ESTERO, Fla. – For the second-consecutive day, the FGCU sand volleyball team earned a win at the Estero Community Park. The Eagles defeated Eckerd 5-0 for their first sweep of the season and moved to 2-9 on the year with the victory.
 
The Eagles earned 2-0 wins in all five pairs for a convincing triumph.
 
"I'm really pleased with the overall performance of the team today. To be able to win any match in sweeping fashion is impressive," said head coach Matt Botsford after the team earned 10-straight set wins. "I think the win today is a credit to our ball handling. We've stressed our first and second contact all season long and we firmly believe if we're going to make any progress it's going to be related to those things. Today was a perfect example of that as they passed and set each other really well."
 
A change in schedule pitted the No. 5 and No. 1 pairs against each other to open the match.
 
At the top position, Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Wapahani High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) picked up their first win together with a 2-0 victory over the Tritons. The duo battled to a 21-15 win in the first set and swept its opposition with a commanding 21-12 win in the second set. With the 2-0 win, the Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
At the no. 5 spot, Sydney Ferguson (Fort Myers, Fla./Evangelical Christian High School)  and Ellie Leopold (Tarernier, Fla./Coral Shores High School) also took a 2-0 win in the opening matches. Ferguson and Leopold took the lead right away to earn a 21-8 win in the first set but saw as Eckerd retaliated in the second stanza. The rookie pair responded to a deficit in the second set and amassed a comeback that brought the set to extra points. The comeback proved to favor the home team as Ferguson and Leopold took a 22-20 win in the set to earn a 2-0 match victory and give the team a 2-0 lead after two matches.
 
In the no. 2 slot, Marlene Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) and freshman Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central High School) took control quickly and cruised to a 21-7 win in the first set. The duo advanced to a 2-0 win with a 21-16 victory in the second set and sealed the team's third win to earn the match victory.
 
Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein High School) continued their success Wednesday afternoon in the no. 3 position. Mesner and Wilcox took a lead but saw a challenge late in the first set from Eckerd. The pair responded to the challenge and took a 21-16 victory to take a lead in their match and moved to 9-2 on the year with a 21-10 win in the second set.
 
The no. 4 pair of Katie Gutmann (Coconut Creek, Fla./Monarch High School) and Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone High School) also took a quick lead in their match. Jordan and Gutmann went ahead 17-4 and carried their momentum through the set to take a 21-7 win. Gutmann and Jordan completed the match sweep for FGCU with a 21-7 win in the final set of the day.
 
The Eagles will conclude regular season action with one final match against Webber International next Tuesday in Babson Park, Fla. The team will then return to the Estero Community Park April 17-18 for the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship.
 
COMPLETE RESULTS: FGCU 5, ECKERD 0
1. Masters/Allen (FGCU) def. Tjasa Kotnik/Reis (ECSV) 21-15, 21-14
2. Glickert/Moeller (FGCU) def. Katie Arnette/Ali McAlvany (ECSV) 21-7, 21-16
3. Mesner/Wilcox (FGCU) def. Madison Whiting/Emily Carpenter (ECSV) 21-17, 21-10
4. Jordan/Gutmann (FGCU) def. Savanna Cary/Jordan Trimble (ECSV) 21-10, 21-7
5. Ferguson/Leopold (FGCU) def. Mackenzie Redner/Morgan Jones (ECSV) 21-8, 22-20

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.