After another successful season, the FGCU volleyball team (24-6) are now focusing on their next task at hand: The A-SUN Conference Tournament. The Eagles are looking to winning their first conference tournament in program history.
The Eagles wrapped their part of the regular season as they defeated ASUN newcomer Liberty 3-1 at home at the Alico Arena. On that day, it was senior day for the five seniors: Karissa Rhoades, Maggie Rick, Kaiti Krivdo, Amanda Carroll and Sharonda Pickering. Four of the five seniors played in their final regular season match with Carroll redshirting for the 2019 season.
As a result from the win against Liberty, the Eagles became the #1 seed in the tournament, won the ASUN Regular Season Championship for the first time since 2012 (fourth overall) and have a first round bye in the tournament. In addition to winning the regular season championship, the Eagles will host the 2019 ASUN Conference Tournament at the Alico Arena.
Tournament Seedings:
The seeds are listed as followed with the teams' overall records:
#1 FGCU (24-6)
#2 Kennesaw State (23-6)
#3 Lipscomb (17-11)
#4 Liberty (14-16)
#5 Stetson (16-12)
#6 UNF (11-21)
Jacksonville (5-24), North Alabama (4-21) and NJIT (4-28) did not qualify for the tournament due to their overall and conference records.
For Jacksonville, it was the first time since 2012 that they have not reached the postseason.
For NJIT, this is their fourth straight year of not qualifying for the tournament. Actually for NJIT, I'm not surprised since they've never been to the ASUN Volleyball Tournament since joining the ASUN fall 2015.
For North Alabama, it would not make much difference for them. If they would have won the conference, let alone qualify for the tournament and won, then they would not go to the national tournament due to the four-year transitional period and the regular season champions (FGCU) would go to the national tournament.
ASUN Awards, Accolades and New Commits:
Before the matchups, Wednesday marked National Signing Day along with the ASUN Conference announcing the winners of awards and members of honorable mentions. So far, the Eagles have inked five freshman so far: Kortney Reynolds, Aja Jones, Shelby Beisner, Erin Shoemaker and Emma Szypszak.
Kortney Reynolds:
Reynolds, a 6-3 middle blocker out of Plain City, Ohio, will join after graduating from Jonathan Alder High School.
Playing all four years on the varsity level, Reynolds put together a career total 442 kills and 318 total blocks while leading the Pioneers to the OHSAA Regional semifinals for her senior year. Reynolds was named Second Team All-Central Buckeye Conference (CBC) and Honorable Mention Division II All-Ohio by the Ohio High School Volleyball Coaches Association as a senior. As a junior, she earned First Team All-CBC and First Team All-District honors while being voted the CBC Player of the Year. As a sophomore, she was Honorable Mention All-Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference.
"Kortney will provide immediate depth to the middle position with the loss of two key players to graduation," Botsford said. "She has a fast arm and the potential to be an outstanding blocker at the next level. Having worked with her in a camp environment previously, she is a quick learner and has good instincts along the net. Kortney's height and athleticism are a perfect match for what we need in the interior."
"After visiting Fort Myers on family vacations, I fell in love with the beauty of the area," Reynolds said of her decision. "Once I was on the campus, it was such a welcoming feeling, and I could see myself going to school there."
Aja Jones:
Jones, a 6-1 middle blocker/right side hitter from Venice, Florida, will join FGCU after graduating from Venice High School. Jones played at a trio of high schools (Lakewood Ranch, Manatee and Venice) and helped lead Venice to the 2018 FHSAA 8A State Semifinals as a senior. During her prep career, she was the Spectrum Sports Athlete of the Week, All-State, All-Region and All-District while she finished her career with 418 kills.
"Aja was a late addition for us, and we are very lucky to have kept her close to home," Botsford said. "Her development over the last year and a half has been astounding, and she is just scratching the surface of what she can do. We expect Aja to play in the middle for us early in her career, but I think she has the potential to also attack at the pins as she progresses. She is an aggressive attacker and is good off one foot, which will add an important element to our offensive options."
"From the moment I stepped on the campus I was floored by how beautiful it was," Jones said of her decision. "My final check was when I met the team. They were all so nice and fun. I didn't want to go home. I wanted to start college right then."
