"I'm excited. It's opening weekend," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "We're playing three really competitive teams with really solid programs, so we're going to be tested and will have to play really well. I think we're certainly capable of it."
Last Time Out:
Last season, the volleyball team went 22-10 overall with an 10-4 conference record in the A-SUN, and made it to the finals of the A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament as the No. 3 seed, but would fall to the new champions: Kennesaw State.
Last season, FGCU had 19 shutout wins, the most by FGCU in D1 history. Their previous amount of shutouts was 17.
Coaching Staff:
The team is led by head coach Matt Botsford. Botsford will be entering his fifth season as head coach for FGCU.
Botsford is joined by long-time assistant coach Daniel Mahy. Mahy enters his 13th season as assistant coach for the Eagles.
In addition, joining FGCU on the coaching staff is Stephanie Zielinski. Zilenski is replacing former Villanova libero and All-American Kim Maroon. The Fort Lauderdale native and former Rutgers star spent the 2017 season with Middle Tennessee and brings coaching experience from her times with MTSU, Davidson and Wake Forest.
At Rutgers, Zilenski was a four-year starter as a setter. There, she finished her career with 4,255 assists, including 1,342 as a senior in 2012, both of which are second all-time in Rutgers' program history. She also ended her career with 1,129 digs, which is fifth all-time at Rutgers, and with a mark of 11.28 assists per set, good for second all-time in Big East history (when Rutgers was a part of the Big East Conference).
Zilenski then played professionally with Volley Toggenburg in Wattwil, Switzerland. As the starting setter for the team, she was named the best player of the match eight times during the 2013-14 season. Zilenski will make her FGCU coaching debut.
FGCU lost three players: defensive specialist Courney Stephens, outside hitter Ciara "Ci" DeBell and middle blocker Morgan Waller.
Stephens has graduated from FGCU and DeBell has transferred to Marshall University to continue playing collegiately. It is not clear whether Waller quit and if she transferred from FGCU.
New Blood:
FGCU did manage to sign four newcomers, including Kirstine Garder and Tori Morris to play this upcoming season.
Prior to her arrival at FGCU, Garder, an outside hitter from Halden, Norway, is a three-time junior national champion, a two-team team MVP and was once named the team's best outside hitter.
She was selected for the junior national team at 13 years old and became a team captain before being elevated to the senior national team at 17 years old, thus becoming the youngest player to participate in a tournament in Luxembourg where her team faced Luxembourg and Albania.
Garder competed in the North European Volleyball Zonal Association (NEVZA) tournament three times and has competed all over Europe on both the junior and senior national teams and was named the best outside hitter in the Champions International Youth Tournament in Paris.
Garder will also be playing beach volleyball for FGCU.
Morris, a native of Virginia Beach, plays as a middle blocker. The true freshman comes from Floyd E. Kellam High School helped lead her team to a Group 6A state championship in 2016. As a senior, she was named her conference's player of the year. She was also named to the Tournament of Champions all-tournament team.
Key FGCU Returners:
Some of the key returners for FGCU include five seniors, outside hitter Amanda Carroll, right side hitter Kaitlan "Kaiti" Krivdo and setter Maggie Rick, juniors, middle blocker Danielle "Dani" Serrano and outside hitter Giovanna "GioGio" Borgiotti, and sophomore outside hitter Snowy Burnam.
After coming off a third successful year, Carroll has been a force to be reckoned with. A former A-SUN Freshman of the Year and A-SUN All-Freshman Team member, the Albuquerque native has made her mark strongly for FGCU.
