SIESTA KEY, Fla. – The FGCU beach volleyball team travels to Siesta Key for the Fiesta on Siesta this weekend. This is the first time since 2014 the Eagles will participate in the tournament and carry a 6-5 record to the beaches of Siesta Key. FGCU will face South Carolina and Alabama-Birmingham Saturday and College of Charleston Sunday as the tournament switches to a dual format for the first time. Action in Siesta Key begins Saturday at 1 p.m. between the Eagles and Gamecocks. The Green and Blue then face the Blazers of UAB at 5 p.m. to conclude the day. The weekend ends with a match against the College of Charleston Sunday at 8:30 a.m.

LAST TIME OUT
FGCU took a short trip up I-75 to St. Petersburg to take on Eckerd Tuesday and left with a 4-1 win over the Tritons. Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) and Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein High School) claimed the first win for FGCU at No. 5, putting the match in the hands of the top three pairings.

Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) put on a dominant display at No. 2 to put FGCU in the lead and the Eagles would not concede from that point. Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) and Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) won a three-set match at No. 3 while Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) won in straight sets at No. 1 to complete the 4-1 win.

The win was FGCU's sixth of the season, matching a program record. FGCU had not reached six wins since 2012, the program's first year.

SCOUTING THE GAMECOCKS
South Carolina brings a 13-10 record to Florida having lost six straight matches. Julia Mannisto and Shannon Williams are 10-2 as the Gamecocks' top pairing. Meanwhile at No. 2, Sarah Blomgren and Aubrey Ezell have recorded 14 wins.  

Macie Tendrich and Katie Reilly have compiled an impressive 16-6 record at No. 3 en route to a team-best 17 wins in 2016.

Of the three teams FGCU will face this weekend, South Carolina is the only team FGCU has faced previously. In 2012, the Gamecocks defeated the Eagles 5-0 in the only meeting between the two teams.

SCOUTING THE BLAZERS
UAB has won six straight matches to bring its overall record to 12-8. The Blazers look to Sara Rishell and Chelsi Carter to lead them from the No. 1 position. The duo has compiled a 13-5 record while appearing at both No. 1 and No. 2. Tressa Buckland and Avei Logoleo have appeared at a variety of positions but have found success at regardless of their spot in the lineup. The pairing is second on the team with 14 wins in 2016.

Leading the team with 16 wins is the duo of Gabbi Moreno and Emily Martinez. Having appeared at No. 4 and No. 5, Moreno and Martinez have provided positive starts for the Blazers throughout the season.

UAB and FGCU have never met previously.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
A battle-tested team, College of Charleston enters with an 8-6 record including losses to three ranked opponents. The Cougars have faced No. 18 Tulane, No. 10 Stetson, and No. 1 Pepperdine this season, all of which ending in 5-0 losses.

The Cougars are a young team featuring nine underclassmen and only two seniors. Additional statistics were not provided.

FGCU and the College of Charleston have never met prior to this weekend.

UP NEXT
The Eagles wrap up the 2016 regular season at home against FAU Tuesday. The dual between the Eagles and Owls is scheduled to begin 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.