Shelby Beisner:
Beisner, a 5-9 outside hitter, will be a third generation volleyball player from Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda, Florida. Beisner has produced 900 kills, 1,100 digs, 100 aces and 100 blocks in her career. After tallying 20 kills in the Class 7A-District 10 title match as a senior, she had 15 kills, 18 digs and five aces in a Class 7A-Region 3 quarterfinal win over Largo. She followed that up with 12 more kills in the semifinals.
As a senior, Beisner was elected Sun Prep Athlete of the Week and won the Gene Gorman MVP Award. She tallied 353 digs, 276 kills, 42 aces and 40 blocks as a junior. As a sophomore, Beisner was named the Sun Coast Sports Player of the Year and Honorable Mention All-Area.
"Shelby is going to fill a very important role for us with the loss of Karissa Rhoades," Botsford said. "She is such a well-rounded player, from serve-receive and defense to attacking, that our gym environment will immediately improve because of her presence. She is a dynamic athlete with a high volleyball IQ who can play multiple positions. Shelby will also be a big contributor to our beach program with the unique skill set she possesses.
"FGCU has a home-like feel to it," Beisner said of her decision. "The coaches and the girls were welcoming and the campus is beautiful. I also have a good amount of friends attending or planning to attend the university and with all those factors put together, I know that I will have a great time at FGCU."
Beisner follows the footsteps of her older sisters, JaNhea and Marisa. Both of her older sisters have NCAA collegiate experience as liberos/defensive specialists (JaNhea: DII Augusta; Marisa: DII Tampa*). In fact, Beisner does have a little background of FGCU blood as her brother, Brooks, was a former baseball player for FGCU in 2013. I've seen her sisters play before and I was always impressed with them, and have known them since their freshman years at State College of Florida (JaNhea 2013, Marisa 2015).
*side note: Marisa recently won the NCAA DII National Championship after defeating Western Washington in a 3-2 thriller.
Erin Shomaker:
Shoemaker, a 6-2 outside hitter from Granville, Ohio will join FGCU from Granville High School. Shomaker had one of the most decorated prep careers in the history of Ohio while at Granville, finishing with 1,686 kills, a .502 hitting percentage, 596 digs, 309 blocks and 165 aces. She broke the Licking County all-time record for career kills, surpassing Newark's Anni Thomasson in her final match. The total also puts her in the top five in Ohio High School Athletic Association history. She broke Granville's single match, season and career records for kills and hitting percentage, and she now holds the single season and career solo block records.
As a senior, Shomaker captured First Team All-Ohio recognition after recording 616 kills, hitting .651 and adding 242 digs, 77 aces and 61 blocks. She had seven matches with at least 30 kills while totaling just 57 errors over 859 attempts. She led the nation in hitting percentage, according to MaxPreps, and finished second in the state in kills. She had 31 kills in the Division-II district tournament to close her career, and she had seven matches with at least 30 kills, including a career-high 36 in a Sept. 25 matchup against Utica.
"I wanted to go south," Shomaker said of her decision. "I love the campus plus they have a great volleyball program and academic opportunities.
As a junior, Shomaker had 493 kills and hit .423 with 195 digs, 78 blocks and 15 aces en route to Second Team All-Ohio recognition. She is a three-time First Team All-Licking County League (LCL) as well as a two-time recipient of the LCL and Division-II Central District Player of the Year awards.
Emma Szypszak:
Szypszak, a 6-1 outside hitter from Mequon, Wisconsin, will join from Homestead High School.
Szypszak has earned First and Second Team, along with Honorable Mention All-North Shore Conference recognition during her time at Homestead. She is a two-time Honorable Mention All-Wisconsin selection by the Wisconsin Volleyball Coaches Association and helped the Highlanders to the WIAAWI Playoffs while finishing her senior year with 195 kills and 465 in her career.
"We are expecting to transition Emma from the middle to the pin once she arrives at FGCU," Botsford said. "She is blessed with a very powerful arm, and we want to find ways to take advantage of the velocity she attacks with. Because of her experience as a middle, her blocking will also be a welcome addition to either the left or right side. Emma's experience playing at a very high club level will aid in her transition to the college game, and I am looking forward to watching her develop."
