SIESTA KEY, Fla. – The 2016 beach volleyball season has seen the program reach new heights following a pair of wins at the Fiesta on Siesta. The FGCU beach volleyball team recorded a 4-1 win over South Carolina and ended the day with a 5-0 win over UAB. FGCU has posted a program-best eight wins this season against five losses. South Carolina is now 13-11 while UAB is 12-9 in 2016.

Complete individual matchups were not available at this time due to limited staffing at the tournament.

"I was very impressed with the level of play today from all the pairs," said assistant coach Chris Sweat. "The girls had a great week of practice and they all executed the game plan extremely well. We beat two very talented teams in the biggest college beach volleyball tournament of the year. I'm really looking forward to seeing them continue this level of play leading up to the conference tournament."

FGCU 4, South Carolina 1
The Eagles took an immediate 2-0 lead behind wins at No. 4 and No. 5 to begin their match against the Gamecocks. Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein High School) and Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) won their match at No. 4 21-16, 21-16 to put FGCU in front early but the biggest point came at No. 5, when Katherine Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason High School) and Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) won a three-set match. The Eagle duo took the first set 21-19 but dropped a dramatic second set 23-21. In the third, a late rally from FGCU gave Puisis and Pudwill a 15-11 win.

"Today's performance was a testament to the depth of our team,' said head coach Matt Botsford. "Having Katie and Leigh step in and perform the way they did is a perfect example. We have seen this group grow week to week and match to match, which as a coach is exactly what you hope for. Their hard work and drive continues to serve them well and I know they are eager for more."

Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) and Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) dropped a 21-14, 21-15 match at No. 3 but it would be the lone loss for FGCU on the day. Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) and Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) proved yet again to be a strong pairing, winning 21-17, 21-16 at No. 2.

With the match already won, the senior pairing of Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) took their first set 21-19 only to fall 21-17 in the second set. In a back-and-forth third set, the Eagles prevailed 15-13 to seal the 4-1 win.

FGCU 5, UAB 0
Playing confidently, the Eagles picked up where they left off against the Gamecocks to defeat the Blazers 5-0. Wilcox and Aldrich continued to play at a high level winning their match at No. 4 21-15, 21-19. The lead for the Green and Blue grew to 2-0 behind a three-set win by Pudwill and Puisis. The duo took the first set 21-14 before dropping the second 23-21. In the third, the two made quick work of the Blazers, winning 15-9.

Glickert and Rhoades bounced back from their earlier loss to win their match 22-20, 21-19 at No. 3 as FGCU's lead grew to 3-0, securing the overall win for FGCU. The Eagles weren't settling however, as Carroll and Allen earned a 21-13, 21-19 win at No. 2.

In the most dramatic match of the afternoon, Benke and Kazarian won a thrilling 21-19 opening set to take control of their match at No. 1. The seniors then won a marathon 30-28 second set to cap the day and the 5-0 win for FGCU.

UP NEXT
FGCU wraps up the Fiesta on Siesta with an early contest against College of Charleston. The Eagles and Cougars are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.

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.