MACON, Ga. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (5-6) will begin its ASUN slate on Friday with four matches over two days against Coastal Carolina (0-2) and Mercer (6-7).
The event, which also features Stetson University, will take place at Bear Beach on the campus of Mercer University and features a total of eight matches on Friday and Saturday.
The Eagles, who enter conference play having competed in a grueling non-conference schedule that saw matches against No. 3 Hawaii, No. 8 South Carolina, No. 11 Georgia State, No. 13 FIU and No. 15 FAU, went 6-4 in ASUN play last year, which matched the program's conference win total over its first four seasons combined.
"I think the non-conference schedule has prepared us well for the next step in our season," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "We have tested ourselves against some of the top teams in the country and that experience is going to pay dividends moving forward. As we enter ASUN play, the focus is consistency and game management. I like the direction the team is headed and expect to see a focused and motivated group."
The Green and Blue have seen success from a pair of duos, in particular, this year as the No. 3 team of
Katherine Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and
Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) are a team-best 7-4, while the No. 4 team of
Snowy Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and
Kayla Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) are 6-5.
OPPONENT CAPSULES
Coastal Carolina - The Chanticleers (0-2) hired North Florida's head indoor and beach volleyball coach Steve Loeswick to serve in the same capacity in early February. As a result, their schedule got a late start with a pair of 5-0 losses to UNC Wilmington on March 21. They will face Stetson twice this weekend in addition to FGCU.
Mercer - The Bears will enter this weekend coming off a 1-3 performance in the Georgia State Diggin' Duals where they fell to North Florida (4-1), ULM (3-2) and Georgia State (5-0). They defeated Jacksonville State 5-0. The team's No. 3 pairing of Gracie Garanich and Amber Gibson are 7-6 this year, while the duo of Kylie Keeling and Emilee Wissmach are 4-2 from the No. 5 spot.
Friday Schedule
FGCU vs Coastal Carolina, 10 a.m.
Mercer vs Stetson, 12 p.m.
FGCU vs Mercer, 2 p.m.
Stetson vs Coastal Carolina, 4 p.m.
Saturday Schedule
FGCU vs Coastal Carolina, 10 a.m.
Mercer vs Stetson, 12 p.m.
FGCU vs Mercer, 2 p.m.
Stetson vs Coastal Carolina, 4 p.m.
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 37-52 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.