Last season, Carroll led the team with 454 total kills and 31 aces, hence earning the nickname I called her: "Mrs. Aces". Carroll was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference First Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team selection for the second straight year and was named on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. In addition, Carroll was named A-SUN Co-Player of the Year and A-SUN Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year. She shared the titles with Lipscomb's rising senior Carlyle Nusbaum (A-SUN Co-Player) and former Kennesaw State member Kristi Piedimonte (Co-Scholar Athlete)
Carroll has also broken several FGCU program records. Last season, Carrolll passed Olympian, former FGCU volleyball player and A-SUN Hall of Famer, Brooke Youngquist-Sweat, for most career total kills (1,354). Carroll was also tabbed as an A-SUN representative to the Division I National Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (NSAACs), selected to the U.S. Collegiate National Team-Indianapolis program and earned the AVCA All-Southeast Region Honorable Mention. Carroll was recently named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Amanda has been such a reliable player for us over the years," Botsford said on Carroll. "I can't wait to see what she does to cap off her career. I think from the outside looking in, people tend to focus on her impact within our offense, which is certainly a huge weapon, but her ability to impact each phase of the game is what makes her so special. She can anchor our serve receive, manage her net responsibilities as good as anyone we have, serve effectively and be a great floor defender with incredible instincts."
Krivdo increased her playing time with flying colors since last season. The Hope Mills, North Carolina native started 24 of her 30 matches played and finished with 104 kills and 76 blocks.
Rick also comes off another successful season herself. Although she did not retain her title as A-SUN Setter of the Year, the setter and native of Alpharetta, Georgia tallied 1,227 assists (11.36 assists per match). Rick's assist per set ratio was ranked #18 in the nation. Rick was named a member of the A-SUN All-Conference Second Team and A-SUN All-Academic Team for the second time in her career. In addition, Rick has 3,685 career assists and is only 724 away from passing Gigi Meyer (4,408) for most all-time.
"Maggie is a phenomenal setter, and the growth and development we have seen throughout her career has been astounding," Botsford said on Rick. "Her ability to put our hitters in good spots and her decision making has been a big factor in our program's success over the past four years. We have had a great tradition of setters in this program, and Maggie has now set the bar even higher relative to the position."
Earlier, prior to the season, Rick was named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team as well as being named A-SUN Preseason Setter of the Year.
After starting all 32 matches, Serrano set strides through each match last season including a career-high 14 kills against Jacksonville. Serrano led FGCU with 94 total blocks last season to go with her 236 kills she provided. Serrano joined Carroll on the A-SUN All-Conference First Team. Serrano was also named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Dani is such a talented and efficient player, and it is amazing to think that she is only going into her junior season," Botsford said on Serrano. "As good as she is, I really believe that there is another level that she can reach, and I think that evolution is right around the corner. As she continues along in her development, we continue to rely on her more and more. Her ability to read the game and her instincts at the net, along with her court vision, provides us a great offensive option within the interior."
In addition, Burnam made history not just in indoor volleyball, but in beach too as she became the first player in the history of the A-SUN to be named the A-SUN Conference Freshman of the Year in both indoor and beach volleyball, and the second player in NCAA history to do so since Stanford's Kathryn Plummer in 2016. Burnam joined Carroll, Serrano and Rick on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team.
"Snowy had such a great freshman season and the way it unfolded was really impressive," Botsford said. "She progressed match-to-match in a way that I have not seen from a freshman before. By the second half of the season, she was one of our most consistent players, which is something you tend not to expect from a newcomer. She is a multidimensional player, both offensively and defensively, who provides us with a lot of options. She is a great volleyball player in general and that helps our gym culture a lot."
Block Party:
Although the Eagles finished second in total blocks (244), three of FGCU's players have me big impacts with blocks, hence the nickname "Block Party": Serrano, Krivdo, and senior Sharonda Pickering.
Preseason Serve:
As noted, Carroll, Serrano, Rick and Burnam were named on the A-SUN Preseason All-Conference Team. This was the first time in program history that the FGCU women's volleyball team placed four student-athletes on the A-SUN's Preseason All-Conference Team.
"To have any player represented among the preseason all-conference team is always an honor," Botsford said. "To have four of the seven is really remarkable. I think it speaks to the depth of our roster and the fact that we have been able to attract some very talented, coachable and motivated players."
Scouting UCF:
The Knights are coming off of a 20-14 record with a 12-8 record in the AAC last season. Their conference record put them in 5th place and since they is no conference tournament for volleyball in the AAC, they did not make it to the national tournament, but they did make it to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) where they defeated UNC-Greensboro 3-0 in the first round before falling to Georgia 0-3 in the second round. UCF is led by Todd Dagenais, who enters into his 11th season as head coach.
