ESTERO, Fla. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (10-8, 4-2 ASUN) will conclude its regular season with four matches against North Florida (16-7, 6-0 ASUN) and Jacksonville (5-12, 3-3 ASUN) at Estero Community Park over the next two days.
"This will be a crucial weekend for us in terms of seeding and momentum as we head into the ASUN tournament," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said, "but just as important, it's a weekend where we get to honor our two seniors, Mackenzie and Ashley, who have played a key role in the growth and development of our program."
No. 17 Stetson (23-8, 6-0 ASUN) will also be on site to compete in the quad as this weekend will determine the conference's regular season champion and seeding heading into next weekend's ASUN tournament. North Florida and Stetson are currently tied for first place, while FGCU is knocking at the door just two games behind.
Here is the full schedule for this weekend. All matches are held at Estero Community Park, where admission is free.
Friday
12 p.m. - Stetson vs North Florida
2 p.m. - FGCU vs Jacksonville
4 p.m. - FGCU vs North Florida
6 p.m. - Stetson vs Jacksonville
Saturday
10 a.m. - FGCU vs North Florida
12 p.m. - Stetson vs North Florida
2 p.m. - FGCU vs Jacksonville
4 p.m. - Stetson vs Jacksonville
As mentioned, this weekend also has added significance because the FGCU beach volleyball program will be honoring its two seniors,
Mackenzie Allen and
Ashley Glickert, prior to Saturday's 2 p.m. match. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place prior to the 10 a.m. match, but was rescheduled on Thursday.
Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS) has teamed with
Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS) in the No. 1 position this year and is 8-10 overall, including 4-2 in ASUN play. The duo has won 20 matches combined over the past two seasons, including 19 at the No. 1 pair.
Glickert (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central HS), meanwhile, has settled into the No. 3 position with
Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and compiled a 9-9 record overall (5-1 ASUN).
With those two pairs on the verge of double digit wins for the second consecutive year, this year's FGCU squad could post back-to-back seasons with four or more pairs in double digit wins for the first time in program history. The No. 2 pair of
Katherine Puisis and
Karissa Rhoades is a team-best 13-5 (5-1 ASUN), while the No. 4 pair of
Snowy Burnam and
Kayla Whetstone is 11-7 (4-2 ASUN).
Both of those pairs have a chance at the single season win mark of 15 initially set by Elisa Anne Aldrich and Madi Wilcox in 2016 and tied last year by
Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and
Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS).
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and
Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) have already broken the program's win mark for a No. 4 pairing, topping the 10 that Leigh Pudwill and Wilcox won last year.
Most Wins In Program History
Aldrich/Wilcox (2016) - 15
Puisis/Rhoades (2017) - 15
Puisis/Rhoades (2018) - 13
Allen/Carroll (2017) - 12
Mesner/Wilcox (2015) - 12
Burnam/Whetstone (2018) - 11
Pudwill/Wilcox (2017) - 11
Jordan/Werkmeister (2017) - 11
Borgiotti/Glickert (2017) - 10
Estero Community Park is located at 9200 Corkscrew Palms Blvd in Estero.
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 42-54 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 in just its seventh year at FGCU and has an overall record of 53-69. 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.