"I had been touring colleges since I was a freshman, but none of them captured my attention quite like FGCU did," Szypszak said of her choice. "When I visited the campus as a junior, I knew this was where I wanted to be. After meeting Coach Botsford and the team, my decision was easy. I could never commit myself to saying yes anywhere else before that. It wasn't just one component of the school, it was a feeling - my home away from home."
ASUN Player of the Year:
In a unanimous landslide, sophomore Cortney VanLiew was named A-SUN Player of the Year. In addition, she was named a member of the A-SUN All-Academic Team with her 4.0 GPA
"We knew that Cortney was going to play a big role within our line-up this season, but after the injury to Amanda, she was suddenly asked to do much more," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Her response to that challenge was exactly what you hope for as a coach. She wanted to help her team, worked extremely hard to position herself to help her team and relished the opportunity to take on more responsibility out on the floor. She has made huge strides in every aspect of the game since last season and continues to improve as a player."
VanLiew leads the team and the A-SUN with 416 kills (4 per set). In the match against Liberty, VanLiew was held to seven kills. Among matches against RPI top-100 opponents, VanLiew had 16 kills and eight digs against UCF, 20 kills and nine digs against Miami (Fla.), 19 kills and 10 digs vs Yale, 17 kills vs FAU and a combined 34 kills and 24 digs in two matchups against Kennesaw State.
"Cortney is a volume attacker who is asked to bail us out of tough situations, and she has been amazing at doing exactly that," Botsford said. "The efficiency that she has played with this year has far exceeded my own expectations, but I don't think they have met her own. That is what makes her great. She always wants more. She has worked hard to be a better blocker, a better passer and a better defender. The fact that she is able to play such a significant role in all of those areas is why I think that the player of the year award is such a fitting honor."
VanLiew has 724 career kills in her name and became the ninth Eagles to reach 700 kills passing Heather Van Olst (700, 2004-06) for eighth all-time. The Seymour, Indiana native is two away from passing Jill Hopper (725, 2011-13) for seventh all-time.
Along with the player of the year accolade, VanLiew was also named one of the eight members on the Google Cloud CoSIDA All-Academic District 4 First Team, the fourth Eagle for the accolade and the third on the first team (Brooke Youngquist - 2010, Second Team, Gigi Meyer - 2012, First Team, Amanda Carroll - 2017, First Team)
Along with the stats, VanLiew has earned other accolades and set program records for the season:
1.Sunshine State Challenge MVP
2. 2x A-SUN Player of the Week (Aug. 27, Nov. 5)
I already knew that VanLiew would win that award and for that, now I can say is... WHAT IT DO VANLIEW!!!
ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year:
To me, it was the toughest guess on who would win between freshman Dana Axner and junior Dani Serrano for A-SUN Defensive Player of the year because they both played strongly on the defensive front. In the end, Axner was not only named unanimously as the A-SUN Freshman of the Year this season, but was named ASUN Defensive Player of the Year. In that moment, history was made as she became the first player in the ASUN to win the Freshman and Defensive of the Year in the same season. In fact, Axner is also the youngest player to do so.
"Dana has had an amazing freshman year and really put her stamp on this team," Botsford said. "What she has done for us defensively has been so impressive to watch, and when you remind yourself that it is only her first year, you can't help but be amazed."
I mean I knew that it was gonna be unanimous for Axner to win ASUN Freshman of the Year, but becoming the first player in A-SUN history to win that and the Defensive Player of the Year, words fail me on how awesome that is for Paul Bunyan's apprentice.
The Dublin, Ohio native came in clutch as the starting libero as she leads the team and the ASUN with 536 digs (5.15 digs per set). Axner is third all-time in most digs in a single season after she passed Whitney Hendry (514 digs) and is 23 away from passing Vanessa Benke (558) for second all-time. In fact, Axner already ranks 12th in career digs just 30 matches into her career.
Along with the stats, Axner has earned other accolades and set program records for the season:
1. All-Lobo Classic team
2. All-Homewood Suites Fort Myers/FGCU Classic team
3. 1x ASUN Defensive Player of the Week
4. Division-I era program single-match record 39 digs against West Virginia
5. Division-I era record 28 digs for a three-set match vs Stetson
6. Named a record-breaking 6x ASUN Freshman of the Week
"She is among the most competitive players I have ever coached, and you can see that each time she is out on the court," Botsford said. "Her passion for the game, her desire to excel in the position and her work ethic have made her what she is. To be chosen as the defensive player of the year as a freshman is an unbelievable honor - and a deserving one. Dana's addition to this program has helped us build a more complete team."
