@ASUNVolleyball Postseason Awards Announced; FGCU Earns Four Individual Honors
@ASUNVolleyball Postseason Awards Announced; FGCU Earns Four Individual Honors
2019 ASUN Volleyball Postseason Awards
ATLANTA, Ga. - The 2019 ASUN Conference Volleyball Regular Season Champions, FGCU, claimed four of the five league's top honors honors on Wednesday night at the annual awards banquet. FGCU's Cortney VanLiew was named the Player of the Year for the second-straight year, while Dana Axner claimed her second Defensive Player of the Year honor in unanimous fashion. The Eagles' Erin Shomaker was tabbed the Freshman of the Year and Head Coach Matt Botsford earned Coach of the Year after guiding the Eagles to a 14-2 conference record and their second-consecutive ASUN Regular Season Title.
VanLiew becomes the just the fifth player in ASUN history to garner Player of the Year back-to-back seasons, last done by Lipscomb's Carlyle Nusbaum (2016, 17). The Seymour, Ind. native led the ASUN this season in kills per set with a 4.13 average, which ranked in the top-40 nationally. VanLiew finished fifth in the league in kills with 392, just 18 off of the top spot. She recorded 15-straight matches with at least 10 kills this season, including four 18-kill or higher outings (Auburn, UCF, Lipscomb and UNF). In the final week of league play, the outside hitter tallied 21 kills while hitting .271 to help Eagles to back-to-back titles for the second time in its Division I era.
Axner is the first player in ASUN history to earn the Defensive Player of the Year title in two-consecutive seasons since the award was formed in the 2014 season. Prior to 2014 the award was called the Libero of the Year, which Shelley Walroth earned in 2008 and 2009, making Axner just the second player to earn a defensive title in back-to-back seasons. This season, she led the ASUN in digs per set with a 5.32 average, which ranks 17th nationally. She recorded double-digit digs in all but two matches this year, including 10 matches with at least 20 digs. The Dublin, Ohio native became the youngest player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs collecting 511 this season, ranking third in the ASUN and 32nd nationally.
For the third-straight season and fourth time in the last five years, the Freshman of the Year hails from FGCU as Erin Shomaker earns the honor following Dana Axner (2018), Snowy Burnam (2017) and Amanda Carroll (2015). The outside hitter from Granville, Ohio finished fourth among all ASUN freshmen in hitting percentage (.273). She had five double-digit kill performances, including 11 vs. No. 15 Kentucky, 12 against Miami (Fla.) and 10 in a win over Liberty.
Kennesaw State's Lexi Broadwater collected the ASUN Setter of the Year accolade for the second-straight season. The Owls' setter led the ASUN in assists/set with an 11.99 average, second highest in Division I this season. Her 1,246 total assists this season is second in the ASUN and fourth nationally. Broadwater also helped quarterback an offense that led the ASUN in kills per set and ranked second in kills and hitting percentage.
For the second-consecutive season Matt Botsford of FGCU is the ASUN Coach of the Year. He guided the Eagles to their second back-to-back ASUN Regular Season Titles. The Eagles finished the regular season with a record of 26-4 and an ASUN record of 14-2. The Eagles set a new program record for regular season victories with 26. FGCU's 26 wins is tied for the fourth most amongst Division I programs this season with Colorado State, Pittsburgh and Towson, just one shy of South Dakota.
2019 ASUN First Team All-Conference
*OH - Cortney VanLiew, FGCU
*L - Dana Axner, FGCU
*OH - Lauren Chastang, Kennesaw State
S - Lexi Broadwater, Kennesaw State
MB - Quin Sutphin, Kennesaw State
MB - Anna Gragg, Liberty
OH - Amelia Johnson, Liberty
2019 ASUN Second Team All-Conference
OH - Snowy Burnam, FGCU
MB - Dani Serrano, FGCU
S - Chelsey Lockey, FGCU
L/DS - Karlee Groover, Kennesaw State
RS - Casey Goodwin, Liberty
OH - Megan Kuper, Lipscomb
OH - Solimar Cestero, North Florida
2019 ASUN All-Freshmen Team
*OH - Erin Shomaker, FGCU
*MB - Sydney Bolding, Jacksonville
*OH - Elena Djokovic, Stetson
RS - Emma Schurfranz, Kennesaw State
S - Julianna Askew, North Florida
DS - Rocio Moro, North Florida
MB - Kaylee Oscarson, Stetson
* - Denotes unanimous decision
ABOUT THE ASUN
The ASUN Conference is an NCAA Division I league with nine member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The ASUN meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement through a true balance between student and athlete. Six ASUN schools reside in Nielsen Top 50 national media markets, and all nine are in top 80 markets. The ASUN includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Liberty University, Lipscomb University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, University of North Alabama, University of North Florida and Stetson University. Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., joins the ASUN for the 2020-21 academic year.