BATON ROUGE, La. – The FGCU beach volleyball team looks to continue its successful start to the season with the Tiger Beach Challenge hosted by LSU.  The two-day tournament, which begins on Saturday, Mar. 18, will be played at Mango's Beach Volleyball Club.
 
The Eagles will compete in four matches throughout the weekend. They'll start things off on Saturday with a 1 p.m. match against UAB, followed by a 3 p.m. match against Houston Baptiste. On Sunday the Eagles will face Spring Hill (Ala.) and South Carolina at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. respectively.
 
FGCU enters tournament action 3-0 after winning back-to-back matches in a double header against in-state foe Eckerd College earlier this week. Led by strong performances up and down their lineup, the Eagles swept the 1, 2, 4 and 5 pairings in a dominating effort.
 
UAB and Houston Baptist make their way to Baton Rouge with even records – 4-4 and 3-3 respectively. Spring Hill owns a record of 4-6, while South Carolina, which is tied for 10th in the AVCA Coaches Poll, enters the weekend undefeated at 8-0.
 
UP NEXT
Following weekend play, the Eagles will return home to host Webber International (Fla.) in a rematch of their season opener. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 22 at 4 p.m. and will be played at Estero Community Park. FGCU downed the Warriors 3-2  to start the year.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU volleyball program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_BeachVB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and on Instagram at @FGCU_VB.
 
COACH BOTSFORD
Head coach Matt Botsford begins his fourth season at the helm of FGCU beach volleyball in 2017. Last season, Botsfords squad produced a program-high 11 wins. In three seasons, his beach teams have combined for an overall record of 20-37 (.351). In 2016, Botsford's indoor squad produced one of its most successful seasons ever at 27-6, with the win total representing the most in Division I program history and falling two shy of the all-time mark. His teams have combined for an overall 65-27 (.707) record, including a 32-10 (.762) mark in ASUN play. In his inaugural season, the Eagles finished with a record of 19-11 with a second-place ASUN finish. Botsford has coached 15 All-Conference selections in his three seasons. 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. A former professional volleyball player, he is a 1998 graduate of Tri-State University (now Trine), where he earned a degree in Social Studies Education. He earned a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help.