ASUN Setter of the Year:
As much as I wanted senior Maggie Rick to win the ASUN Setter of the Year for the second time in her career, it didn't turned out to be the result I wanted, but actually expected it. The ASUN Setter of the Year for this season is junior Lexi Broadwater from Kennesaw State. Broadwater finished the regular season with a conference-leading 1,245 assists. In her last match against Kennesaw, Broadwater finished with 39 assists and three kills.
ASUN Coach of the Year:
In his fifth season, Botsford finally got the ASUN Coach of the Year. Since being named head coach for the Eagles in 2014, Botsford has compiled a combined 113 wins (73 shutouts) in all five seasons so far.
"Matt understands and analyzes the game more than anyone I've met," Rick said of her coach. "He's extremely passionate about winning and helping us play at the highest level we're capable of. But, beyond that, he cares so much about us as players and people. He wants nothing but the best for each of us individually and as a team. He's put in so much work since she's been at FGCU, and I'm so glad he is being recognized."
ASUN All-Conference First Team:
For FGCU, three players landed on the ASUN All-Conference First Team: Axner, VanLiew and Pickering.
Pickering leads the nation in hitting percentage at .439 this season. Pickering had a career-high 12 kills against Liberty with a .647 hitting percentage. The native of Sea Cow's Bay, Tortola, BVI is four points ahead of Wisconsin's 6-8 Dana Retteke (.435), one of the two tallest players in the nation (Florida's Rachael Kramer: 6-8). Pickering is fourth on the team with 200 kills and second behind Serrano in total blocks (114).
"Sharonda has had a remarkable season and has done so playing a new position," Botsford said. "The numbers are staggering and her ability to embrace the change has been so exciting for us as a staff. Her impact on the right side has been a big factor in our successes both offensively and defensively. Her ability to take over a game on both sides of the ball is something we knew existed, but the difference this year has been her consistency. I am so happy to see her being recognized for her contributions on the floor."
Senior Carlyle Nusbaum (Lipscomb), Broadwater and sophomore Lauren Chastang (Kennesaw) and junior Casey Goodwin (Liberty) were also named on the ASUN All-Conference First Team.
“I am excited for Carlyle to once again be recognized by the fellow A-SUN coaches,” said Lipscomb Head Coach Brandon Rosenthal. “I believe that it speaks volumes as to all the hard work that she has put in over her four years. To be named to this team for the past three years is a tremendous accomplishment. One that she doesn't take lightly and also one that she will acknowledge the assistance she gets when it comes to receiving individual accolades.”
“Carlyle is truly a special talent, and she and her hard work have brought a great deal of attention to Lipscomb Volleyball and A-SUN volleyball,” Rosenthal said. “I continue to be proud of her and the work that she and the rest of her team put in on a daily basis.”
ASUN All-Conference Second Team:
Rick and Serrano were named on the ASUN All-Conference Second Team.
Rick has 766 assists this season and 4,451 in her career. During her match against Stetson, Rick passed Gigi Meyer (4,408) as the all-time leader in career assists and also reached 800 career digs (now 802). In the match against Liberty, the Alpharetta native had 21 assists and three digs.
In her career, Rick has 20 career double-doubles, including 10 as a senior alone and is one of just two players in program history with at least 1,000 assists and 800 digs in a career. She is the program's all-time leader in matches played (127) and owns the third, fourth and fifth highest single season assist totals in program history. Furthermore, she is the only player with four of the top 10 seasons and owns five of the top 15 single match assist totals in program history.
"Maggie has been such a great player for us over the years and this season she was asked to sacrifice a lot," Botsford said. "For three seasons, she ran this offense on her own and has been magnificent in doing so. This season, we thought we could explore another option that might provide us a different look, and when we did, she never once worried about herself. She wanted what was best for this team and her response to that change has made all the difference. The way she has handled herself speaks to the kind of leader and competitor she is. It has been an absolute pleasure to coach Maggie. She is such a talent and watching her grow over the years in her position has been so rewarding."
