ESTERO, Fla. — FGCU Volleyball is set to take the court for a brand-new season this weekend as they look to defend their 2022 ASUN Conference title. The Eagles were picked as the preseason favorites in the conference, and middle blocker Juliana Lentz and setter Lily Tessier were named preseason All-ASUN.
Tessier, a Fort Myers native, is making her debut in blue and green on Friday. She was a four-year starter at Evangelical Christian School (ECS) before setting off to Tallahassee for a four-year stint at Florida State. The 6’4″ setter ranks 14th all-time for the garnet and gold in assists, racking up 1,711 during her career. As a redshirt junior, Tessier became the first Seminole setter to reach 1,000 sets in a single season since 2008.
“She’s got excellent training,” FGCU volleyball Head Coach and Director Matt Botsford said. “She’s a very skilled player, and she developed a lot in a short period of time. We lost to her when she was setting at Florida State, but even then, that was the first time I had seen her live in a couple of years. The progress that she had made was really impressive.”
Tessier headed a little further north to play her fifth collegiate volleyball season in the Big Ten at the University of Iowa, where she led the Hawkeyes in assists.
“I ended up choosing Iowa because it was the Big Ten, and that was a big draw for me,” Tessier said. “I’ve always loved playing in like high competitive environments. Playing in the Big Ten was super fun playing all the best teams in the country.”
But as the saying goes — there’s no place like home. Tessier’s volleyball roots are right here in Fort Myers.
“I started playing volleyball when I was really little, and I started playing because my sister played,” Tessier said. “I always grew up liking the sport and got into it. I was always playing with the older girls, and we played together all throughout high school. Some of the biggest highs were playing with my sister. We got to play for years together.”
For her sixth and final year of college, Tessier will suit up in green and blue for FGCU, just 15 minutes away from where she grew up.
“It definitely hasn’t hit yet,” Tessier said. “[My family] definitely better be at all the games because they’re right there! But yeah, it means a lot to be able to see them in the stands when I’m out there and to know that they support me.”
“She has grown so much since her senior year at ECS and now to play her final year as an ASUN preseason selection at FGCU,” said Theresa Kabel, former ECS volleyball coach. “I cannot wait to see her shine on the court.”
No matter what court Tessier was shining on, the goal was always the same.
“I expect to get a ring on the finger!” Tessier said. “I know that they built this program up, and it’s been successful. So the goal is to just continue on with that and be conference champs again, and then we want to get back into the tournament and make a run.”
FGCU volleyball starts the 2023 campaign on Friday, August 25, against Arizona State in the FGCU Homewood Suites Invitational.