COLUMBIA, S.C. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (4-3) will face a daunting task this weekend in the Gamecock Challenge at Wheeler Beach on the campus of the University of South Carolina.

"This is a great opportunity to test ourselves against quality teams right before we make the move into ASUN play," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "We saw a lot of positives in our match against FIU, so the focus now is to build off those trends."

In the two-day event, the Eagles will face receiving votes TCU and No. 8 South Carolina on Saturday before closing it out against UNC Wilmington and No. 3 Hawaii on Sunday. Every dual in the five-team, 12-match event will have a hard start time for the first wave (4, 5, exhibition) and will roll into the second wave (1, 2, 3). Every dual score will be updated on South Carolina's beach volleyball Twitter account (@GamecockBeachVB). 

FULL SCHEDULE (ALL TIMES E.T.)
Saturday, March 24
8 a.m. - FGCU vs TCU
10 a.m. - Hawaii vs UNC Wilmington
12 p.m. - UAB vs TCU
2 p.m. - FGCU vs South Carolina
4 p.m. - UAB vs UNC Wilmington
6 p.m. - Hawaii vs South Carolina
Sunday, March 25
8 a.m. - FGCU vs UNC Wilmington
10 a.m. - TCU vs UNC Wilmington
12 p.m. - Hawaii vs FGCU
2 p.m. - TCU vs South Carolina
4 p.m. - Hawaii vs UAB
6 p.m. - UAB vs South Carolina

OPPONENT CAPSULES
HAWAII: The Rainbow Warriors (14-3) have won nine straight entering this weekend, which has helped them reach a No. 3 national ranking. They have 11 wins over AVCA top-20 teams and have not lost since a 4-1 decision to Florida State on March 10. They finished third in the NCAA Tournament last year. Morgan Martin and Lea Monkhouse are 13-2 together and have won the Big West Conference's Pair of the Week two weekends in a row. Another top pair to watch is Emily Maglio and Ka'iwi Schucht, who are 14-3 together including a 5-0 record as the No. 1 pair and a 9-3 mark as the No. 2 pair.

TCU: Despite a 3-12 record, TCU has played a grueling schedule to begin the season. Of its 15 duals, 11 have come against opponents ranked in the AVCA top-20. The Horned Frogs have yet to capture a top-20 win, but have taken points off No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 Cal Poly, No. 8 Long Beach and No. 11 FIU along the way. Individually, Jaelyn Greene, Jillian Bergeson and Jensyn Bledsoe lead the Frogs with six wins apiece.

SOUTH CAROLINA: The host program is 36-13 all-time in duals at Wheeler Beach. This year, they're 7-2 against AVCA top-20 opponents, including 7-1 in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA). Macie Tendrich and Leah Perri have won 10 straight matches, the longest by a South Carolina pair this year. The Gamecocks earned the program's first-ever AVCA ranking on March 6 of last year and are currently ranked eighth in the latest poll. Interestingly, South Carolina is coached by Moritz Moritz.

UNC WILMINGTON: The Seahawks (8-5), who have won three straight entering this weekend, have had a beach volleyball program since 1974, including 34 years as an NCAA Division-I member. They are led by 10th-year head coach Amy Bambenek, who is 144-139 in her career. She is the second longest tenured coach in the program's history behind Kathy McDaniel, who oversaw things for 14 seasons from 1985-1998. Among the team's five losses this year are ranked teams such as South Carolina (4-1), Georgia State (4-1), LSU (5-0) and Stetson (5-0). Outside of FGCU, UNC Wilmington will face Hawaii, UAB and TCU this weekend.

NOTES
WHEELER BEACH: South Carolina's beach volleyball facility, which features free admission to all matches this weekend, is located behind the softball stadium and Cregger Track. Fans can park in the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center's parking garage (1300 Heyward St.) or in the parking lot off South Marion Street (See Map Here). Those coming from the parking garage can take the athletics village promenade down to the courts; those in the South Marion lot can enter from below the promenade.

OPPONENT HISTORY: Among this weekend's opponents, FGCU has only ever faced South Carolina, and the Eagles are 1-1 in two neutral site matchups - a 5-0 loss in Louisiana last year and a 4-1 win in Sarasota in 2016.

LOOKING AHEAD: Following this weekend, FGCU will travel to Macon, Ga. to open ASUN play on March 30-31 against Coastal Carolina and Mercer. The team then closes its regular season road slate at Stetson on April 4 before hosting five matches at Estero Community Park to conclude the regular season.

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.