The Knights will lose outside hitter Kia Bright, setter Miranda Watkins, and middle blocker Taylor Wickey as they graduated.
Key returning players will include senior Jordan Pingel, juniors Ali Sabol and Erin Olsen and sophomore Kristina Fisher.
Pingel, the libero from Colorado Springs, Colorado, led the team with 541 digs last season. During the past season, Pingel averaged 4.27 digs per set ranking number one on team for the season.
Sabol, a right side hitter from Dublin, Ohio, was third on the team with 258 kills and one of the team leaders for blocks (58).
Olsen, a setter from Cary, Illinois, led the team with 734 total assists and 15 aces and averaged 5.78 assists per set.
Fisher, an outside hitter from Austin, Texas, was second on the team with total kills (367) and had 239 digs.
The Knights signed six upcoming freshman including Paulina Perez Rosas and Amber Olson (sister of Erin).
Perez Rosas comes from Guanica, Puerto Rico and brings a breadth of experience from the international level. A member of the Puerto Rican National Team since she was 14, Perez was named the captain of the U15 and U18 national squads. Perez Rosas' international experience spanned several North, Central America and Caribbean Volleyball Confederation (NORCECA) Pan American Championships.Perez guided Puerto Rico to a fourth-place finish at the NORCECA U20 Pan American Cup in 2017, in which she tied for 25th in scoring for the tournament.
Amber, the younger sister of Erin Olson, is also a setter from Cary, Illinois. A three-year letterwinner for Cary-Grove High School, Olson tallied a career-high 645 assists as a junior to earn All-Area and All-Fox Valley honors.
The Olson-Olson setting tandem guided the Trojans to a third-place finish at state in 2015 when the younger Olson was a sophomore.
In the series between UCF and FGCU, UCF leads 3-1 overall. The lone win FGCU had against the Knights was in 2008 at UCF.
In the AAC Preseason Poll, the Knights are currently ranked 5th behind Southern Methodist.
Scouting Miami:
Miami was 26-6 overall with a 15-5 record in the ACC. Miami finished in third place and like the ACC, there was no conference tournament, however, the Hurricanes made it to the national tournament thanks to an at-large bid from their RPI ranking (32). They would beat College of Charleston 3-1 in the first round before falling 1-3 to #2 Florida in the second round.
Miami is led by Jose "Keno" Gandara, who enters his fifth year as head coach.
The Hurricanes will lose outside hitters Olga Strantzali and Brooke McDermott, middle blocker Sakile Simmons and defensive specialist Sylvia Hernandez,
but they have signed upcoming freshman including: outside hitter Taylor Burrell. Burrell comes from West Boca High School. A four-year letter winner, Burrell helped the Bulls win three consecutive district titles
Key returning players to look out for are redshirt sophomore Elizaveta Lukianova, senior Kolby Bird, redshirt senior Haley Templeton and junior Lucia Pampana.
Lukianova, a 6-6 outside hitter from Omsk, Russia, made her debut against the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Lukiano finished with 154 kills, including 23 in the national tournament.
Bird, an outside hitter from San Diego, was second on the team with 281 kills.
Templeton, a setter from Alpharetta, Georgia, led the team with 1,172 and was third on the team with 31 aces and 272 digs. Templeton was named a member of the All-ACC Volleyball Academic Team and All-ACC Volleyball First Team.
Pampana, an outside hitter from Modena, Italy, lead the team with 102 blocks and was fourth on the team in kills (150).
The Hurricanes have signed six upcoming freshman including Taylor Burrell and Maya Sullivan.
Burrell, an outside hitter from Boca Raton that enrolled early from West Boca High School, helped the Bulls win three consecutive district titles, named first team all-county in 2016 and 2017 by the Palm Beach Post, district player of the year, and a two-time MVP. Burrell finished with 522 career kills.
Sullivan, a middle blocker from Naperville, Illinois, played three years at Rosary High School. There she helped the Royals win back-to-back-to-back regional titles along with a conference title. Sullivan went from the Most Improved Player in 2016 to an All-Star Game selection and All-Star Game MVP in just one year along with being a three-time Scholar-Athlete.
