MIAMI, Fla. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (4-2) will travel to No. 13 Florida International University (10-5) on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. matchup.

The event will be the team's final preparation before the Gamecock Challenge, where the Eagles will head to Columbia, South Carolina to face No. 3 Hawaii, No. 8 South Carolina, receiving votes TCU and UNC Wilmington March 24-25. Following that, the Green and Blue will begin ASUN competition. 

"We are heading into the meat of the non-conference schedule and are going to be playing some of the top regional and national teams out there," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford. "FIU certainly meets that description, and we are going to have to play a good brand of volleyball to put ourselves in position to win. Tough serving, quality ball control and transition setting are going to have to be a points of emphasis."

The freshmen No. 4 tandem of Snowy Burnam and Kayla Whetstone have won three straight and are a team-best 5-1, while the duo of Katherine Puisis and Karissa Rhoades are 4-2 from the No. 3 spot.

The Eagles are 1-1 against ranked teams this year with a win over No. 15 Florida Atlantic on March 10. They also defeated receiving votes Houston Baptist on March 9.

Wednesday's tilt is the start of an 11-match road trip that concludes April 4. The Eagles will return home for five straight April 10-14, which will conclude the regular season. The ASUN Championship takes place April 21-22.

SCOUTING FIU

FIU will enter Wednesday having won four straight, all at the Stetson Hickory Point Bash on March 16-17, where they defeated Jacksonville (5-0), New Mexico (3-2), UNC Wilmington (4-1) and College of Charleston. The Panthers are looking to extend their winning streak to five, which would be their longest since a nine-game streak in 2014.

The two pairings for FIU that will be key for FGCU will be the No. 1 and No. 5 spots. FIU's top duo of Federica Frasca and Margherita Bianchin are 14-1. Meanwhile, a trio of pairs - led by Mariana Dal Pozzo/Taija Thomas (9-0) - have combined for a 13-2 record from the No. 5 spot.

FIU features a roster that features only three players from the state of Florida. The rest of the team is from places such as Canada, Austria, Puerto Rico, California, Brazil, Norway, Guatemala, Italy, Switzerland and Cyprus.

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, who is also the head coach of the FGCU indoor volleyball program, is in his fifth season at the helm of the FGCU beach volleyball program in 2018. In his tenure, the team has compiled a 36-48 record, and he's improved the team's win total each season. In fact, he led the program to 11 wins in 2016 and 15 in 2017 - both of which were new records for most wins in a season. The beach volleyball program is entering just its seventh year at FGCU and has an overall record of 44-61. 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.