In addition, Rick was named the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a member of the ASUN All-Academic Team for the second time in her career with her 3.89 GPA.
"For all the amazing things that Maggie has accomplished here at FGCU as an athlete, she has always been more than just that," Botsford said. "Her recognition as the scholar athlete of the year is representative of the person she is beyond the volleyball court and serves as a reminder of how the talents that make her great in the athletics arena have pushed her toward excellence in academics as well. Maggie has worked extremely hard throughout her career here at FGCU to take full advantage of the experience as a whole, and in doing so has impacted much more than our volleyball program. She has shown that you can balance these two worlds and excel in both. I am so proud of the effort this young woman has dedicated to fulfilling her own potential and am ecstatic that she has received this prestigious award."
Offensively, Serrano currently has 203 kills in her name (third on the team). In fact Serrano's 203 kills put her at 593 in her career (14th all-time). Serrano is now seven away from being the 14th player to reach 600 kills. Defensively, the Sanford native spiced up the team as she leads the team and the A-SUN in total blocks (142). Serrano became an all-time leader again as she passed Olivia Mesner (342, 2011-14) as the all-time leader in total blocks (343) and extended her career block assist total to 293 and counting. She needs seven more block assists to be the first Eagle to reach 300 career block assists and become the first Eagle to get 600 kills and 300 blocks assists.
"Dani has been a rock in our lineup since her freshman year," Botsford said. "To play at the level she has, for that duration, has provided us unprecedented stability at a very important position. What she has done this year as an attacker and a blocker has really opened things up for other players, which can often get overlooked."
Serrano was a three-time ASUN Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 4, Oct. 15, Nov. 15) this year and was named to the All-Lobo Classic and All-Volleyknights Invitational teams.
"Her ability to read and adjust within the flow of the match is something that I have learned to really appreciate about Dani," Botsford said. "She understands what we are trying to do on the floor, how to do it and how to maximize her own impact on what is happening. She has really grown this season and is a much more cerebral player which adds an entire new wrinkle to an already stellar skill set."
Other members on the ASUN All-Conference Second Team included juniors Kainah Williams and Anna Gragg (Liberty), and seniors Adriana Nieto (NJIT), Hao Jin (Stetson) and Liesl Engelbrecht (Kennesaw).
ASUN All-Freshman Team:
With three of the freshman on the team that were active, all of them were named on the ASUN All-Freshman Team: Axner, Chelsey Lockey and Tori Morris. All three were unanimous picks for the accolades.
Following the footsteps of Rick, Lockey played as a key role for the Eagles while giving Rick a breather. Lockey, a native of Eaton, Colorado, finished the regular season with 412 assists. In the match against Liberty, Lockey had 18 assists along with seven digs.
"We have asked a lot out of Chelsey this season, and I couldn't be more pleased with the way she has responded," Botsford said. "She has played with poise and maturity well beyond her years, allowing us to a run a system that suited our personnel and put us in a great position to be successful. Being able to come in as a freshman and set an offense as well as she has, is quite an accomplishment. Beyond the setting, Chelsey has also proven to be a great defender on top of being a server that can pressure our opponents. She is dedicated to her craft, and I have really enjoyed working with her and watching her grow within the role."
As a member of the
Block Party, Morris has 60 blocks in her name along with 51 kills. In the match against Liberty, the Virginia Beach had a kill and five blocks. Morris ranks third in the A-SUN in blocks per set (1.15). She started nearly every match the second half of the season and produced seven matches with four or more blocks, including a season-high nine twice - vs Lipscomb on Oct. 7 and Jacksonville on Oct. 21.
"Tori has done an excellent job in her freshman campaign, and the contributions she has made this conference season have helped us tremendously," Botsford said. "She has the potential in every match to make an impact as a blocker and as the year has progressed she has found a nice rhythm with her attacking. She is such a gifted athlete, and such a threat along the net, it forces teams to play us differently. You can see her development every time she takes the floor, and that upward trajectory has put her in a position where she is being relied upon much more as the year has gone on.
The four other members on the A-SUN All-Freshman Team were Logan Gish (Lipscomb), Dani Ballou (Kennesaw), Solimar Cestero (UNF) and Lilly Kruse (Liberty).
