FORT MYERS, Fla. - Florida Gulf Coast University has added a lot more firepower to the court for the 2024 volleyball season as head coach Matt Botsford has announced that Sasha van der Merwe has signed to play her fifth year of eligibility with the Eagles.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2023, van der Merwe led Marist College and the MAAC with 458 kills in 30 matches played. The Guelph, Ontario native earned American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention honors following the conclusion of the 2023 season. In 2022, van der Merwe earned her first AVCA Honorable Mention All-America recognition and First Team All-MAAC after posting 426 kills to lead the MAAC in the regular season.

"Sasha just wrapped up a phenomenal career at Marist and established herself as one of, if not the top player in the league over the past couple of years," said Coach Botsford. "She has proven to be a great attacker and we intend on utilizing her strengths on that side of the ball to help build up our offense even further. She is also an excellent blocker on the backside of the net which adds another layer to the impact she has out on the floor. On top of being a high level point scorer and excellent volleyball player, Sasha is a great student and teammate and I look forward to the contributions she will undoubtedly make to our program next fall."

Van der Merwe is the second D-I transfer to join Coach Botsford's squad for the 2024 season. Barbara Koehler enrolled at FGCU from Wichita State University prior to the start of spring semester. True freshmen Camila Soto and Raegan Richardson are also joining the team at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.

The Eagles went 26-7 in 2023, winning both the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season and tournament championships. The season included a 16-match winning streak and a 15-1 mark against ASUN foes in the regular season.