DELAND, Fla. – After downing No. 2 Mercer in Saturday's first round, the 3rd-seeded FGCU beach volleyball team (15-9, 6-4 ASUN) fell to No. 1 Stetson on Sunday morning, but snagged a win over No. 4 North Florida to earn an appearance in the ASUN Championship match. The Eagles were defeated 3-1 by Stetson in the finals after a program-best 15 wins on the year.
 
"I'm so proud of this group for what they've accomplished this year," said head coach Matt Botsford. "This weekend was just another example of how competitive and motivated this team is. We constantly stress the idea of 'continued improvement' throughout the season, and there is no doubt that we were a much better team at the end of the season than at the beginning. This has been a record breaking year, and to have an opportunity to play for a conference championship was another big step in this program's evolution."
 
STETSON 5, FGCU 0
Yesterday's 4-1 win over Mercer saw the Eagles paired with the nationally ranked Hatters in the second round.
 
FGCU dropped all five matches in two sets, but extended games with three sets going into extras, including the No. 5 pairing in which Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone HS) and Kaitlan Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) refused to surrender until dropping a 31-29 result in their second set to end the match.
 
The Hatter's win over FGCU automatically sent them to the final match, while the Eagles had to square off with reigning champion North Florida for the right to battle Stetson for the ASUN crown.
 
Stetson 5, FGCU 0
1. Harris/Skjelbred (STET) def. Carroll/Allen (FGCU) 21-19, 21-16
2. Dunn/Lind (STET) def. Borgiotti/Glickert (FGCU) 21-10, 23-21
3. Anderson/Carroll (STET) def. Rhoades/Puisis (FGCU) 21-17, 21-16
4. Creamer/Noble (STET) def. Wilcox/Pudwill (FGCU) 21-19, 23-21
5. Perales/Helland-Hansen (STET) def. Jordan/Krivdo (FGCU) 21-11, 31-29
Order of finish: Doubles (4,5,3,2,1)
 
FGCU 3, NORTH FLORIDA 2
The Eagles captured wins from the No. 2, 3 and 4 pairs to secure a spot in the final match.
 
FGCU and North Florida split the openings matches, with Jordan and Krivdo falling in straight sets at the No. 5 position, while Madi Wilcox (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein HS) and Leigh Pudwill (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School/Northern Iowa) fought through three sets to snag a win.
 
The final three matches remained tight until the very end. FGCU's No. 3 pair, Katie Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) squeezed out a victory in two sets by scores of 21-17 and 23-21.
 
At No. 1, Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) and Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) fell in straight sets to the Osprey's Katarina Raicevic and Courtney Miller.
 
With the match tied at 2-2, Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo/Parkway Central High School) split the first two sets with North Florida, to force a third. They jumped out to an early lead in set 3 and held on for a 15-9 set win and a 3-2 match victory.
 
FGCU 3, North Florida 2
1. Raicevic/Miller (UNF) def. Carroll/Allen (FGCU) 21-13, 21-19
2. Borgiotti/Glickert (FGCU) def. Ferguson/Hoff (UNF) 21-19, 17-21, 15-9
3. Rhoades/Puisis (FGCU) def. Gainer/Howard (UNF) 21-17, 23-21
4. Wilcox/Pudwill (FGCU) def. Pase/O'Connell (UNF) 21-16, 17-21, 15-13
5. McPherson/DeBolt (UNF) def. Jordan/Krivdo (FGCU) 21-14, 21-12
Order of finish: Doubles (5,4,3,1,2)
 
STETSON 3, FGCU 1
In the Championship match, the Hatters snagged the first win with a straight-set victory from the No. 5 position.
 
The senior tandem of Wilcox and Pudwill took down their Stetson counterparts after back-to-back 24-22 set wins to even out the score.
 
In the final three matches, Stetson's No. 2 and 3 pairs proved to strong to overcome, as each won in two sets to end the match and claim the ASUN crown.
 
Stetson 3, FGCU 1
1. Harris/Skjelbred (STET) vs. Carroll/Allen (FGCU) 18-21, 21-14, unfinished
2. Lind/Dunn (STET) def. Borgiotti/Glickert (FGCU) 21-18, 21-12
3. Carroll/Anderson (STET) def. Rhoades/Puisis (FGCU) 21-16, 21-19
4. Wilcox/Pudwill (FGCU) def. Creamer/Noble (STET) 24-22, 24-22
5. Perales/Helland-Hansen (STET) def. Jordan/Krivdo (FGCU) 21-17, 21-14
Order of finish: Doubles (5,4,2,3)
 
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 begins his fourth season at the helm of FGCU beach volleyball. He led the team to a program-high 15 wins in 2017. In three seasons, his beach teams have combined for an overall record of 33-45 (.413). 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.