Matt Botsford 
Head Coach

Matt Botsford is in his seventh season as head coach of the FGCU women’s volleyball program in 2020 after being hired on Feb. 10, 2014.

In his six seasons, Botsford-led teams have compiled an 143-50 (.741) record, including a 71-17 (.807) record in ASUN play. He has taken the program to heights it has not seen in the Division-I era (2007-present), registering at least 20 wins in five straight seasons and at least 10 wins in conference play in six straight. On Oct. 26, 2018, he captured his 100th career victory against North Alabama, and he has been named the ASUN's Coach of the Year the past two seasons.
 
Furthermore, Botsford led the Eagles to the program’s first-ever win over a Power-5 team against Indiana on Sept. 10, 2016 in Alico Arena, and his team produced the first road Power-5 win with a straight-set decision over Miami on Aug. 25, 2018. This past season, the Green and Blue toppled Miami in straight sets once again.

ANOTHER GREAT SEASON
In 2019, Botsford led FGCU to a 27-5 record, including a 14-2 finish in ASUN regular season play, which led to the program's second-straight conference title. In the postseason, the Eagles dropped a five-set heartbreaker to Kennesaw State in the ASUN tournament championship, but had another incredible season along the way. They won a program-record 26 regular season matches and compiled a 14-match winning streak at one point, which included 26 consecutive set victories, which is the second-longest in the program's Division I era behind a 30-set streak set by the 2007 team.

Behind Botsford's leadership, Cortney VanLiew became FGCU's first outright back-to-back ASUN player of the year, was tabbed AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region and was named to the ASUN's All-Academic team. Sophomore Dana Axner racked up her second-straight ASUN defensive player of the year award and was named AVCA First Team All-Region, while Erin Shomaker was named the ASUN's top freshman. Daniele Serrano, who broke the ASUN's career blocks record, earned Second Team All-ASUN recognition along with Snowy Burnam and Chelsey Lockey.

BANNER YEAR
In 2018, Botsford led the Green and Blue to heights it hasn’t seen before, as the Eagles went 27-7 overall and claimed the program’s first ASUN regular season championship since 2012 behind a 15-1 conference slate. In the postseason, he guided his squad to a thrilling five-set win over Kennesaw State on the road to claim the program’s first-ever ASUN tournament championship. In a first-round matchup against No. 13 UCF on the road, FGCU captured its first NCAA Tournament victory and first win over a ranked opponent in the Division-I era.
 
Along the way, Botsford helped lead the Eagles achieve a Division-I era record 16-match winning streak and tie the era’s single-season wins record with 27. VanLiew was named the ASUN’s unanimous player of the year, while Axner became the first player in conference history to earn both the freshman and defensive player of the year awards. Senior Maggie Rick was named the ASUN’s scholar-athlete of the year and became the program’s first-ever four-time all-conference and three-time academic all-conference selection. In addition to Axner, the duo of Lockey and Tori Morris also earned spots on the ASUN’s all-freshmen team.

If that's not enough, senior Sharonda Pickering was named First Team All-ASUN and AVCA First Team All-Region. Serrano collected Second Team All-ASUN and ASUN tournament MVP recognition, and it was the first season the program has had three players on the conference’s all-freshmen team, and the three first team all-conference selections (VanLiew, Axner, Pickering) is also tied for a program-best.
 
LOOKING BACK 
In 2017, Botsford’s very first recruit, Carroll, became the program’s very first AVCA First Team All-Region selection, while also garnering First Team All-ASUN, ASUN Co-Player of the Year, ASUN Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year and CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition. Burnam and VanLiew were each named to the ASUN’s All-Freshmen team, while Burnam became just the second player in NCAA history to be named her conference’s freshman of the year in both indoor and beach volleyball. Rick earned Second Team All-ASUN recognition and made the ASUN’s All-Academic team. Serrano was named First Team All-ASUN after a pair of top-10 seasons in solo blocks and hitting percentage.
 
In 2016, Botsford's squad produced one of its most successful seasons ever at 27-6, with the win total representing the most in Division-I program history and falling two shy of the all-time mark. The Eagles recorded an 11-3 record within conference play and proceeded to down Jacksonville and Kennesaw State in the ASUN tournament before being edged out by Lipscomb in the championship.
 
Five Eagles earned recognition from the ASUN following the season. Three were first-team honorees, which is tied with the 2018 team for the most in program history. Rick, who was also named ASUN Setter of the Year, and Carroll were unanimous selections, while Leigh Pudwill rounded out the first-team selections. Serrano and Borgiotti earned ASUN All-Freshmen team status.
 
