ESTERO, Fla. – The 2015 sand volleyball season came to a close Saturday afternoon at the Estero Community Park as FGCU fell to North Florida 5-0 in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship Tournament. The fifth-seeded Eagles fell to the fourth-seeded Ospreys during the second day of competition.
 
FGCU finishes the season at 4-11 after earning three nonconference wins and picking up a victory over second-seeded Jacksonville in Friday's afternoon match.
 
"UNF got into a really good groove," said head coach Matt Botsford following the team's postseason appearance. "I felt like there were three matches where we were in a position in to at least extend or have an opportunity to win and we just couldn't find a way. I was really pleased with the way we competed. Even when things weren't going well technically or tactically, we were still working very hard in those moments and that's all you can ask for."
 
"(Assistant coach) Chris (Sweat) and I were really pleased with the level of play the last three weeks in comparison to where we started from," Botsford added of the team's recent play. "Everything is a progression. For us to be able to see that and be pleased with where we got to. It's evidence that were taking a step in the right direction."
 
To open the match, Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein High School) took their first set to extra points but fell 22-20 in the no. 4 position. The duo attempted a comeback but was unable to stifle the UNF offense and fell 21-15 in set two. Despite the loss, Mesner and Wilcox finished the 2015 slate with the team's best record at 12-3.
 
In the no. 5 position, Katie Gutmann (Coconut Creek, Fla./Monarch High School) and Sydney Ferguson (Fort Myers, Fla./Evangelical Christian School) were defeated 21-16, 21-15, enabling UNF to take a 2-0 lead after two complete matches.
 
Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) brought UNF to a third set at the no. 3 position but were unable to take the third-stanza victory. The duo opened the game with a 21-18 win but fell 21-12 and 15-13 in the final two sets.
At the no. 2 position,  Marlene Moeller (Ludinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) and freshman Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central High School) fell 2-0 by scores of 21-16, 21-9.
 
As the no. 1 pair, Whitney Masters (Muncia, Ind./Wapahani High School) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) also brought the Ospreys to a third set. The pair defeated UNF 21-17 in set one and fell in set two 21-15. In the deciding set, Masters and Kazarian battled to extra points but were defeated 16-14 as UNF advanced in bracket play with the sweep.
 
UNF moved on to play Stetson in the A-Sun Semifinal, narrowly falling 3-2. Stetson then advanced to the A-Sun Championship against Mercer for its second-straight championship appearance.
 
COMPLETE RESULTS
North Florida 5, FGCU 0
1. Whitmire/McGuire (UNF) def. Masters/Kazarian (FGCU) 17-21, 21-15, 16-14
2. Alyman/Garbutt (UNF) def. Moeller/Glickert (FGCU) 21-16, 21-9
3. Kinlaw/Tremblay (UNF) def. Allen/Jordan (FGCU) 18-21, 21-12, 15-13
4. Desaulnay/Ferguson (UNF) def. Mesner/Wilcox (FGCU) 21-15, 21-16
5. Davanzo/Gunn (UNF) def. Gutmann/Ferguson (FGCU) 22-20, 21-15
 
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.