ESTERO, Fla. – Despite falling in the event's opening match, the FGCU sand volleyball team advanced to the second day of competition at the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Sand Volleyball Championship. The team fell to no. 4 North Florida 3-2 in Friday morning's match but upset no. 2 Jacksonville with a 4-1 win in the afternoon match at the Estero Community Park.
 
With the split, the Eagles move to 4-10 on the year and advance to face UNF again Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
 
"I felt really good about the first match. Even though we lost, we had a good opportunity and it built a lot of confidence coming into this afternoon's match," explained head coach Matt Botsford. "Each one of our teams put themselves into position to earn a point for us and that's what we talked about all day. The big key for us is playing at a sustainable level and we're starting to see that. It started last week and it's carrying over but I think a big part of it is overall confidence and that all the pairs have what they can channel into a strong performance tomorrow."
 
MATCH ONE
The Eagles challenged the fourth-seeded Ospreys in the event's opening match. The teams tied at 2-2 through the first four matches and left the deciding point to the no. 2 pair. UNF took a three-set win in that pair to earn the 3-2 victory and move on in the winner's bracket.
 
Keeping with recent trends, Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein High School) earned the team's first win.  At the no. 4 pair, the duo took an early lead in set one and never looked back as they went on to a 21-12 win in the first set. The second set was a stronger challenge for the pair as UNF kept the score close in the opening points and took a 7-5 lead. The Ospreys held onto the lead and went ahead 11-8 but Mesner and Wilcox battled back to tie the set at 19. In extra points, the Eagles rose to the challenge and edged the Ospreys by a 26-24 count to take the match, 2-0 and give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
 
In the no. 5 position, Katie Gutmann (Coconut Creek, Fla./Monarch High School) and Sydney Ferguson (Fort Myers, Fla./Evangelical Christian School) took the lead early on with a 21-12 win in the first set. The Ospreys closed the gap in the second set by keeping the score close and taking a 21-17 win in the second set. With the decisive set in play, Gutmann and Ferguson fell behind 7-2 early on. The duo battled back and brought the match within one point at 10-9 but ultimately fell 15-10 to take a 2-1 loss and even the Eagles' bout against UNF.
 
Whitney Masters (Muncia, Ind./Wapahani High School) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) battled the Ospreys' top pair in the no. 1 slot. The pair played UNF close in the first set but fell behind 23-21 and dropped the match 2-0 with a 21-13 loss in the second set.
 
FGCU responded to a 2-1 match deficit with a win at the no. 3 position. Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) earned a 21-18 win in the first set and used extra points to defeat the Ospreys 22-20 in the second stanza.
 
With the game knotted at 2-2, the advancing team depended on the no. 2 result. Marlene Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) and freshman Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central High School) fell behind early and dropped a 21-9 decision in the first set but responded strongly to even the match at 1-1 with a 21-15 victory in the second set.  The teams traded points to open the third stanza but the Ospreys stole points to take an 8-4 lead and maintained a three-point advantage. The FGCU pair continued to fight but was downed 15-10 in the final set, pushing UNF to a 3-2 match victory.
 
After falling to no. 3 Mercer in the 11 a.m. matchup, Jacksonville was pitted against the Eagles in the final match of the first day of competition.
 
MATCH TWO
 
Mesner and Wilcox again earned a win in the afternoon match, moving to 12-2 on the season. FGCU and UNF battled closely in the opening portion of the set but UNF took the lead late and earned a 21-16 win. Mesner and Wilcox responded with strong play in the second set and maintained a slight lead throughout the bout. The pair evened the match at 1-1 with a 21-18 set-two win and carried the momentum into the third set. Mesner and Wilcox extended their season with their 12th win by defeating the Osprey pair 15-7 and earning a 2-1 win.
 
At the no. 5 pair, Gutmann and Ferguson fell in two sets but battled for each point against the Ospreys. The pair fell 26-24 in the first set and 22-20 in the second to push the match to a 1-1 tie.
 
The no. 1 and no. 3 pairs finished simultaneously to push FGCU to three pair wins over Jacksonville and secure another day of play for the Green and Blue.
 
At no. 1, Masters and Kazarian earned a 21-17 win in the first set and pushed ahead early in the second set. The Dolphins retaliated and tied the fight at 20, but Masters and Kazarian battled to reclaim the lead and move forward with the advantage. The Eagle pair earned a 24-22 win in the second set to seal a 2-0 win.
 
At the same time, Jordan and Allen claimed convincing victories at the no. 3 position, earning wins by a count of 21-16 and 21-15 for the team's third match win. With the pair of 2-0 victories, FGCU sealed a position in the second day of competition and the win over Jacksonville.
 
The no. 2 pair of Moeller and Glickert finished the day with a three-set win. The Eagles fell behind early with a 21-12 loss in the first set but battled back for a 24-22 extra-point win. The underclass pair gave FGCU its first win over a conference opponent this season with a 15-11 third-set win, pushing the overall match score to 4-1 with the 2-1 win.
 
With the afternoon win, the Eagles will advance in bracket play, while Jacksonville's season ends at 7-14. The Green and Blue will take on the no. 4 seeded Ospreys of North Florida in an 11 a.m. match at the Estero Community Park. With a win, the team would move on to play the loser of Saturday morning's no. 1 Stetson v. no. 3 Mercer matchup at 1 p.m. with the A-Sun Championship set for 3 p.m.
 
Complete results for Saturday's play will be available at FGCUAthletics.com following completion of the match.  
 
COMPLETE RESULTS
North Florida 3, FGCU 2
1. Whitmire/McGuire (UNF) def. Kazarian/Masters (FGCU) 23-21, 21-13
2. Alyman/Garbutt (UNF) def. Moeller/Glickert (FGCU) 21-9, 15-21, 15-10
3. Allen/Jordan (FGCU) def. Kinlaw/Tremblay (UNF) 21-18, 22-20
4. Mesner/Wilcox (FGCU) def. Desaulnay/Ferguson (UNF) 21-12, 26-24
5. Davanzo/Gunn (UNF) def. Gutmann/Ferguson (FGCU) 11-21, 21-17, 15-10

FGCU 4, Jacksonville 1
1. Kazarian/Masters (FGCU) def. Strausbaugh/Koop (JU) 21-17, 24-22
2. Moeller/Glickert (FGCU) def. Laskelle/Finan (JU) 12-21, 24-22, 15-11
3. Allen/Jordan (FGCU) def. Gresham/Babowicz (JU) 21-16, 21-15
4. Mesner/Wilcox (FGCU) def. Nushtayeva/Swan (JU) 16-21, 21-18, 15-7
5. Schickley/Gesualdo (JU) def. Gutmann/Ferguson (FGCU) 26-24, 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.