FORT MYERS, Fla. (fgcuathletics.com) – After a historic season which saw the FGCU volleyball team win the ASUN Championship title and reach the NCAA Tournament second round, the Eagles finished the year atop the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association All-Sport Standings list alongside Creighton.
"Our players, both past and present, have put in a lot of work to help position this program among the nation's top volleyball schools. Those efforts continue but we can appreciate seeing our 2021 group recognized for the impact they have had on that journey," said head coach Matt Botsford. "This award highlights the many accomplishments and successes of what was a memorable season for all of us. I am so proud of that team and happy to see them atop the DI-AAA standings."
The Eagles put together a historic season which saw FGCU post a 27-6 overall record en route to the ASUN Championship Title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. In the NCAA First Round, the Green and Blue was able to rally past Texas Tech, but fell in the second round against eventual national champion Wisconsin. The championship title and NCAA berth marked the second time in program history (2018) for the Eagles to accomplish both.
The 27 wins tied the program record, alongside the 2016, 2018, and 2019 teams, while FGCU also posted its best-ever RPI at No. 31 during the year. Over the last five seasons, the Eagles have the 12th most wins of any team in the country with 144 which is more than Stanford, Penn State, and Washington, but just behind Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Cortney VanLiew was named a Senior CLASS Award Second Team All-American. The honor was a capstone for VanLiew who stands as one of the all-time greats in the volleyball program. She, along with Dana Axner, became the first representatives from the volleyball program to be recognized among the initial top-30 since the award began in 2010. VanLiew then became the first Eagle volleyball player to be named a finalist in November and just the fourth FGCU student-athlete overall.
Erin Shomaker was tabbed an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American marking the third time that an Eagle has earned the accolade. She earned her second consecutive ASUN Player of the Year honor after leading FGCU in kills (413), kills per set (3.86), service aces (33), and points (478.5), while adding 215 digs and 58 blocks.
Joining Shomaker, who was a repeat unanimous pick for the All-ASUN First Team, on the ASUN All-Conference squad were setter Chelsey Lockey (First Team) and Juliana Lentz and Axner who were both second team selections. Axner was also named to the ASUN All-Academic Team alongside Shomaker. Skylar English rounded out the group as she was named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team. Additionally, Botsford was named the ASUN Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.
Pepperdine claimed the All-Sports Trophy overall for the first time in 10 years and the fourth time overall. Joining Pepperdine to round out the top three were Providence and Gonzaga, respectively.
The following institutions finished atop the 2021-22 DI-AAA ADA All-Sports standings in their respective sport:
| Fall Sports | |
|---|---|
| Cross Country (Men's) | University of Portland |
| Cross Country (Women's) | Providence College |
| Soccer (Men's) | Saint Louis University |
| Soccer (Women's) | Santa Clara University |
| Volleyball (Women's) | Creighton University Florida Gulf Coast University |
| Winter Sports | |
| Basketball (Men's) | St. Peter's University |
| Basketball (Women's) | Creighton University |
| Swimming & Diving (Men's) | *No I-AAA Institutions Scored |
| Swimming & Diving (Women's) | *No I-AAA Institutions Scored |
| Track & Field (Men's Indoor) | Fairleigh Dickinson University |
| Track & Field (Women's Indoor) | High Point University |
| Spring Sports | |
| Baseball | VCU |
| Golf (Men's) | Pepperdine University |
| Golf (Women's) | Pepperdine University |
| Lacrosse (Men's) | Boston University Saint Joseph's University University of Vermont |
| Lacrosse (Women's) | Loyola University Maryland |
| Softball | Cal State Fullerton Loyola Marymount Wichita State University |
| Tennis (Men's) | Pepperdine University VCU |
| Track & Field (Men's Outdoor) | University of Texas at Arlington |
| Track & Field (Women's Outdoor) | Binghamton University High Point University |
ASUN Conference, Atlanta - the only DI conference headquartered in the ATL, our footprint's primary media, sports, business, transportation and cultural hub
The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Austin Peay (Clarksville, Tenn.), Bellarmine (Louisville, Ky.), Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky (Richmond, Ky.), FGCU (Fort Myers, Fla.), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville, Tenn.), North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), Queens (Charlotte, N.C.) and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.).
