ESTERO, Fla. – Wins from the top-three pairings pushed the FGCU beach volleyball team past Webber International 4-1 Thursday afternoon at Estero Community Park. The win evens up FGCU's record at 5-5 while Webber International falls to 0-7 on the season. The Green and Blue's five wins this season is the most since 2013, when the Eagles finished the year 5-10.

"Overall it was pretty good," said head coach Matt Botsford. "The wind was challenging but we've been practicing in windy conditions so I was a bit surprised our ball control struggled as much as it did. I think for the most part it was some good play. We need to be better heading into our upcoming matches though. We've been training at a bit of a higher level and Webber was able to pressure us in a way our players didn't anticipate and we need to manage that better."  

The No. 5 duo of Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R Boone High School) and Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) continued their impressive run, immediately taking control of the first set with a 12-2 lead. With three wins in their last four attempts, the confidence grew along with the lead, as the Eagle team pushed the advantage to 17-4 before closing out the set with a 21-7 win. Meanwhile on Court 1, Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein High School) faced a tougher battle. The pairing took an early 11-5 lead and continued to lead at 13-8. The duo closed out the first set with a 21-14 win.

Moeller and Jordan continued their domination on Court 2, leading 15-6 midway through the set before closing out the first point of the match 21-9 over Katie Schueman and Daniela Melo. Aldrich and Wilcox trailed throughout nearly the entire second set. After falling behind 12-9, the deficit grew to 17-12 before the Eagle duo made a massive run to tie the set at 18-18. The comeback would fall short, with the Warrior pairing of Sandra Skarkova and Sabina Gerard forcing a third set 21-18. In the decisive set, Aldrich and Wilcox almost mounted another comeback, closing an early deficit to 11-8 in favor of the Warriors, but it would not be enough as the match was evened with a 15-9 third set in favor of Webber International.

Featuring for the second time, the pairing of Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) trailed 8-6 but quickly made a 7-0 run to move in front 13-8. The No. 2 pairing however would see their lead vanish, when the Warrior team of Sophie Rossard and Amanda Hayko tied the match at 13-13. Looking to regain the overall lead, Carroll and Allen pushed past Rossard and Hayka with a 21-18 win in the first set.

Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) and Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) posted a confident 21-13 win in their first set at No. 3 over Dawson Boese and Lauren Dehls. Meanwhile at the top position Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) faced a tough match with Nikki McDaniel and Alex Spadaro, dropping the first set 21-17.

Looking to secure the match, FGCU's No. 2 and No. 3 pairings grabbed early leads in their respective second sets. Glickert and Rhoades pulled in front 8-6 and increased their lead to 15-9 before finishing off the match 21-12. Just minutes later, Allen and Carroll secured the win for FGCU with a 21-12 second set win.

With the victory secured, Benke and Kazarian led 11-8 in the second set hoping to force a third set. The seniors remained in front forcing the final match of the day to a third set with a 21-12 win. In the decisive game, Benke and Kazarian never trailed, leading 3-1 immediately and closing the day with a 15-7 victory.

UP NEXT
FGCU heads back on the road, facing Eckerd Tuesday afternoon. The match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in St. Petersburg.

FULL RESULTS
1) Benke/Kazarian (FGCU) def. McDaniel/Spadaro (Webber) 17-21, 21-12, 15-7
2) Allen/Carroll (FGCU) def. Rossard/Hayko (Webber) 21-18, 21-12
3) Glickert/Rhoades (FGCU) def. Boese/Dehls (Webber) 21-13, 21-12
4) Skarkova/Gerard (Webber) def. Aldrich/Wilcox (FGCU) 14-21, 21-18, 15-9
5) Moeller/Jordan (FGCU) def. Schueman/Melo (Webber) 21-7, 21-9
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

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.