"I am very proud of Solimar, she's been a huge piece for us this year and has become a go-to hitter," UNF head coach Kristen Wright said Cestero. "Her ceiling is very high and I think this is just the beginning of hearing her name a lot, both in our program and beyond."
ASUN All-Academic Team:
Along with VanLiew and Rick being named on the A-SUN All-Academic Team, five other members were on the team: Engelbrecht (Kennesaw State), grad student Sara Dyslin (Jacksonville) and juniors Natalie Wehner (Jacksonville), Hannah Morris (Liberty) and Morgan Elmore (Lipscomb).
400 to 500:
As I was looking at the program's record book, I somehow stumbled on a few other accolades that I didn't even realize. It turned that junior Giogio Borgiotti and sophomore Snowy Burnam have made accolades of their own.
Borgiotti is currently fifth on the team in kills (176) and fifth in blocks (53) while Burnam is second on the team in kills (218) and fourth in blocks (56). What I found out with Borgiotti was she has 481 career kills and is 19 away from being the 16th player to reach 500 career kills. In the matches against Stetson and Liberty, the Vienna, Virginia native had a combined nine kills and five blocks.
In the matches against Liberty and Stetson, Burnam had 28 kills, 22 digs and two blocks. During the match against Liberty, Burnam reached the accolade of becoming the 22nd Eagle to reach 400 career kills and currently has 405 in her career.
Winning Assistance:
Long time assistant volleyball coach Daniel Mahy has also garnered career wins of his own. Mahy has been with the Eagles since the inaugural season (2004) with Jaye Flood and enters his 13th season as assistant coach for the Eagles.
Mahy left the Eagles from 2006-07 and joined NCAA DII Barry University before returning to FGCU in 2008 after head coach Dave Nichols (FGCU's 2nd head coach) took over the team before Botsford took over in 2014. Mahy has been an assistant coach for all three head coaches and has built up 262 total wins with FGCU and 290 in his overall coaching career in the NCAA, including the 28 wins at Barry. In the match against Liberty, Mahy got his 262nd win with FGCU and his 291st overall.
First-year FGCU assistant coach and former Rutgers University All-American Stephanie Zelinski earned her 53rd career win.
Block Party in Alico:
The
Block Party (Serrano, VanLiew, Burnam, Pickering and fellow senior Kaiti Krivdo, Borgiotti and Morris) have a combined 508 total blocks (#6 in the nation) with Serrano leading the team and the A-SUN in total blocks (142). The squad had 22 total blocks against Liberty.
With blocks from the
Block Party, along with total blocks from seniors Karissa Rhoades (2), an injured senior Amanda Carroll (7), Rick (17) and Lockey (1), the Eagles have 535 total blocks (2.84 per set), which is #9 in the nation. The Eagles are #4 in the nation from holding their opponents to a .137 hitting percentage.
Scouting the Owls:
Kennesaw is defending their championship from last year after they defeated FGCU 3-0 to punch their ticket to the national tournament. The Owls wrapped up their part of the regular season with a 3-0 shutout on the road against Jacksonville.
Offensively, sophomore Lauren Chastang leads the team with 385 kills. In the last match against Jacksonville, Chastang had 11 kills.
Defensively, the middle duo of Engelbrecht and sophomore Quin Sutphin take the reins. Engelbrecht is third on the team in kills (240) while Sutphin is fourth (212).
Both combine for 229 blocks (117 Sutphin, 112 Engelbrecht). In the last match against Jacksonville, Sutphin had four kills and three blocks while Engelbrecht had 10 kills and five blocks.
Also on defense is sophomore Karlee Grover. Grover leads the team with 465 digs (4.23 per set). In the last match against Jacksonville, Grover was held to only eight digs.
Scouting the Lady Bison:
Lipscomb is coming off of a 3-0 shutout against Jacksonville.
Offensively, Nusbaum leads the team in kills (398, 4.02 per set). In the last match against Jacksonville, Nusbaum had eight kills and 14 digs. Nusbaum has 14 double-doubles in the season.
Defensively, Ca'Layci Coffey is third on the team in kills (20), but leads the team with 81 blocks. n the last match against Jacksonville, Coffey had nine kills, but no blocks.
