ESTERO, Fla. – Two three-set matches proved to be the difference in FGCU beach volleyball's 3-2 loss to FAU Tuesday at Estero Community Park. The Eagles and Owls battled through a total of three three-set matches with the Owls claiming two, as FGCU's five-match winning streak came to an end. The Eagles end the regular season with a 9-6 record while the Owls end the year 13-11.

"We've set a nice standard over the past few weeks and even though we didn't get the win today we put ourselves in a position to win," said head coach Matt Botsford. "These ladies have been very easy to coach and they've put a lot of effort in. It's been a lot of fun to see them get these results and to see them put themselves in a position to win consistently. We have a lot of momentum going into the conference tournament and I think we have a good shot."

Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein High School) and Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) started the afternoon for FGCU with a 21-14 win in their first set over Heather Weiss and Nicole Navarro. Meanwhile FGCU's No. 5 pairing of Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) and Katherine Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason High School) took their first set 21-15.

Only the No. 4 pairing would see victory however, with Aldrich and Wilcox closing out their match with a 21-18 win. The Eagles pulled away and held off a late Owl rally to give FGCU a 1-0 lead. Hoping to increase the lead to 2-0, Pudwill and Puisis fell 21-11 in the second set and nearly came back in the third before ultimately falling 15-12.

Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) attempted to regain control of the match for FGCU, controlling their first set against Brittany Pelliteri and Julia Lewkowicz to the tune of a 21-10 win. On courts one and three, the Eagles had lost their first sets. Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) had held close through the entire first set against Delaney Clesen and Gabrielle Dischler but the Owl duo pulled away to win 21-18.

On court three, Andrea Galinis and Chelsey Tekavec had defeated Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) and Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) 21-9. But the second sets proved to be different for two of the three ongoing matches. Rhoades and Glickert bounced back to force a third set with a 21-19 win. On the very next court, Carroll and Allen were forced to a third set, falling 21-12 in their second set.

FGCU fell behind 2-1 as Benke and Kazarian could not match Clesen and Dischler, falling 21-10. Trailing in the match, both remaining pairs were behind 8-7 in their respective matches. Carroll and Allen continued to trail and put together a small rally to cut the deficit to 13-11. The Owls however closed out the match with a 15-11 win.

Rhoades and Glickert were tied at 15 in their third set before recording the next two points for FGCU's second point in the 3-2 loss.
 
UP NEXT
FGCU travels to Emerson, Ga. for the 2016 Atlantic Sun Championships beginning April 22 at Lake Point Sporting Community.
 
FULL RESULTS
1) Clesen/Dischler (FAU) def. Kazarian/Benke (FGCU) 21-18, 21-10
2) Pelliteri/Lewkowicz (FAU) def. Allen/Carroll (FGCU) 10-21, 21-12, 15-11
3) Glickert/Rhoades (FGCU) def. Galinis/Tekavec (FAU) 9-21, 21-19, 17-15
4) Wilcox/Aldrich (FGCU) def. Weiss/Navarro (FAU) 21-14, 21-18
5) Grant/Fraley (FAU) def. Pudwill/Puisis (FGCU) 15-21, 21-11, 15-12
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 1, 2, 3

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.