ESTERO, Fla. – With four wins on the day, including three in straight sets, the FGCU sand volleyball team earned its first match victory of the season. The Eagles defeated Webber International 4-1 Tuesday afternoon at the Estero Community Park to move to 1-9 on the season, while Webber falls to 1-6.
 
The Eagles saw wins in the no. 2-5 positions, highlighted by a convincing two-set triumph in the no. 4 slot. The team's lone loss came in a three-set battle at the no. 1 position, where Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Wapahani High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Shores High School) earned an extra-point win in the first set, but fell in sets two and three after the team had already clinched four wins.
 
"I was happy to see the team perform the way they did today while pulling out a victory," said head coach Matt Botsford. "The girls have worked so hard over the last few weeks and put themselves in some great positions to win, but we kept falling short. They have stayed motivated and continue to improve, so it was nice to see those efforts rewarded. Despite having to juggle the lineup with injuries, we received contributions from all our pairs today."
 
Playing in the no. 4 position, Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein High School) continued their success with another win to move to 8-2 on the season.
 
Mesner and Wilcox jumped out to a large lead right away and took a 21-7 win in the first set. The duo carried the momentum into the second set and went ahead 12-5 with strong play. Mesner and Wilcox pushed their lead to 21-9 and took a convincing 2-0 win to give the Eagles an initial 1-0 lead in the match with the team's strongest win of the day.
 
At the no. 5 spot, Sydney Ferguson (Fort Myers, Fla./Evangelical High School)  and Ellie Leopold (Tarernier, Fla./Coral Shores High School) battled Webber to start and took the Warriors to extra points in the first set. The duo saw the set tied at 18, 20, 21, 22 and 23 points and pushed ahead for a 26-24 win to take a lead. In the second set, the pairs again challenged each other, with neither taking a large lead in the opening points but Webber took control and went ahead 17-10. The Warriors tied the match a 1-1 with a 21-13 set two win but allowed the Eagles to reclaim the momentum in the third set. Ferguson and Leopold battled back and claimed a tight 15-12 win in the third set to give the Green and Blue a 2-0 lead.
 
At the no. 3 position, Katie Gutmann (Coconut Creek, Fla./Monarch High School) and Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone High School) cruised to a two-set win. The duo fell behind 13-9 against Webber but overcame the four-point deficit to take the lead at 15-14. Gutmann and Jordan maintained the lead and earned a 21-17 set-one victory before sealing the match for the Eagles with a 21-10 win in the second set.
 
Marlene Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) and freshman Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central High School) earned the team's fourth win at the no. 2 position. Moeller and Glickert took control of the match early, taking a 15-6 lead in the first set and ultimately earned a 2-0 win with scores of 21-17, 21-17.
 
The Eagles will continue action with another home match Wednesday, April 1 as the team takes on Eckerd College at 4 p.m. Complete results can be found on FGCUAthletics.com.
 
COMPLETE RESULTS: FGCU 4, WEBBER 1
1. Schat/Mueller (WEBBER) def. Masters/Allen (FGCU) 23-25, 21-14, 15-10
2. Glickert/Moeller (FGCU) def. Hay/Calderon (WEBBER) 21-17, 21-17
3. Jordan/Gutmann (FGCU) def. Spadaro/Umana (WEBBER) 21-17, 21-11
4. Wilcox/Mesner (FGCU) def. Parzygnat/Bissell (WEBBER) 21-7, 21-9
5. Ferguson/Leopold (FGCU) def. Levy/Skarkova (WEBBER) 26-24, 13-21, 15-12

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.