Scouting Liberty:
The Eagles swept the series against the Lady Flames as they won 3-2 on the road on October 12 at the Vines Center before winning 3-1 at the Alico Arena on November 10 in their season finale.
Offensively, Goodwin and Gragg lead the Lady Flames on the offensive front. Goodwin leads the team with 287 kills and 40 aces, while Gragg is behind Goodwin with 230 kills. Goodwin had seven kills while Gragg had five kills against the Eagles.
Defensively, senior Margaret Latchford leads the team in digs (395). Latchford had 18 digs against the Eagles.
Scouting the Lady Hatters:
Stetson clinched a spot in the ASUN Tournament after sweeping UNF. They had their best moment when they shutout and upset Kennesaw at home, handing the Owls their first loss in conference play, and putting themselves in 5th place. The Lady Hatters lost their final season match at home with a 3-1 loss to Liberty.
Offensively, junior Evi Deisa and senior Hao Jin pave the way for the Hatters.
Deisa leads the team in kills (259) and aces (18). In the match against Liberty, the Latvian was held to only two kills for the second time this season.
Jin is second on the team in kills (226) and is tied in blocks (102). In the match against Liberty, the native of Shijiazhuang, China was held to only three kills, but had one block.
Defensively, sophomore Chelcie Spence leads the team with 480 digs (third in conference). Against Liberty, Spence had 12 digs.
Along with Jin, redshirt junior Brianna Schmid also plays key for the Hatters defense as she is tied for first on the team with Jin in blocks (102). Against Liberty, the transfer from Robert Morris had five blocks along with four kills.
Scouting UNF:
The Ospreys are coming off a weekend where they defeated North Alabama 3-1 before getting a 3-0 shutout against NJIT.
Junior Taryn Griffey leads the team with 317 kills and 105 blocks. Griffey was shutdown for the weekend.
Redshirt sophomore Gabby O'Connell is second on the team with 308 kills and leads the team with 314 digs. O'Connell has 13 double-doubles for the season. In the weekend against North Alabama and NJIT, O'Connell had a combined 26 kills and 19 digs.
Senior setter Madilyn McCarty lead the team with 1,014 assists and has 3,484, including the 1,229 assists in her freshman year at Winthrop. McCarty had 32 assist against NJIT and 49 assists against UNA.
Series History:
Against the Owls, the Eagles are 14-11 overall. FGCU fell 3-1 to Kennesaw on October 6 at the Alico Arena, but then won 3-1 at the KSU Convocation Center on November 4 to split the series. The win against the Owls helped the Eagles gain sole possession of first place.
FGCU is 10-16 overall against the Lipscomb. The Eagles swept the Lady Bison at home on October 6 and won 3-1 before travelling to the Allen Arena with a 3-0 win for their third sweep against Lipscomb overall (2012, 2017).
The Eagles are 22-6 against the Ospreys. The Eagles shutout the Ospreys 3-0 at the UNF Arena on September 22 and at the Alico Arena on October 19.
The Eagles are 21-2 overall against the Lady Hatters where they swept them 3-0 at home on October 9 and on the road on November 6.
Early Ticket Punches:
Seven teams have already punched their tickets to the national tournament: #1 Brigham Young (WCC), #3 Minnesota (Big Ten), #2 Stanford (PAC-12), #5 Texas (Big 12), #10 Pittsburgh (ACC), #21 UCF (AAC), and Yale (Ivy). All seven teams do not have a conference tournament as it is based on their regular season.
Regardless if they came in second place, Minnesota would go to the national tournament as an at-large bid based on their ranking. In fact, nine teams in the Power 5 Conference have an at-large bid:
#4 Illinois, #6 Nebraska, T-#7 Wisconsin and Penn State, and #12 Purdue (Big Ten), #14 Southern California (USC) and #16 Oregon (PAC-12), #11 Kentucky and #13 Florida (SEC).
The ACC, AAC, Big 12, Big Ten, Big West, Ivy League, Mid Atlantic American Conference (MAAC), Mountain West (MWC), PAC-12, SEC, and West Coast Conference (WCC) do not have a conference tournament. I never understood why though.
