SCF Sports: FGCU Volleyball: Season Opener Preview

FGCU Volleyball: Season Opener Preview

Before the new school year starts, the FGCU volleyball prepares themselves for their opening matches at home against Florida International University (FIU), Georgia Southern and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn Invitational.

Last season, FGCU went 27-6 overall with an 11-3 record in conference and made to the conference tournament finals as the No. 3 seed in the tournament. They beat No. 6 JU in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Kennesaw in the semis before falling to No. 1 Lipscomb in the championship for an automatic bid to the national tournament.

During the season, FGCU had the longest winning streak in the nation. Originally, the University of Nebraska had a 28-match winning streak before it was snapped by Big Ten Conference foe Ohio State. FGCU would eventually snap their winning after a 1-3 loss to Kennesaw.

The Eagles are led by Matt Botsford, who enter his fourth season as head coach for the Eagles. With Botsford as head coach since 2014, FGCU has been 67-28 overall and 32-10 in conference.

Botsford has coached some of the greatest volleyball players at FGCU including former libero Vanessa Benke and outside hitter Ella Kazarian. A former volleyball player and graduate from NCAA DIII's Tri-State University (now known as Trine University), Botsford has plenty of coaching experience from his alma mater as well as Notre Dame, Colorado State, University of Miami, IUPUI and University of Indianapolis as well as being an assistant coach for the 2007 USA Select Program for the U.S. National Team where they won a bronze medal in the HP Global Championships and was head coach for the USA Silver team.

Botsford is also joined by assistant coaches Kim Maroon and Daniel Mahy.

Maroon, a former volleyball in her own right from Villanova, still holds the record for most digs per set in a single season (6.87 digs per set) and was recently named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) "Thirty Under 30" list. A former NCAA All-American, Big East Libero of the Year and three time All-Big East selection, Maroon enters her third season as an assistant coach for FGCU with plenty of coaching experience from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Mahy has been a coach with FGCU since 2004, with the exception of coaching two years for NCAA DII Barry University in 2007-09 before returning to FGCU. Mahy enters his 13th season with FGCU.

FGCU will lose five players: outside hitter Leigh Pudwill, defensive specialist Caroline Jordan, middle blocker Marlene Moeller and setter Marina Adami have graduated.

Sophomore outside Bailey Johnson has transferred to NCAA DII San Francisco State.

They did, however, sign four newcomers that will be making their debuts: freshman outside hitter Courtney VanLiew, freshman outsider hiter/opposite hitter/setter Snowy Burnamn, freshman outside hitter Alana Ryan and junior college transfer middle blocker Sharonda Pickering.

Key returners for FGCU include junior outside hitter Amanda Carroll, junior setter Maggie Rick and senior libero Courtney Stephens.

Carroll, a native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was a A-Sun First Team All-Conference selection and a member of the A-Sun All-Academic Team. She set a program record with 485 total kills and had 39 service aces and 293 digs.

Rick, a native of Alpharetta, Georgia, was named A-Sun Setter of the Year, A-Sun First Team All-Conference selection and a member of the A-Sun All-Academic Team last season after she had 1,260 assists and averaged a conference-leading 10.59 assists per set.

A native of Winter Park, Florida, Stephens is the only senior on the team. Last season, Stephens had 388 digs with 3.37 digs per set.

Also returning to the court is outside hitter Ciara DeBell. DeBell will be listed as a redshirt freshman after suffering a serious knee injury in a match against Indiana. DeBell will still have all four years of eligibility.

Scouting the Panthers:
FIU, last season, went 9-19 overall with a 3-11 record in Conference USA. They failed to make it to the postseason. The Panthers are led by Rita Buck-Crockett. Buck-Crockett enters her fourth season as head coach.

FIU will lose five players: right side/outside hitter Katie Hogan, middle blocker Stephanie Harris, defensive specialist/outside hitter Jade Faucette and defensive specialist/libero Maria McLamb. They did sign five newcomers.

Key returners for the Panthers include senior right side hitter Taija Thomas, senior setter Mariana De Paula Silva and redshirt sophomore libero Lina Bernier.

