Soaring FGCU Eagles Defeat Flames in Three Sets
A slow start for the Liberty volleyball team allowed Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) to earn a 3-0 sweep of the Lady Flames Nov. 6, helping the Eagles to remain undefeated in conference play.
Early in the match, FGCU recorded several consecutive kills and blocks, and the Lady Flames found themselves in a scoring deficit they could not overcome. The Eagles quickly set the tone of the match by handsomely defeating the Lady Flames in the first two sets and then resisting a late Flames’ comeback attempt in the third set. During the first sets, Liberty Head Coach Trevor Johnson encouraged his team to relax and to focus on the current play.
“For me, it was reminding them that we have a right to be here,” Johnson said. “We’ve worked really hard in practice, and we’re going to keep battling because that is what Liberty volleyball is all about.”
In the first set, as the crowd was funneling into the arena, the Eagles’ serves caused problems for the Lady Flames, which resulted in difficult hits off the net and poor returns off of slow, easy balls. Even after a timeout by Liberty when the team was down 12-5, FGCU scored six more unanswered points. Liberty would call another timeout before eventually losing the set 25-9.
The second set was not much different than the first. The Lady Flames had trouble passing the Eagles’ deceptive, “floating” serves. When Liberty did handle them and had an opportunity to score with a kill, FGCU’s tall front row players blocked Liberty’s hits. The Lady Flames were unable to pass them back up into play.
Senior Aspen Thompson led the team in kills through the match, and the athletes continued to encourage each other.
“The focus of the talk was dedicated to body language and displaying through our attitude and our demeanor that we had the confidence to win and that we wanted to fight through that match,” Thompson said. “You first need to have self-accountability for how you’re thinking, but also challenging your teammates to be edifying even when we’re frustrated and down is important.”
The encouragement paid off in the third set as Liberty built a small lead early by making accurate passes and confidently creating good hitting opportunities at the net. However, after a timeout by the Eagles, momentum swung back in FGCU’s favor. The Eagles went on a scoring run, withstood an attempted rally by the Lady Flames and won the third and final set 25-20.
Many players from the Lady Flames roster made a positive impact in the game, and both Johnson and Thompson mentioned that the team benefits from a deep bench of players who are ready to “shine” on the court. Freshman right side hitter Kennedi Sutter and sophomore setter Caitie Muller swung hard and made key passes in the third set to make FGCU work for the set. Muller spoke about how she was successful on the court.
“I’m mostly just talking with my hitters and my passers about how we can play as a team and work together for the common goal by making sure that we’re not on an island,” Muller said.
The Eagles surpassed the Flames in aces (6-4), digs (30-20) and blocks (10-3). FGCU also had 44 kills compared to Liberty’s 20. FGCU’s match record against Liberty is now six wins and one loss.
The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the Lady Flames are in the East division of the ASUN conference. The Eagles (22-4) sit comfortably in first place and the Flames (9-11) remain in fifth.
The Lady Flames take the court again Nov. 7 for senior night, which will close their regular season home schedule. The Lady Flames will face the Stetson Hatters, who are ranked fourth in the East division of the ASUN.
Satterthwaite is a sports reporter.