ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – With a 4-1 win Tuesday afternoon, the FGCU beach volleyball team notched a program record-tying sixth win. The victory over the Eckerd Tritons improved FGCU to 6-5 on the year while handing the Tritons their first home loss of the season. Eckerd ends the 2016 regular season with an 8-10 record. This is the first time FGCU has won six matches in a season since the program's first year, 2012.
"Mackenzie (Allen) and Amanda (Carroll) were very impressive today and they continue to improve," said head coach
Matt Botsford. "We have depended a lot on our 4s and 5s early in the season but recently, and especially today, our top-three have shown a lot of consistency. That's what we are going to need as we head into the last few weeks of the season."
The No. 5 duo of
Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) and
Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein High School) were forced to come from behind against Mackenzie Redner and Savanna Cary but managed to do so in a three-set win. Meanwhile, the No. 4 pairing of
Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R Boone High School) and
Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) dropped their first set 21-19 and then battled to a 21-18 defeat in the second set against Stephanie Bogda and Kali Botwright. However at the No. 5 positon, Aldrich and Wilcox put together a solid second set, winning 21-14 to force a third set. In the decisive game, the Eagle duo won 15-9 to put the match in the hands of the top-three pairings.
The Green and Blue received an impressive performance from the No. 2 team of
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and
Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School). Carroll and Allen produced a 21-13 victory to open their match against Eckerd's Madison Whiting and Arielle Erillo and followed with a dominant 21-11 second set.
Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) and
Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) were forced to three sets at No. 3 after claiming a 21-11 first set. Rachel Cornatzer and Gabriella Reis claimed the second set 21-16 but Glickert and Rhoades emerged victorious in the third 15-8.
FGCU's top pairing of
Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and
Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) faced a difficult task in Tjasa Kotnik and Kailyn Sibson, but the seniors won 21-17, 21-17 to give FGCU the 4-1 win.
UP NEXTFGCU travels to Siesta Key for the Fiesta at Siesta, an open competition featuring teams from Texas, North Carolina, Florida and more. The Eagles first appear in the competition Saturday and the event concludes Sunday.
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FULL RESULTS1) Kazarian/Benke (FGCU) def. Kotnik/Sibson (Eckerd) 21-17, 21-17
2) Carroll/Allen (FGCU) def. Whiting/Erillo (Eckerd) 21-13, 21-11
3) Glickert/Rhoades (FGCU) def. Cornatzer/Reis (Eckerd) 21-11, 16-21, 15-8
4) Bogda/Boatwright (Eckerd) def. Jordan/Moeller (FGCU) 21-19, 21-18
5) Aldrich/Wilcox (FGCU) def. Redner/Cary (Eckerd) 17-21, 21-14, 15-9
FOLLOW ALONGFor 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.
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COACH BOTSFORDHead 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.
