DELAND, Fla. – Beginning the year with a burst of momentum and confidence, the FGCU beach volleyball team faces a difficult task to open Atlantic Sun play, squaring off against the defending champions No. 9 Stetson, and the runners up Jacksonville this weekend. The Eagles will play two dual matches both Friday and Saturday, one against each opponent. The weekend begins at 2 p.m. Friday against Jacksonville before facing Stetson. Then Saturday, the Green and Blue face the Dolphins at 10 a.m. before meeting the Hatters at noon.

LAST TIME OUT
The Eagles began 2016 with an emphatic 5-0 sweep over Stevenson. It didn't take long for the Eagles to gain control of the match, as the first matches finished in a little more than 30 minutes. Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R Boone High School) and Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) earned the first win of the afternoon at No. 4 while Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein High School) finished moments later, claiming a win at No. 5.

With the top-three pairings on the courts, the Eagles continued their dominance. Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) sealed the win, emerging victorious at No. 1 while Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) and Katherine Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason High School) claimed a win from the No. 3 spot.

The duo of Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) and Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) had to come from behind in the second set, but finished off the sweep with a win at No. 2.

SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Jacksonville has lost two-consecutive matches heading into the weekend, entering with a 1-3 mark overall. In their most recent matchup, the Dolphins fell 3-2 to UNC-Wilmington, with three of the five matches going the full three sets.

JU's top pairing of Emily Laskelle and Mayara Prestes fell 21-17, 17-21, 15-11 while the No. 2 pairing of Kelly Koop and Mackenzie Swan also lost in three sets. Olga Nushtayeva and Katie Krawczyk earned a straight-set win at No. 3 to keep the Dolphins in the match.

Jacksonville's final win came from the No. 5 spot, courtesy of Jizzyan Gesualdo and Madi Bright. Ashlyne Miller and Jessica Armstrong battled, but dropped a three-set match at No. 4.

FGCU and Jacksonville have met on nine previous occasions, with FGCU claiming three wins. Most recently, the Eagles defeated the Dolphins in the A-Sun tournament in 2015, 4-1.

SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson enters as the No. 9 program in the nation and brings a 9-1 record into the opening weekend of conference play. The Hatters top duo of Sara Putt and Vendy Strakova are a perfect 10-0 this season while the No. 2 pairing of Kristin Lind and Rachel Noble have put together a 9-1 start to their season.

The No. 3 team of Kaylee Anderson and Emily Carroll have started the season 8-2, and are the final pairing with a solidified spot in the lineup. The Hatters have used two or more combinations in their remaining two spots, but are a combined 17-3.

After winning the first two meetings, FGCU has lost seven in a row to the Hatters. Last year, Stetson defeated FGCU twice, both by 4-1 score lines.

UP NEXT
FGCU returns home for its lone conference weekend of the season. The Eagles play host to UNF and Mercer beginning Friday, March 25. FGCU and UNF meet at 11 a.m. Friday before facing Mercer at 3 p.m. Then on Saturday the day begins with a meeting with the Bears at 12 p.m.

FOLLOW ALONG
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_BeachVB.
 
COACH BOTSFORD
Head coach Matt Botsford is in his second year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program and his teams have combined for an overall 40-22 (.645) record, including a 21-7 (.750) mark in A-Sun play. In his inaugural season, the Eagles finished with a record of 19-11 with a second-place finish in the A-Sun. Botsford has also coached 10 All-Conference selections in just two seasons at FGCU. Prior to his time in Southwest Florida, Botsford held successful stints as an assistant at Notre Dame, Miami, IUPUI, 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.