BATON ROUGE, La. – The FGCU beach volleyball team remains undefeated after day one at the Tiger Beach Challenge with a 5-0 win over UAB and a 3-2 win Houston Baptist.
"Great start to the tournament with some quality play across the lineup," said head coach
Matt Botsford. "
Caroline (Jordan) and
Halie (Werkmeister) along with
Madi (Wilcox) and
Leigh (Pudwill) put our team in a really good position in each of our matches. Kicking off each of those duals with a 2-0 advantage is obviously a huge plus. Against HBU, that was key, considering how tight things got at the 1, 2, and 3 pairs."
No. 1 pairing
Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) and
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) snagged three-set wins in both of their matches.
At No. 2,
Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and
Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) put away a 2-0 win over UAB with sets of 21-17 and 21-19 before falling to Houston Baptist in three sets.
The pairing of
Katie Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and
Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) had a similar day in the third position with a 2-set UAB win, followed by a loss in three, by sets of 21-19, 16-21 and 15-10 to HBU.
Senior tandem
Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein HS) and
Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) came away with two wins on the afternoon. They went to three against UAB, but easily took down the No. 4 pair from Houston Baptist with set wins of 21-8 and 21-15.
The Eagle's No. 5 pairing of
Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone HS) and
Halie Wekmeister (Spring Hill, Fla./Weeki Wachee HS) was the only Eagles pair to win both of their matches in just two sets.
On Sunday the Eagles will face Spring Hill (Ala.) and South Carolina at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. 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.
Houston Baptist vs. Florida Gulf Coast (FGCU wins 3-2)
1.
(FGCU) Mackenzie Allen and Amanda Carroll def. (HBU) Aeriel Horton and Jessica Wooten (17-21, 21-9, 16-14)
2. (HBU) Kayla Armer and Victoria Hingosa def.
(FGCU) Giovanna Borgiotti and Ashley Glickant (21-19, 14-21, 15-10)
3. (HBU) Bailey Banks and Melissa Fuchs def. (FGCU)
Katie Puisis and Karissa Rhodes (21-19, 16-21, 15-11)
4.
(FGCU) Leigh Pudwill and Madi Wilcox def. (HBU) Taylor Livoti and Danielle Wheeler (21-8, 21-15)
5.
(FGCU) Caroline Jordan and Halie Wekmeister def. (HBU) Morgan McDaniel and Tiffany Thomas (21-18, 21-14)
FGCU vs. UAB (FGCU wins 5-0)
1.
(FGCU) Mackenzie Allen and Amanda Carroll def. (UAB) Erika Zembyla and Avei Logoleo (21-13, 18-21, 15-10)
2.
(FGCU) Ashley Glickert and Giovanna Borgiotti def. (UAB) Avery Hoven and Katarina Jovicic (21-17, 21-19)
3.
(FGCU) Karissa Rhoades and Katherine Puisis def. (UAB) Gabbi Moreno and Rachel Evans (21-16, 21-19)
4.
(FGCU) Madi Wilcox and Leigh Pudwill def. (UAB) Emily Martinez and Morgan Smith (21-18, 13-21, 15-12)
5.
(FGCU) Caroline Jordan and Halie Wekmeister def. (UAB) Haley Jared and Kenley Adams (21-13, 21-18)
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 21-37 (.362). 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.
