JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The FGCU beach volleyball team continued to roll of Saturday with two more wins over Jacksonville and North Florida. The Eagles finish the weekend 11-2 on the season, while North Florida slides to 5-11 and Jacksonville slides to 5-12.
 
"In our first match against JU, the girls were focused on what needed to be done, and it really showed in our 2's pair with a win against a team they lost to yesterday," said assistant coach Chris Sweat. "The UNF match was definitely a battle against a great team. All of our wins came in the third set, which shoes how hard the girls had to work for every point. I couldn't be more proud of the fight and teamwork that went into every match this weekend."
 
JACKSONVILLE
In their first match, the Eagles took down the Dolphins 4-1 with victories from pairs 1, 2, 3 and 5.
 
No. 5 pair Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone HS) and Halie Wekmeister (Spring Hill, Fla./Weeki Wachee HS) started off the day with a quick two-set victory over JU's Vanessa Richards and Tori Reiser.
 
Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein HS) and Kaitlan Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) fell to Jizzyan Gesualdo and Katie Krawczyk after three hard fought sets (11-21, 21-13, 11-15) at the No. 4 position.
 
No. 1 pair Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) and Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) sailed to an easy victory, besting the Jacksonville No. 1's by sets of 21-14 and 21-8.
 
At No. 3, Katie Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) sealed the Eagles victory with back-to-back set wins over Dolphins No. 3 pair, Natalie Wehney and Megan Widener.
 
After falling to the Dolphins 2's yesterday, Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) snagged a win in three sets to wrap up the Eagles morning match.
 
FGCU 4, Jacksonville 1
1. Allen/Carroll (FGCU) def. Dees/Swan (JU) 21-14, 21-8
2. Glickert/Borgiotti (FGCU) def. Finan/Babowicz (JU) 18-21, 21-11, 15-5
3. Puisis/Rhoades (FGCU) def. Wehner/Widener (JU) 21-10, 21-16
4. Gesualdo/Krawczyk (JU) def. Wilcox/Krivdo (FGCU) 21-11, 13-21, 15-11
5. Jordan/Werkmeister (FGCU) def. Richards/Reiser (JU) 21-15, 21-11
 
NORTH FLORIDA
The Green and Blue finished the weekend 4-0 after taking down UNF 4-1 in their final match with victories from pairs 1, 3, 4 and 5. All of the Eagles wins came in three sets.
 
Wilcox and Krivdo were the first to finish. The senior-sophomore duo captured their second victory as a team with set scores of 21-18, 18-21 and 15-13.
 
Jordan and Werkmeister followed suit with a three-set win over the Osprey's No. 5 pair (14-21, 22-20, 15-13).
 
Borgiotti and Glickert fought hard, but found themselves outmatched by Kimberly Ferguson and Carina Hoff and dropped back-to-back 21-15 sets.
 
Allen and Carroll clinched the win for the Green and Blue after sets of 21-23, 21-15 and 15-11.
 
Finally Puisis and Rhoades, who have remained undefeated all weekend, did it again with a win in three 18-21, 21-18, 15-13) over UNF's No. 3 pair.
 
Florida 4, North Florida 1
1. Allen/Carroll (FGCU) def. Miller/Raicevic (UNF) 21-23, 21-15, 15-11
2. Hoff/Ferguson (UNF) def. Glickert/Borgiotti (FGCU) 21-15, 21-15
3. Puisis/Rhoades (FGCU) def. Gainer/Howard (UNF) 18-21, 21-18, 15-13
4. Wilcox/Krivdo (FGCU) def. O'Connell/Pase (UNF) 21-18, 18-21, 15-13
5. Jordan/Werkmeister (FGCU) def. McPherson/DeBolt (UNF) 14-21, 22-20, 15-13
 
UP NEXT
Next weekend, the Eagles travel to Deland, Fla. for another pair of ASUN doubleheaders, this time against Mercer and Coastal Carolina. Action begins on Friday, April 7 with a noon match against the Chanticleers.
 
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 25-38 (.397). 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.