TAMPA, Fla. – The Florida Gulf Coast University women's volleyball team won its third straight match Saturday, sweeping Idaho State to win the Bulls Volleyball Invitational.
"That was a tough match where we had to dig ourselves out of some difficult spots," head coach Matt Botsford said. "While I'd much prefer a more consistent performance from start to finish, I was very impressed with the execution level from all the players when it came down to the end-game. Juliana and Oreva were excellent out of the middle, offensively and defensively, and their impact on our blocking was huge. I thought Alex and Lily started to find a nice groove with one another, and it made a big difference for us in that third set."
The Eagles (4-2) went three-for-three in Tampa, dropping only one set the entire weekend. FGCU swept Mercer and Idaho State and secured a 3-1 win over tournament host South Florida.
FGCU faced a 19-15 deficit late in the opening set against Idaho State (0-5). The Eagles regrouped and put together a late charge for a 26-24 set-one win.
After three early ties in the second set, the Green & Blue clawed ahead and did not surrender the lead in its hard-fought 25-22 set-two victory.
Idaho State would not go away quietly. The Bengals grabbed a 5-0 lead to begin the third frame. FGCU gradually erased the deficit and tied the match at 16 all.
The Eagles capped the third set on a 4-0 run, eliminating the Bengals' chances of extending the match.
Junior Shelby Kent led the offensive charge and recorded a career-high 16 kills. Kent was one dig away from posting a double-double effort. Kent produced 43 kills over 10 sets of play at the invitational.
Graduate student Lily Tessier notched her second double-double effort of the season Saturday, tallying 33 assists and 10 digs. Freshman Reese Burry paced the Eagles in the digs with 12.
Senior Juliana Lentz fired eight kills on just 12 swings. Redshirt sophomore Oreva Evivie matched Lentz for the team lead in blocks with five.
FGCU returns to action Friday, Sept. 8, as the Eagles travel to Lone Star State to battle No. 7 Texas.
Bulls Volleyball Invitational Standings:
FGCU (3-0)
USF (2-1)
Mercer (1-2)
Idaho State (0-3)
Bulls Volleyball Invitational All-Tournament Team:
FGCU: Juliana Lentz, Lily Tessier
Idaho State: Jaydin Watts
Mercer: Kylee Quigley
USF: Maria Clara Andrade, Buse Hazan
All-Tournament Libero:
Lia Schneider
