FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball split the Saturday action of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic, sweeping Le Moyne and falling in a five-set battle against Maryland.
FGCU nearly pulled off the reverse sweep of the Terrapins, coming up just three points short of invitational champion status and its second Power Five win of the season.
"That was a great match, and I am really proud of our team's response after going down 0-2," head coach Matt Botsford said. "We have been talking a lot about competitive response and staying tough through adversity, and they did exactly that. I thought Destiny was a nice spark in the lineup, and she and Juliana were excellent at controlling the front line with our blocking. Of course you can't talk about that match without mentioning the impact Skylar had. That serve really helped get Maryland on their heels and allowed us to find some success in our out of system defense. She was really good at key moments tonight."
Maryland took a two-set lead, winning back-to-back sets 25-20 and 25-16.
FGCU (7-5) and the Nest came alive in the third. The Eagles exploded for .517 attacking percentage en route to a 25-15 victory to force a fourth.
In the fourth, FGCU continued to confuse the Terps. A Shelby Kent kill lifted FGCU to a 14-8 lead. Maryland clawed back to tie the set at 16 all, but the Eagles responded with a 9-1 run to extend the battle to a fifth.
Maryland scored first and never trailed in the final frame, winning 15-12. FGCU drew within one 12-11 courtesy of an Alexandra Zakutney kill, but could not overcome the Terps one more time.
Three Eagles reached double figures in kills against the Terps. Zakutney recorded a team-leading and season-high 13 kills, Skylar English notched 11 and six aces, while Kent added 10 kills. Kent surpassed the 100-kill benchmark for the season.
Zakutney produced a double-double effort, adding a team-leading 12 digs to be named to the All-Tournament Team. Lily Tessier recorded her fifth double-double performance of the season with 27 assists and 10 digs.
FGCU shook up the starting lineup in the morning action against Le Moyne, starting three freshmen. It took a few points for the young rotation to gel.
The Dolphins swam out to an early 7-3 lead. The Eagles quickly rallied to tie the opening set at eight. The Eagles then soared to a 25-10 victory, scoring 13 unanswered points. FGCU replicated its dominance in the second, winning 25-10 once again.
Collectively, the Eagles hit a season-high .432 for the match.
The Dolphins put up a fight in the third as Le Moyne pulled to within one late, 21-20. FGCU used a final 4-0 spurt to secure back-to-back sweeps for the first time this season.
Zakutkey fired a match-high 10 kills. Ella Chapman notched a career-high eight kills. Shanelle Puetz recorded a career-high 24 assists, also adding a team-leading eight digs.
FGCU opens ASUN Conference play Friday, Sept. 22, welcoming Jacksonville University at Alico Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
All-Tournament Team:
MVP - Sydney Dowler (Maryland)
Anastasia Russ (Maryland)
Laila Ivey (Maryland)
Alexandra Zakutney (FGCU)
Victoria Hensley (FAU)
Ella Katz (Le Moyne)
Final Standings:
Maryland (3-0) *Champions
FGCU (2-1)
FAU (1-2)
Le Moyne (0-3)
