LYNCHBURG, Va. – Behind a season-high .462 attack percentage, the FGCU volleyball team secured the ASUN East Division top seed and matched the 2012 squad's best ASUN start with a 3-0 (25-9, 25-10, 25-20) win at Liberty on Friday night. The Eagles improved to 22-4 overall and 14-0 in ASUN action which tied the program record set in 2012 for the best start to league play.
The .462 attack percentage against Liberty (9-11, 5-8 ASUN) also tied the program's fifth-best mark (vs. UNLV, 9/16/17) for a single match. The Eagles also won their 15th consecutive match as they entered the weekend tied for the fourth-longest streak in the nation. FGCU also held Liberty to a -.014 hitting percentage marking the fourth time this year to hold an opponent to a negative mark.
"That was a well-played match by the entire group and I loved their focus right from the start. The execution level in those first two sets was outstanding. The third set started a bit slow but the competitive response to the pressure Liberty was applying was really nice to see," said head coach Matt Botsford. "Emma played really well tonight and is finding a nice rhythm out there. Her blocking made a huge difference for us early and she was working hard to be an option for Chelsey. Cortney has played so well these past few weeks in terms of the "entire" game. She is making excellent decisions attacking and her defense and passing has been very consistent."
Overall, FGCU had 44 kills compared to 20 for Liberty and held a commanding 10-to-3 advantage in blocks. The Eagles hit .706 and .429 in the opening two sets, respectively, while committing just three errors in both combined.
Erin Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS) led all players with 15 kills (.542%) with just two attack errors on the night, while adding five digs. Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) added nine kills (6 digs) followed by Skylar English's (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS) eight kills (7 digs). Emma Szypszak and Aja Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) each led the net defense with five blocks, while Chelsey Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) directed the offense with 31 assists.
Liberty received four kills from Kate Phillips, Trinity Watts, and Kennedi Sutter.
The Eagles took set one thanks to a 10-to-0 run which put them up 22-5 behind two kills from VanLiew and Shomaker each and a pair of block assists from Szypszak.
FGCU closed out the second set with eight straight points after Liberty scored twice to pull within 17-10. English and Jones combined for a pair of block assists with a kill each, while Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) had a service ace and Lauren Clark (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS/Penn State) posted the winning kill.
The third set was a bit tighter with the Flames taking an 11-8 lead before a seven-point burst put the Eagles back up 15-11. The match saw the scored tied four times after that point until FGCU scored six of the final seven points to claim the match in three.
FGCU will remain on the road this weekend with a Sunday trip to Kennesaw State. The opening serve is set for 1 PM and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.
Most Career Kills
| 1. | 1,593 | Cortney VanLiew (.229) | 2017-present |
| 2. | 1,483 | Amanda Carroll (.259) | 2015-19 |
| 3. | 1,173 | Brooke Youngquist Sweat (.245) | 2004-07 |
| 4. | 1,132 | Olivia Mesner (.331) | 2011-14 |
| 5. | 961 | Jessica Barnes (.194) | 2010-14 |
Most Career Digs
| 1. | 1,965 | Whitney Hendry (390 sets) | 2004-07 |
| 2. | 1,853 | Dana Axner (367 sets) | 2018-present |
| 3. | 1,687 | Whitney Masters (483 sets) | 2011-14 |
| 4. | 1,652 | Holly Youngquist (418 sets) | 2008-11 |
| 5. | 1,369 | Brook Youngquist Sweat (346 sets) | 2004-07 |
Most Career Assists
| 1. | 4,540 | Maggie Rick (467 sets) | 2015-18 |
| 2. | 4,408 | Gigi Myer (474 sets) | 2011-14 |
| 3. | 3,234 | Chelsey Lockey (350 sets) | 2018-present |
| 4. | 3,108 | Chandra Lefever (309 sets) | 2006-09 |
| 5. | 1,809 | Laura Monovill (186 sets) | 2004-05 |
For complete coverage of the volleyball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter at @FGCU_VB, on Instagram at @FGCU_VB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and online at FGCUathletics.com. You can also sign-up to have news on FGCU volleyball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
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COACH BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford is in his eighth season as head coach of the FGCU women's volleyball program in 2021 after being hired on Feb. 10, 2014. In his tenure, Botsford-led teams have compiled a 178-56 (.760) record overall, including a 94-19 (.830) record in ASUN play. Including this past year's unprecedented spring season, he has taken the program to heights it has not seen in the Division-I era (2007-present) – registering at least 20 wins overall in six of the past seven seasons and at least 10 wins in conference play every season. In 2018, he led the program to its first regular season championship since 2012 (fourth overall) and its first-ever ASUN tournament title, NCAA tournament appearance, NCAA tournament win and victory over a ranked team. His first two campaigns resulted in ASUN regular season runner-up finishes, and the following two saw the Eagles advance to the tournament championship and now the team has won three straight regular season titles, including a division title and ASUN tournament runner-up finish in the spring 2021 season. On Sept. 10, 2016, Botsford led his team to a five-set win over Indiana in Alico Arena, which signified the program's first-ever win over a team from a Power-5 conference. In 2018, he led the team to a win over Miami (Fla.) - the program's first-ever road Power 5 win, and the Eagles followed that up with a straight-set win over the Hurricanes at a neutral site in 2019.
#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (https://ift.tt/1E0CJiI), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 85 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
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Volleyball Powers Past Liberty to Tie Best ASUN Start, Earn East Division Top Seed - FGCU Athletics
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