MACON, Ga. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (7-6, 2-0) opened ASUN play with a pair of wins over Coastal Carolina (5-0) and Mercer (4-1) on Friday at Bear Beach on the campus of Mercer University.
"Seven of our 10 matches went to the third set today, and to win six of those is a tremendous accomplishment," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "I really liked our play in those deciding scenarios. That said, there is a lot for us to clean up moving forward. I didn't think our offensive output was as efficient as it can be, and we need to see some improvement in transition. As our opponents get to know us a little better, day two is always tougher."
FGCU's top pair of
Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) and
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) picked up a pair of wins in the conference opener. They won 21-12, 21-11 over Coastal Carolina's Dora Lulic and Carla Cahill before capturing a thrilling 21-12, 18-21, 16-14 decision over Mercer's Sophie Peel and Kacy Ogden. In doing so, they won two straight matches for the first time this season and improved to 5-8 overall.
Meanwhile, the No. 4 pairing of
Kayla Whetstone and
Snowy Burnam made things interesting with two three-set victories - a 21-15, 19-21, 15-11 win against Coastal Carolina and a 21-17, 20-22, 15-9 outcome against Mercer.
Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and
Ashley Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central HS) also produced a three-set win over Coastal Carolina at No. 3 before sweeping Mercer 21-19, 21-18 in the finale.
In the fifth pairing,
Kaitlan Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) and
Alayna Ryan (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS) split a pair of three-set matches with the win coming against Coastal Carolina, 19-21, 21-16, 15-10. They fell 15-12 in the final set against Mercer. The No. 2 team of
Katherine Puisis and
Karissa Rhoades are now 6-2 over the past eight matches following a three-set win over Mercer and a 21-15, 21-11 sweep of Coastal Carolina.
Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and
Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) are now 4-3 in three-set matches this year, along with a team-best 9-4 overall.
Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) and
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) are chasing them closely while sitting 8-5 overall.
FGCU, who had lost six of the past nine meetings against Mercer, improved to 8-7 all-time in that series, while they are now 4-0 all-time against Coastal Carolina dating back to 2016. Also, the Eagles are now tied with Stetson and North Florida atop the ASUN standings.
The Green and Blue, which snapped a three-match losing streak with today's first win, will face each team again Saturday - Coastal Carolina at 10 a.m. and Mercer at 2 p.m. Another road doubleheader at Stetson looms on April 4 before the Eagles return home for the final five matches of the regular season.
FGCU 5, Coastal Carolina 0
1.
Allen/Carroll d. Lulic/Cahill 21-12, 21-11
2.
Puisis/Rhoades d. Windisch/Gauthier 21-15, 21-11
3.
Borgiotti/Glickert d. Djuric/Hardeman 21-17, 13-21, 15-11
4.
Whetstone/Burnam d. Manning/Otto 21-15, 19-21, 15-11
5.
Krivdo/Ryan d. Eske/Tontai 19-21, 21-16, 15-10
FGCU 4, Mercer 1
1.
Allen/Carroll (FGCU) d. Peel/Ogden (Mercer) 21-12, 18-21, 16-14
2.
Puisis/Rhoades (FGCU) d. Johnson/E. Gibson (Mercer) 18-21, 21-15, 15-11
3.
Borgiotti/Glickert (FGCU) d. A. Gibson/Garanich (Mercer) 21-19, 21-18
4.
Whetstone/Burnam (FGCU) d. Keeling/Merchant (Mercer) 21-17, 20-22, 15-9
5.
Chavez/Wissmach (Mercer) d. Ryan/Krivdo (FGCU) 16-21, 21-17, 15-12
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 39-52 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.