Botsford's team eclipsed the 20-win mark in 2015, compiling a 21-11 record. The Eagles finished second in the ASUN with a 10-4 record and placed five student-athletes on the ASUN second-team, including Rick and Carroll, who was also named the conference’s freshman of the year.

Botsford’s first season with the Green and Blue produced a 19-11 record, which was a five-win improvement over the previous year. He also guided the team to an 11-3 ASUN record and a second-place finish in the regular season. The team advanced to the semifinals of the ASUN tournament. Following the season, five players earned postseason recognition from the ASUN, including first-team honorees Eleonora Kazarian and Olivia Mesner, second-team members Whitney Masters and Gigi Meyer and All-Freshmen team member Mackenzie Allen, who eventually went on to round out her career with the beach volleyball program. On top of that, Meyer was named the ASUN’s Setter of the Year and earned Academic All-ASUN recognition.

PRIOR TO FGCU
Botsford, who played at Tri-State University (now Trine University) from 1995-98, served as an assistant coach at five different collegiate institutions, with the most recent occurring as an assistant at Colorado State University from May 2012 to February 2014. While there, he helped lead the Rams to two consecutive conference championships and NCAA Tournament berths. On top of that, the program also recorded a program-best 27 consecutive wins in 2013.
  
Prior to his time at Colorado State, Botsford served as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, Miami, IUPUI and the University of Indianapolis. Furthermore, he served as an interim head coach at his alma mater at the age of 21 and has international and national coaching experience.
 
Botsford was the lead recruiter at Notre Dame from February 2008 until July 2011, and his 2010 and 2011 classes were ranked 13th and 15th, respectively, in the nation by media outlets. The Fighting Irish advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2009 after winning the Big East title and going undefeated through the conference schedule (14-0). In total, he coached two All-Americans and six All-Big East performers – including the 2010 Big East Freshman of the Year Andrea McHugh – during his time in South Bend.
 
Prior to his three plus years at Notre Dame, Botsford cultivated relationships with players and coaches throughout Florida as he served as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Miami for nearly four years from June 2004 to February 2008. He helped solidify two of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in the relatively short history of the program, signing at least one top-100 rated player in each of his final three years and the first top-50 recruit for the Hurricanes.
 
During his time with Miami, Botsford coached two All-Americans and five All-ACC players. In addition, he recruited Lane Carico, who was named the 2011 ACC Player of the Year. Carico supplemented a core group of starters Botsford recruited who led Miami to three straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Botsford got his start in coaching by serving as the interim head coach for both the men’s and women’s volleyball programs at Tri-State from November 1998 through June 1999. He parlayed his experience in those roles into an assistant position at the University of Indianapolis where he was for one year (June 1999 - May 2000). His final stop before heading to the University of Miami was as an assistant at IUPUI from May 2001 until June 2004, coaching two-time Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year Rebekah Pallikan.
 
Outside of the collegiate landscape, Botsford also has a vast array of experience. In the year between his stints at Notre Dame and Colorado State, he was the head coach of Lindesberg Volley as part of Sweden’s Elite Series, leading the club to a first-ever league title and automatic representation in European Cup play. While with Lindesberg Volley from August 2011 through May 2012, he coached four players who went on to play for Sweden’s National Team.
 
The foray into Sweden wasn’t the first for Botsford as he played professionally with the Vingaker Volleyball Club in the country in 2002-03, the final of his three professional stints. In the collegiate offseason he also played from 1998-2003 on beach tours with both the MPVA and the EVP, the latter of which named him the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2000.
 
Botsford was selected as an assistant coach for the 2007 USA Select Program, which trains elite volleyball players in preparation for the U.S. National Team. In his one year as part of the program, Botsford guided his team to a bronze medal in the HP Global Championships as the head coach of the USA Silver team.

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Kate Morrell

Kate Morrell joined the FGCU volleyball staff as an assistant coach in February 2020 and begins her first full season this year.

Morrell joins the Eagles from Mercer University, where she served as an assistant indoor and beach volleyball coach since August 2017. While there, she had head coaching responsibilities for the beach program, while recruiting and training indoor players such as Annie Karle and Brittany Major, who both earned Southern Conference all-freshman team honors in 2018. Both players then landed a spot on the 2019 Southern Conference all-tournament team.
 
Morrell also served as the Master Coach of Texas One Volleyball in Houston from June 2016 to May 2017 following a successful playing career that saw her play professionally in the Philippines, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
 
Morrell played collegiately as an outside hitter at UAB following a one-year stint at Hutchinson Community College. She was a member of both the indoor and beach programs at UAB, where she was a three-year letter-winner and was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll while serving as a team captain in 2012-13. She graduated with a bachelor of arts in public relations in May 2013. ​