Staff Reports
Cortney VanLiew has earned her second consecutive ASUN Conference Player of the Year honor for volleyball.
The junior from Columbus East is the first two-time winner from Florida Gulf Coast University and the first outright back-to-back ASUN Player of the Year since 2009. She will lead the Eagles (26-4) into the ASUN Tournament semifinals tonight in Fort Myers, Florida.
VanLiew leads the ASUN and ranks 36th nationally 4.13 kills per set. In conference play, she averaged 4.08 kills per set and was a two-time ASUN Player of the Week. She had 22 matches with at least 10 kills, including a program-record tying 15 consecutive match streak from Aug. 31 to Oct. 5.
This season, VanLiew had six double-doubles to push her career total to 19. She ranks 37th nationally in points per set and 43rd nationally in kills and has 47 blocks for a team that ranks third nationally in opponent hitting percentage.
VanLiew reached the 1,000 career kills mark this year and is one of just three players in FGCU history with 1,000 kills and 500 digs. She now ranks second on the school’s career kills list.
“Cortney has continued to evolve on the court this season, and it is evident by the strides she has made as a passer, a blocker and a server,” FGCU coach Matt Botsford said in a news release. “She has developed into a player that can impact the game in a variety of ways well beyond the great job she does as an attacker. To be awarded Player of the Year two years in a row is a remarkable achievement, and she has worked extremely hard to put herself in that position.”
VanLiew also was selected to the ASUN Conference All-Academic Team. She carries a 3.90 GPA while majoring in accounting.
