has on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball is hugely important for the success of this team and she does it as consistently as anyone I have coached."

In her one year as an Eagles, Tessier has made a tremendous impact on the FGCU offense. She cleared 1,000 assists for the season in the last match of the regular season. The Fort Myers native also has 10 double-doubles to her credit for the season and has the third-most digs on the FGCU squad with 232.

"Lily has been such a steady force out on the court all season, her maturity and experience was exactly what this team needed," Coach Botsford said. "As a setter she has a great command of what we are trying to accomplish out on the floor and understands how to utilize the team's strengths to our advantage. Lily's location, decision making, and general feel for how a match is unfolding and how to impact it, plays a big role in our ability to compete at a high level."

A true freshman, Chapman earned the trifecta of ASUN Freshman of the Year, ASUN Third-Team, and ASUN All-Freshman Team honors. The Greensburg, Indiana native ranks seventh in the ASUN in blocks per set in conference matches (0.93) and is sixth in hitting percentage against ASUN foes (.333). Chapman's 66.0 total blocks are second on the FGCU squad. She was named ASUN Freshman of the Week on three occasions this season.

"Ella has put together an amazing freshman campaign and I am so excited to see her being recognized as All-Conference and Freshman of the Year," Coach Botsford said. "Seeing her development from the start of the preseason up to this point has been really impressive and a joy to watch.  She does such a phenomenal job at studying the game, learning and applying new information quickly, it has definitely aided in a quicker transition. Ella is motivated, focused, and as we have already seen, always ready for the big moment."

An Ottawa, Ontario native, Zakutney used her last year of eligibility at FGCU and made an immediate impact. In 28 matches played, Zakutney led the team in kills, clearing the 300-kill plateau in the last match of the regular season. She also leads the team in points and ranks seventh in the ASUN in points per set in conference matches (3.90).

"Alex has been relied upon in so many ways this season, I am happy to see her being recognized for her contributions on the court. She has been a volume attacker, a primary passer, a shut down blocker, a point scoring server, and a dependable defender, all while competing with a poise that has a positive effect on everyone around her," said Coach Botsford. Alex's versatility has been a big addition this season and her willingness to do anything and everything for the good of the team, even bigger."

From Windemere, Burry earned All-Freshman Team recognition from the ASUN in the same season she was named an ASUN Freshman of the Week and an ASUN Defensive Player of the Week. Burry has a team-high 367 digs and ranks eighth in the ASUN in digs per set for conference matches (3.67).

"Reese has come in and made herself a vital part of our team's successes with the way that she attacks the game. I absolutely love her motor and we have seen first hand how impactful her defensive energy can be. The way she can extend rallies and the amount of court she can cover out there is really impressive, but even more so when you consider she is just a freshman," Coach Botsford said.

The Eagles will host the 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Volleyball Championship. FGCU's first match in the event will be Thursday night against Bellarmine at Alico Arena, with first serve set for 7 p.m.