MACON, Ga. – The FGCU sand volleyball team fell to 0-7 on the season with losses to North Florida and Mercer Friday afternoon at the Mercer Sand Volleyball Complex. The Eagles saw wins at the no. 4 and 5 positions in the match against UNF but fell 5-0 to the host Bears.
 
At the No. 4 spot, Katie Gutmann (Coconut Creek, Fla./Monarch High School) and Sydney Ferguson (Fort Myers, Fla./Evangelical High School) fell in a tight match against Mercer but battled to a three-set win over UNF. Gutmann and Ferguson earned a 21-14 win the first set but allowed the Osprey pair of Tremblay and Ferguson to even the match with a 21-17 win in set two. The Eagles responded with a 15-11 win in the third to give the Eagles one of two wins on the day.
 
"I was happy to see Katie and Sydney continue to improve. They got a big win for us versus UNF and played a tight one with Mercer. Sydney has made some great strides defensively and the two of them have found a nice rhythm," explained head coach Matt Botsford.
 
"We continue to put ourselves in good competitive situations within these matches but we haven't been able to break through with key points," added Botsford. "We just need to manage a little more consistency in our second contact to position ourselves as point scorers."
 
The Eagles second win of the day came in the no. 5 position, where Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein High School) improved to 5-2 on the season. Mesner and Wilcox fell in a three-set battle against Mercer with scores of 21-18, 18-21, 9-15 but helped the Eagles improve with the earlier win.
 
Against UNF, Mesner and Wilcox battled through the end of the first set and took a 23-21 win. The duo sealed a two-set win with a 21-17 count in the second set.
 
At the no. 1 position, Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Wapahani High School) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) fell in two sets to UNF but responded with a three-set fight against Mercer. The pair won the first set in extra points, 22-20, but fell 21-13 and 15-11 in the final two sets to drop its match 2-1.
 
The Eagles will continue A-Sun play in Macon Saturday with another round of matches against UNF and Mercer. The team will take on the Ospreys at 10 a.m. and will conclude play with a 12 p.m. bout against Mercer. Complete results can be found on FGCUAthletics.com as they become available.
 
MATCH ONE: UNF 3, FGCU 2
1. Whitmire/McGuire (UNF) def. Kazarian/Masters (FGCU) 21-13, 21-16
2. Alyman/Garbutt (UNF) def. Glickert/Allen (FGCU) 22-20, 21-14
3. Kinlaw/Desaulnay (UNF) def. Moeller/Jordan (FGCU) 21-15, 21-16
4. Ferguson/Gutmann (FGCU) def. Tremblay/Ferguson (UNF) 21-14, 17-21, 15-11
5. Mesner/Wilcox (FGCU) def. Davanzo/Gunn (UNF) 23-21, 21-17
 
MATCH TWO: Mercer 5, FGCU 0
1. Penrod/Peel (MERCER) def. Kazarian/Masters (FGCU) 20-22, 21-13, 15-11
2. Rochefort/Becton (MERCER) def. Glickert/Allen (FGCU) 21-10, 21-13
3. Duffy/Sorensen (MERCER) def. Moeller/Jordan (FGCU) 19-21, 21-12, 15-9
4. Brett/Krogman (MERCER) def. Gutmann/Ferguson (FGCU) 21-12, 21-16
5. Hoven/Otten (MERCER) def. Mesner/Wilcox (FGCU) 18-21, 21-18, 15-9
 
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU volleyball program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_VB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and on Instagram at @FGCU_VB.
 
Head coach Matt concluded his first year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program with a record of 19-11 with a second-place finish in Atlantic Sun Conference play. Botsford's team also had five players recognized as All-Conference winner to set a new program high. Prior to his time in Southwest Florida, Botsford held successful stints as an assistant at Notre Dame, Miami, IUIPI, Indianapolis and most recently Colorado State. Botsford is a former professional volleyball player and is a 1998 graduate of Tri-State University, where he earned a degree in Social Studies Education.  He earned a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis.