BATON ROUGE, La. – After a pair of victories yesterday, the FGCU beach volleyball (6-1) has split Day 2 of the Tiger Beach Challenge with a 3-2 win over Spring Hill and a 0-5 loss to No. 10 South Carolina. Today's outcome means that the Eagles finish 3-1 in the tournament.
The 1, 4 and 5 pairings pulled out wins in their first match of the day, and even though no FGCU pair was able to take down the Gamecocks, the 1, 2 and 3 tandems pushed their opponents to three sets.
"This was a great weekend for our team, and I'm really pleased with the progress we are making," said head coach
Matt Botsford. Heading into that match with South Carolina at 3-0 on the weekend, the girls felt very confident. In the previous matches, the play at 4 and 5 really set the tone, and we were able to play from a comfortable position. Against South Carolina, we dug ourselves a pretty big hole, but I love the way our 1, 2 and 3 pairs responded. Three first-set wins put us right back into the match and made for an exciting finish."
In the first match, No. 4,
Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein HS) and
Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) started off the day with a victory after two close sets (23-21, 21-18). The 3 and 5 pairs each took their matches to three sets.
No. 5 pair
Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone HS) and
Halie Wekmeister (Spring Hill, Fla./Weeki Wachee HS) squeaked out a win with a 15-12 victory in set three, while at three,
Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and
Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) fell by the same margin.
No. 2 tandem
Katie Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and
Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) fell after two close sets in their match, but they were avenged by
Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) and
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) who sealed the victory for the Eagles with a 2-0 win at the No. 1 position.
FGCU's No. 4 and 5 pairing fell quickly at the start of the second match. Pairs 1, 2 and 3 attempted to dig the team out of a hole, and nearly succeeded splitting the first two sets in each match. However, the Gamecocks completed the sweep with a victory in all three third sets.
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.
Florida Gulf Coast vs. Spring Hill (FGCU wins 3-2)
1.
(FGCU) Allen/Carroll def. (SHC) Seuzeneau/Vujnovich (21-12, 21-18)
2. (SHC) Bilotti/Senft def.
(FGCU) Puisis/Rhodes (23-21, 21-17)
3. (SHC) Becnel/Griffin def.
(FGCU) Glickert /Borgiotti (15-21, 21-18, 15-12)
4.
(FGCU) Pudwell/Wilcox def. (SHC) Herrera/Masoner (23-21, 21-18)
5
. (FGCU) Jordan/Wekmeister def. (SHC) Hurst/Milwee (21-17, 19-21, 15-12)
Florida Gulf Coast vs. South Carolina (SC wins 5-0)
1. (SC) Culbert/Denney def.
(FGCU) Carroll/Allen (15-21, 21-15, 15-10)
2. (SC) Zimmerma/Smith def. (FGCU)
Borgiotti/Glickert (14-21, 21-11, 15-12)
3. (SC) Mannisto/Schneider def.
(FGCU) Rhodes/Puisis (20-22, 23-21, 15-7)
4. (SC) Williams/Tenderich def.
(FGCU) Wilcox/Pudwill (21-11, 21-19)
5. (SC) Vitt/Harrison def.
(FGCU) Wekmeister/Jordan (21-17, 21-12)
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 22-38 (.367). 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.
