FORT MYERS, Fla. – After tying the program's best start for a season with a 6-0 record, the FGCU volleyball team will take to the road for the first time in 2021 with a trip to the UCF Invitational this Friday and Saturday. The Eagles will play two games on the opening day against host UCF at 10 AM and against Georgia at 5:30 PM. On Saturday, the Green and Blue will face Florida State at 5:30 PM to close out the trip.
The Eagles match against UCF will be streamed live on ESPN+, while live stats will be available for all three matches. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth and are valid for all three matches on both days.
FGCU is coming off winning the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic last weekend with 3-0 victories over Florida A&M, Florida International, and USC Upstate. The Eagles are one of just four teams nationally (Auburn, Memphis, and New Mexico) to have not lost a single set this season. The six-match win streak to begin the season tied the 2004 and 2019 teams for the program record as well.
Overall, the Green and Blue are one of just 44 programs who remain unbeaten after two weeks of play. In the ASUN, FGCU is one of three unbeaten teams alongside North Florida (6-0) and Liberty (3-0).
Graduate Cortney VanLiew enters the weekend needing just 14 more kills to surpass Amanda Carroll (1483, 2015-19) for the program's all-time lead. She is also on the verge of joining Brooke Youngquist Sweat as the only players to post 1,000-plus kills and 1,000 plus digs.
Nationally, FGCU ranks among the NCAA's top-30 teams in hitting percentage (27th, .282) and blocks per set (22nd, 2.83). Dana Axner (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman HS) ranks 10th nationally in digs per set (5.61), while Juliana Lentz's (Miami, Fla./St. Brendan HS), who was named the MVP of the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic, ranks 17th in hitting percentage (.471).
Junior Erin Shomaker (Granville, Ohio/Granville HS) leads the Eagles with 65 total kills on the year, followed by Lentz (54). Senior Chelsea Lockey (Eaton, Colo./Eaton HS) has 180 assists (10.0/set) to pace the squad, while Axner's 101 digs (5.61/set) are tops. Aja Jones (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) and Lentz lead the Eagles defensively at the net with 22 and 21 blocks, respectively.
All-time, FGCU is 3-5 against UCF, 0-2 against Georgia, and 0-1 against FSU. The Eagles have won two straight against the Knights including 2018's historic 3-2 victory over UCF in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The only other time the Eagles face the Seminoles was a 3-0 loss in 2013. Against Georgia, this will be the first meeting since 2017.
After defeating Rutgers earlier this season, FGCU has five wins in program history over Power 5 programs – all coming since 2016. The Eagles last win over an ACC or SEC foe was also in 2019 against Auburn (3-0) and Miami (3-0).
UCF enters the weekend with a 2-4 overall record after a win over Clemson last weekend followed by a pair of losses to South Carolina. Georgia is 3-3 overall after a win over Arizona State in Nebraska before falling to the Cornhuskers and Omaha. Florida State is 4-1 on the season after winning three straight last weekend against Tulane, Samford, and VCU.
Following the trip to Orlando, FGCU will head to Boca Raton next weekend for the Sunshine State Classic hosted by FAU on Thursday, Sept. 16 and Friday, Sept. 17. The Eagles will face UCF on Thursday (5 PM) before taking on Miami (1:30 PM) and the host Owls (7 PM) on Friday to close out their non-conference slate.
ASUN Leaders (Top 10)
Kills/Set – Shomaker (6th, 3.82)
Hitting Percentage - Lentz (1st, .471), Jones (10th, .309)
Assists/Set - Lockey (3rd, 10.0)
Aces - Shomaker (1st, 11)
Digs/Set - Axner (1st, 5.61)
Blocks/Set - Jones (1st, 1.41)
Points/Set - Shomaker (2nd, 4.74), Lentz (7th, 3.81)
Most Career Kills
| 1. | 1,483 | Amanda Carroll (.259) | 2015-19 |
| 2. | 1,469 | Cortney VanLiew (.232) | 2017-present |
| 3. | 1,173 | Brooke Youngquist Sweat | 2004-07 |
| 4. | 1,132 | Olivia Mesner | 2011-14 |
| 5. | 961 | Jessica Barnes (.194) | 2010-14 |
Most Career Digs
| 1. | 1,965 | Whitney Hendry (390 sets) | 2004-07 |
| 2. | 1,687 | Whitney Masters (483 sets) | 2011-14 |
| 3. | 1,652 | Holly Youngquist (418 sets) | 2008-11 |
| 4. | 1,569 | Dana Axner (302 sets) | 2018-present |
| 5. | 1,369 | Brook Youngquist Sweat (346 sets) | 2004-07 |
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.
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!
COACH BOTSFORD
Matt Botsford is entering 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 163-53 (.748) record overall, including an 81-19 (.810) 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 five of the past six 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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