ASUN Tournament Breakdown:
The ASUN Conference Volleyball Tournament is a three-day single elimination tournament from Friday, November 15 to Sunday, November 17 and will take place at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia.
FGCU and Kennesaw State are the top two seeds in the tournament (#1 FGCU, #2 KSU) and as a result, they will have a first-round bye and await the winners of the quarterfinals matches from the #3 to #6 seeds.
The Eagles will await #4 Liberty and #5 Stetson, while the Owls await #3 Lipscomb and #6 UNF.
Liberty and Stetson will play at 5 P.M. and Lipscomb and UNF will follow at 7:30 P.M. on November 15
What's at Stake:
The winners of quarterfinals will play at 5 P.M. (vs FGCU) and 7:30 P.M. (vs Kennesaw) on November 16 before the semifinalists play in the championship final on November 17 at 7 P.M.
The winner of the tournament will represent the A-SUN and punch their ticket to the 2018 NCAA National Volleyball Tournament.
The runner-up can decide whether they will or will not compete in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship tournament (NIVC), which is basically the volleyball version of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). If the runner-up is the regular season champions, then they will automatically be in the tournament, should they decide to do so.
History Lesson of NIVC:
The NIVC started in 1989 as a 20-team tournament and ended in 1995. The inaugural champion was Wisconsin. The Badgers were the last champions in the tournament before shutting down and being defunct. In 2016, the NCAA brought back the tournament as a 64-team tournament. In last year's NIVC, Ole Miss was the inaugural champions of the revamp of the tournament after they defeated Texas Tech 3-0.
The list of champions:
1989 – Wisconsin
1990 – Houston
1991 – Kentucky
1992 – Washington State
1993 – Louisiana State
1994 – Cal-State Northridge
1995 – Wisconsin
2017- Ole Miss
NIVC Breakdown:
The NIVC is simply like this:
1. 64 DI teams from all 32 conferences that did not get berths in the NCAA Tournament will be in line for their opportunity for the postseason.
2. Teams offered an automatic berth shall be the team that is the highest-finishing team in its conference’s regular-season standings, and not selected for the NCAA Tournament in which their overall record is not a criteria. There will, however, be a list of tiebreakers and other criteria involved.
3. The NIVC will give 32 at-large berths to the top teams available. Any team from a Division I conference, or a Division I independent team, will be considered.
4. It is a single-elimination tournament that will feature 32 first-round matches, followed by 16 second-round matches, eight third-round matches, four quarterfinal games, two semifinal matches, and the championship. It's similar to the MNIT and WNIT in college basketball.
5. The 32-40 team field will be announced late Sunday, November 25. The first and second rounds will start Tuesday, November 29-30 and December 1-2, with the championship ending Tuesday, December 11.
How to Keep Up to Date:
Livestats will be provided for all five matches and will air on ESPN+
Fans can also keep up on the teams' Twitter pages:
FGCU: @FGCU_VB
Kennesaw: @KSUOwlsVB
Lipscomb: @LipscombVBall
Liberty: @LibertyWVB
Stetson: @StetsonVB
UNF: @OspreyVB
ESPN+:
The A-SUN Conference Volleyball Tournament will air on the new, subscription-based digital platform ESPN+, which will be the new home for select FGCU and ASUN games and event broadcasts. Subscribers can try the new app for free for 30 days, which follows to $4.99 a month fee afterwards.
Link to bracket: http://asunsports.org/sports/wvball/2018-19/files/2018_VB_Bracket.pdf
Livestats links:
Lispcomb vs UNF: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=241134
Liberty vs Stetson: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=241133
FGCU vs #4/#5 winner: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=241135
Kennesaw vs #3/#6 winner: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=241136
Livestream links:
Lipscomb vs UNF: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/dbe5cdf4-d82f-4a07-b3d8-d21fe3b815ec/asun-womens-volleyball-tournament
Stetson vs Liberty: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/312431f9-0dec-4272-a25b-b4e0b993f566/asun-womens-volleyball-tournament
FGCU vs #4/#5 winner: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/8d16c74f-a3ae-4d34-a93b-59dffc11f284/asun-womens-volleyball-tournament
Kennesaw vs #3/#6 winner: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/c9a68a65-c5aa-4231-8add-94c23b610c0a/asun-womens-volleyball-tournament
