MIAMI, Fla. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (4-3) dropped a tough 3-2 decision to No. 13 FIU on the road Wednesday.
Katherine Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and
Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) had just won a thrilling 21-17, 12-21, 15-8 match in the No. 2 pairing to knot things at two apiece, but No. 3 pair
Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and
Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central HS) fell 15-8 in the third set after rallying for a 21-19 second set win to tie it up.
"Gio and Ashley looked great," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "They lost a heartbreaker in the third set but you saw them turn a corner collectively, and that's going to bode well for us moving forward.
Kaitlan Krivdo and
Alayna Ryan had two amazing comebacks to win in two sets at the five pair against a really talented team.
"I was really pleased with all five pairings. The big thing for us that we talk about a lot is putting ourselves in position to win, and every one of those pairings, we did exactly that. There was a level of aggression towards the end of sets that I think we haven't necessarily had in some of the other matches we've played, and I think that served us really well tonight. I think we have to continue to play that way."
FIU (11-5) improved to 15-1 from the No. 1 pairing with a 21-16, 21-19 win over
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) and
Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS). Meanwhile,
Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) and
Ryan (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS) impressively took down FIU, 22-20, 23-21, from the No. 5 spot in which FIU entered 13-2 this year. In fact, the pair they beat, Mariana Dal Pozzo and Taija Thomas, had entered the match 9-0 this year.
From the No. 4 spot,
Kayla Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) and
Snowy Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) forced a third set with a 21-16 second set, but fell 15-9 in the final set. The loss snapped their three-match winning streak. They are now tied with Puisis/Rhoades for the best record on the team at 5-2.
"I'm just really happy,"
Botsford said. "I think this is a good springboard heading into a weekend where we're going to see some really talented programs. South Carolina, Hawaii, TCU and UNC WIlmington all are going to test us and if we can play that brand of volleyball, we'll be in good position."
Kellie Pernula (Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS) and
Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) weren't able to finish their exhibition match after it was tied at one apiece. Each team won a set 21-17 with FGCU winning the opener.
FGCU, now 1-2 against nationally ranked teams this year, is back in action Saturday and Sunday in the Gamecock Challenge in Columbia, S.C., where they will face TCU and No. 8 South Carolina on Saturday and UNC Wilmington and No. 3 Hawaii on Sunday. TCU is in the receiving votes portion of the latest poll.
Wednesday's road matchup was the first time the Eagles have played at FIU since 2014.
FIU 3, FGCU 2
1. Bianchin/Frasca (FIU) d.
Allen/Carroll (FGCU) 21-16, 21-19
2.
Rhoades/Puisis (FGCU) d. Zembyla/Sataric (FIU) 21-17, 12-21, 15-8
3. Besterfield/Bernier (FIU) d.
Borgiotti/Glickert (FGCU) 21-16, 19-21, 15-10
4. Giron/Bethancour (FIU) d.
Burnam/Whetstone (FGCU) 21-10, 16-21, 15-9
5.
Krivdo/Ryan (FGCU) d. Dal Pozzo/Thomas (FIU) 22-20, 23-21
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 36-49 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.
