EMERSON, Ga. – Entering as the No. 3 seed in the 2016 Atlantic Sun Beach Volleyball Championships, the FGCU beach volleyball team hopes to extend its already record-breaking season Friday on the first day of the championships. FGCU meets No. 6 seed and conference-newcomers Coastal Carolina at 11:30 a.m. at the LakePoint Sporting Community in Emerson, Ga.

The tournament is double-elimination format. The winner of the FGCU and Coastal Carolina match will meet No. 2 seed UNF at 4 p.m. Friday. The loser however awaits either No. 1 Stetson or the winner of No. 4 Mercer and No. 5 Jacksonville.

The championship match is scheduled for Sunday at 3 p.m. and the winner will secure a berth in the first-ever NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament.

THE GREEN AND BLUE
The 2016 season for FGCU consisted of a program-best nine wins, helped by a five-match winning streak late in the season. The Eagles also earned three wins during A-Sun play to secure the No. 3 seed in this year's tournament.

Aided by 12 wins from award-winners Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein High School), FGCU has used strong performances from its No. 4 and No. 5 pairings to get off to strong starts in matches. The Green and Blue were 9-6 from No. 4 and 13-2 from No. 5 this season. Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R Boone High School) and All-Academic honoree Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) ended the year 3-3 from No. 4.

Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) have compiled a 7-8 record from the top spot while Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) have emerged as a prominent pairing at No. 2, securing five wins in seven matches.

FGCU has four wins all-time in four championship appearances. The Eagles last won two matches in a single tournament in 2012, defeating Jacksonville and Mercer.

SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
Coastal Carolina finished the regular season 3-9 with wins over Jacksonville State, Stevenson, and Carson-Newman College. The Chanticleers lost to FGCU-opponents UAB, Mercer, South Carolina, and College of Charleston during the 2016 season. The Eagles claimed wins over all the previously mentioned teams.

Alise Petersone and Natasa Savovic have earned a 7-5 record from the No. 1 spot to lead Coastal Carolina. At No. 2 Tahleia Bishop and Aleksandra Djuric have compiled five wins, which is second best on the team.

Coastal Carolina struggles at the bottom of the lineup, going 3-9 at No. 4 and 2-10 at No. 5.

Friday's meeting will be the first between the Eagles and Chanticleers.

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.