SIESTA KEY, Fla. – With a 4-1 win over College of Charleston, the FGCU beach volleyball team won its fifth-straight match Sunday morning. The Eagles finished the Fiesta on Siesta a perfect 3-0 to bring their 2016 record to 9-5. College of Charleston meanwhile is now 8-7 on the year.

"Today was a great way to finish off the weekend," said assistant coach Chris Sweat. "Karissa and Ashley and Leigh and Katherine stepped up their level of play, which ended up clinching the match for us. I'm really proud of all the girls for a great weekend at the Fiesta on Siesta."

Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) and Katherine Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason High School) again began the morning on a high note for FGCU, claiming a win at No. 5, 21-16, 22-24, 18-16. The win at No. 5 gave the Eagles a 2-0 lead early, following Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein High School) and Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) recording a win at No. 4. Wilcox and Aldrich won 21-19, 21-15 to continue their strong season.

Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) suffered the lone loss on the day at No. 1, falling 21-14, 21-16, but the seniors were picked up by the No. 2 and No. 3 pairings.

Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) and Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) rebounded from a first set loss to win the next two. After falling 23-21 in the first set, Glickert and Rhoades dominated their second set with a 21-10 win. In the third, the Eagle duo recorded a 15-8 win, clinching the win for FGCU.

In the final match of the day, Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) claimed a win at No. 2 21-14, 22-20, capping the 4-1 win.

Full matchups will be available upon release from the tournament directors.

UP NEXT
The Eagles conclude the regular season with their final home match. On Tuesday, FGCU plays FAU at 4 p.m. at Estero Community Park.

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.