Thomas, a native of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, was second in kills (221) and points (254.5) behind then player Katie Hogan last season. She was a member of the Maroon Classic All-Tournament Team.

De Paula Silva, a native of São José dos Campos, Brazil and transfer from Pratt Community College, led the team with 721 assists and 25 aces last season.

Bernier, a San Juan, Puerto Rico native, led the team in digs (257) last season.

Series History:
In all 11 matchups between FGCU and FIU, FGCU leads the series 6-5, and the last time FGCU and FIU played each other was last season. FGCU came out on top 3-1. Both FGCU and FIU will play each other twice this season both on their home territories.

Scouting GSU:
Georgia Southern was 15-18 overall last season with a 7-9 record in the Sun Belt Conference. GSU fell to Costal Carolina in the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. GSU is led by Dustin Wood, who enters his sixth season as head coach.

GSU will lose redshirt seniors setter Katie Bange and defensive specialist Alex Beecher, but have signed nine newcomers for the team (8 from high school and one transfer from UTEP).

Returning key players for GSU include upcoming senior Cathrine Murray and juniors Kendra Koetter and Lauren Reichard.

Murray, an outside hitter, was second behind Bange team in kills (277) and The native of San Diego is one of four Eagles that had at least 20 service aces (23).

Koetter, a setter from Marietta, Georgia, led the team in assists (626).

Reichard, the middle blocker from Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, led the team in total blocks (136) and was third behind Benge in kills (266).

Series History:
This is the second time FGCU and GSU faced each other since FGCU joined DI. FGCU beat GSU 3-2 during the 2015 season. You could say it would be a battle of the eagles because we're eagles and so is GSU.

Honestly, I'm not looking forward to us playing GSU not because of the competition, but because the Dirty Birds can't say "Let's Go Eagles" and it's a problem because, as I mentioned, GSU's mascot is also the Eagles and this is not the first time I've come encounter with this "problem".

Scouting the Jaguars:
IUPUI was 12-20 overall with a 8-8 record in the Summit League. They made it to the quarterfinals, but fell to North Dakota State.

The Jaguars are led by head coach Steve Payne. Payne enters into his 21st season as IUPUI's head coach.

IUPUI will lose setter Alexis Mapes and middle blocker Logan Walling, but signed four upcoming freshman and one transfer from the University of Indiana.

For the Jaguars, returning players to keep eyes out for are seniors Kori Waelbroeck, Gabby Fisher and Jessica Helms and sophomore Abby Boatman.

Waelbroeck, an opposite hitter, led the team in kills (389), and the Evansville, Indiana native was selected as an Academic All-Summit League honoree, named to the Shocker Volleyball Classic All-Tournament team and earned All-Summit League honors.

Fisher, an outside hitter, finished second to Waelbroeck in kills (354) and led the team in service aces (33). The Martinsville, Indiana native was named to the IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational All-Tournament team and the Summit League All-Tournament Team.

As a defensive specialist, Helms led the team in digs (414) and was third in service aces (21). The Muncie, Indiana native was named to the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational All-Tournament team

Boatman, a middle blocker from Bloomington, Indiana, led the team in blocks (111) to go with her 185 kills.

Series History:
The last time FGCU and IUPUI met was in 2013. The Jaguars won the matchup 3-0.

One interesting fact for FGCU is they are 8-2 when playing home opening matches.

There will be matchups with the other teams before FGCU as followed:

On August 25th, FIU will play GSU at 10 am. Later, GSU will play IUPUI at 4:30 pm before FGCU plays FIU at 7 pm.

On August 26th, FGCU will play GSU at 11 am. IUPUI and FIU will play at 2 pm before FGCU concludes the invitational with a matchup against IUPUI at 7 pm.

All the matches will be held at the Alico Arena.

It is not confirmed yet on what theme it will be to start the season. It could be a Blue Out, Green Out or White Out. It may be a crazy theme like crazy hats or something like that. One thing I do know is there will be a Pink Out somewhere in October.

Below are some pics from the volleyball teams from the 2015 season and 2016 season: