MACON, Ga. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (9-6, 4-0) is off to the second best start to a conference season in program history following victories over Coastal Carolina (5-0) and Mercer (4-1) this afternoon at Bear Beach on the campus of Mercer University.
The Eagles are now 4-0 in ASUN play, which is the second best start behind last year (5-0). They will look to continue the momentum with a doubleheader at Stetson University on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
"Overall, it was two great team wins for us today," FGCU assistant coach
Chris Sweat said. "We had some windy conditions to start the day and our tough serving really helped in those matches. Mercer gave us a great battle with most sets going to a tiebreak and it was really exciting to see the teams compete in some pressure situations. I am really proud of the way each team battled to get their wins."
In the opener against Coastal Carolina, the Green and Blue cruised by sweeping four of the five matches, while
Mackenzie Allen and
Amanda Carroll secured a 17-21, 21-16, 15-8 win in the No. 1 matchup. The duo of
Katherine Puisis and
Karissa Rhoades only allowed eight points in their opening set before a 21-18 result in the second set at No. 2.
Kayla Whetstone and
Snowy Burnam won 21-8, 21-12 in the No. 4 pairing - allowing a team-low 20 points overall. At the No. 3 pairing,
Ashley Glickert and
Giovanna Borgiotti had a tough time in the opening set, but pulled out the 21-19 win before cruising to a 21-11 victory in the second.
Kaitlan Krivdo and
Alayna Ryan allowed the second fewest points in the No. 5 meeting, winning 21-11, 21-14.
Against Mercer, the intensity picked up. For the third consecutive match,
Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) and
Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) pulled out a win in three sets by producing a 13-21, 21-15, 15-8 win in comeback fashion.
Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and
Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) won a thriller at the No. 2 spot - taking the opener 24-22, dropping the second 22-20 and making clutch plays in a 15-11 third-set victory.
Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) and
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) also went to three sets, resulting in a 15-9 final set in favor of the Eagles.
Ryan (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS) and
Krivdo (Hope Mills, N.C./Grays Creek HS) was the lone pairing to lose from the Green and Blue, but they made it difficult and battled to a 15-12 final set.
NOTES
FGCU is now 9-7 all-time against Mercer, including wins in five of the past seven meetings. Meanwhile, the Eagles have still not lost to Coastal Carolina in series history, moving to 5-0 all-time including a trio of 5-0 victories.
Head coach
Matt Botsford has now led the Green and Blue to wins in 12 of the team's past 17 conference matches dating back to March 25, 2016.
With each of their wins today, the duos of Puisis/Rhoades (11-4) and Whetstone/Burnam (10-5) improved their team-best records, while Allen/Carroll and Borgiotti/Glickert are now 7-8. All four pairs have won four straight.
The Eagles entered today in a three-way tie with Stetson and North Florida for first-place in the ASUN standings, and there's a good chance Wednesday's doubleheader at Stetson will be for first place. North Florida is on the road against UNC Wilmington in a non-conference matchup and will remain 2-0, while Stetson is currently facing Coastal Carolina with a chance to move to 4-0.
FGCU 5, Coastal Carolina 0
1.
Allen/Carroll d. Cahill/Lulic 17-21, 21-16, 15-8
2.
Puisis/Rhoades d. Gauthier/Windisch 21-8, 21-18
3.
Glickert/Borgiotti d. Hardeman/Djuric 21-19, 21-11
4.
Whetstone/Burnam d. Manning/Otto 21-8, 21-12
5.
Ryan/Krivdo d. Tontai/Eske 21-11, 21-14
FGCU 4, Mercer 1
1.
Allen/Carroll (FGCU) d. Peel/Ogden (Mercer) 13-21, 21-15, 15-8
2.
Puisis/Rhoades (FGCU) d. Johnson/E. Gibson 24-22, 20-22, 15-11
3.
Glickert/Borgiotti (FGCU) d. A. Gibson/Garanich (Mercer) 19-21, 21-14, 15-11
4.
Whetstone/Burnam (FGCU) d. Keeling/Merchant (Mercer) 21-8, 21-16
5. Chavez/Wissmach (Mercer) d.
Ryan/Krivdo (FGCU) 21-17, 21-16
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.