In the series between the Hurricanes and the Eagles, FGCU is 0-3 against Miami.
In the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Hurricanes are tied for 7th with NC State. In addition, Templeton was named a member of the Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team.
Currently, the Hurricanes are receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll (8).
Scouting FAU:
The Owls are coming off of a 19-9 record with a 9-5 record in Conference USA (C-USA). They would fall in the C-USA Quarterfinals.
The Owls are lead by Fernanda Nelson, who enters her fifth season as head coach.
The Owls will lose outside hitter Kristi Tekavec and right side hitter Gabrielle Dixon as they graduated.
Key players for the Owls include seniors Abbi Reid and Ivone Martinez and junior Sigourney Kame.
Reid, an outside hitter from Denver, led the team with 78 blocks to go with her 305 kills. Reid was a member of the All-Conference USA Second Team.
Martinez, a setter from Mexicali, Mexico, led the team with 1,153 assists and had 49 kills on the year. Along with earning All-Tournament Team MVP of the Stetson Invitational, Martinez joined Reid as a member of the All-Conference USA Second Team. In addition, Martinez was ranked #1 in the nation in assists per set (12.81).
Kame, an outside hitter from Paramaribo, Suriname, led the team in kills (375) and kills per set (3.87). Kame not only joined Martinez on the Stetson Invitational All-Tournament Team, but was also named a member of the C-USA All-Conference First Team and C-USA All-Academic Team.
The Owls have signed only junior Massiel Matos so far. The outside hitter from Higuey, Dominican Republic spent the last two seasons with NJCAA Region 8 Miami-Dade College.
Matos was named a two-time NJCAA All-American, AVCA National Player of the Year and NJCAA Tournament MVP while leading the Sharks to back-to-back NJCAA national championships. She will have two years of eligibility remaining with the Owls.
In the series between FGCU and FAU, the Eagles are 3-6 against the Owls. The Owls defeated FGCU 3-1 in the Homewood Suites Sunshine State Classic last season. Last time FGCU beat FAU was in the FAU Invitational in 2016 where the Eagles won 3-2.
Prior to the season, FAU was listed in 3rd on the C-USA Volleyball Preseason Poll. They also have two first votes in the poll. In addition, Martinez and Kame were named on the C-USA Volleyball Preseason Team.
Tournament Breakdown:
The tournament will be from Friday, August 24 to Saturday August 25.
On August 24, FGCU will open the tournament at 10 A.M. against FAU and then UCF at 4:30 P.M. before Miami plays FAU at 7 P.M.
On August 25, FGCU will close their part of the tournament against host Miami at 11 A.M., UCF will then play FAU at 1:30 P.M. before Miami closes out the tournament against UCF at 7:30 P.M.
How to Watch:
Three of the matches will be aired on the ESPN+ app. The app cost $4.99 a month to watch all six games.
It is not clear if livestats will be available.
Link for Livestream:
FGCU vs. FAU: http://www.sidearmstats.com/miami/wvball/
FGCU vs. Miami: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3425461/florida-gulf-coast-vs-miami-w-volleyball
FGCU vs. UCF: http://www.sidearmstats.com/miami/wvball/
The tournament will be from Friday, August 24 to Saturday August 25.
On August 24, FGCU will open the tournament at 10 A.M. against FAU and then UCF at 4:30 P.M. before Miami plays FAU at 7 P.M.
On August 25, FGCU will close their part of the tournament against host Miami at 11 A.M., UCF will then play FAU at 1:30 P.M. before Miami closes out the tournament against UCF at 7:30 P.M.
How to Watch:
Three of the matches will be aired on the ESPN+ app. The app cost $4.99 a month to watch all six games.
It is not clear if livestats will be available.
Link for Livestream:
FGCU vs. FAU: http://www.sidearmstats.com/miami/wvball/
FGCU vs. Miami: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3425461/florida-gulf-coast-vs-miami-w-volleyball
FGCU vs. UCF: http://www.sidearmstats.com/miami/wvball/
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