ESTERO, Fla. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (7-7, 0-2 ASUN) was swept by No. 10 Stetson (16-4, 2-0) 4-1, 4-1 on Wednesday at Estero Community Park to open conference play, but the Eagles nearly produced a victory in the second match.

"One of the important things for us in our growth is being in a position to win," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I thought every one of our pairs put themselves in position to win. Now we didn't get every one of those sets or every one of those matches, but we put ourselves in position to be competitive. The second match, specifically, was a step up for us in terms of overall performance from one through five. I was really happy with that. I think it's a step in the right direction."

As described in Botsford's post-game thoughts, the Eagles nearly ended Stetson's 21-match ASUN winning streak in the second match. Giovanna Borgiotti and Candace Lacour earned a measure of revenge for a three-set defeat in the opener by handing Stetson's Samantha Harris and Julie Varga a 21-16, 21-23, 15-13 defeat in the finale to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.

Cortney VanLiew and Alayna Ryan then forced a third set at No. 5 with a thrilling 27-25 second-set victory but fell 21-15 in the decider as Stetson evened things up. In the third pair, Kayla Whetstone and Snowy Burnam fell in two sets as the Hatters took a 2-1 lead, but it was far from over.

Following that, both teams went back-and-forth in the first and second pairs. Amanda Carroll and Kirstine Garder (Halden, Norway/Topvolley Norge) won the first set 21-19 at No. 1, but dropped the second 21-19. Karissa Rhoades and Katherine Puisis dropped a 25-23 opening set, but captured a 21-19 second set to force both courts to a third set.

Stetson, however, won 15-6 and 15-8 on the first and second courts, respectively, to seal the match and push their ASUN winning streak to 22.

Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS), despite the loss, did well to take a set from Stetson's No. 2 pair of Darby Dunn and Sammee Thomas. The reigning ASUN pair of the year had won 22 of their past 23 sets in conference play since the start of last season.

Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and Lacour (Buckeye, Ariz./Verrado HS), meanwhile, produced their first win together over a ranked opponent, although it was the second of Borgiotti's career in the Green and Blue, while it was the third of Lacour's NCAA career after she earned two wins as a freshman at FAU in 2017. The duo is now 8-6 in their first year together.

"She's great," Borgiotti said of Lacour, who transferred in from FAU this year. "We're friends off the court, too, which makes it really easy for us to play together. Our pair, we utilize our strengths really well with me blocking and her playing defense."
 
For Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS), the duo is now 11-3 overall this year after tallying their third career win over a ranked team with a 21-11, 19-21, 19-17 win in the opener, which ties them for second-most in program history behind Madi Wilcox, who had six.

Career Wins Against Ranked Teams
Madi Wilcox - 6
Elisa Anne Aldrich - 3
Katherine Puisis - 3
Karissa Rhoades - 3
Snowy Burnam - 3
Kayla Whetstone - 3
Amanda Carroll - 2
Giovanna Borgiotti - 2
Mackenzie Allen - 2
Olivia Mesner - 2
Candace Lacour - 1 (also has two from FAU in 2017)
Alayna Ryan - 1
Katie Krivdo - 1
Ashley Glickert - 1
Kaitlin Holm - 1
Whitney Masters - 1
Leigh Pudwill - 1

With her win in the finale, Borgiotti now has 15 conference victories in her career, which ties Puisis and Ashley Glickert for the third-most in program history.

All-Time Leaders in ASUN Wins
Madi Wilcox - 20
Karissa Rhoades - 16
Katherine Puisis - 15
Ashley Glickert - 15
Giovanna Borgiotti - 15
Mackenzie Allen - 14
Caroline Jordan - 13
Amanda Carroll - 13
Olivia Mesner - 12
 
The top five in career wins remains the same after Wednesday's results.

Top 5 In Career Wins
49 - Karissa Rhoades, 2016-present
46 - Madi Wilcox, 2014-17
45 - Katherine Puisis, 2016-present
39 - Amanda Carroll, 2016-present
38 - Mackenzie Allen, 2015-18
38 - Ashley Glickert, 2015-18
 
Next Up
The Green and Blue will be back in action on Tuesday against Florida Southern at 4 p.m. The match will be held on FGCU's campus at the ROC, and the program will honor Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), Rhoades and Puisis as part of senior day.

Full Results
Stetson 4, FGCU 1
1. Perales/Helland-Hansen (Stetson) d. Carroll/Garder 21-14, 21-12
2. Dunn/Thomas (Stetson) d. Puisis/Rhoades 21-13, 21-14
3. Whetstone/Burnam (FGCU) d. Costa/Noble 21-11, 19-21, 19-17
4. Harris/Varga (Stetson) d. Borgiotti/Lacour 13-21, 21-19, 15-11
5. Birker/Ingram (Stetson) d. VanLiew/Hansen 21-13, 21-17

Stetson 4, FGCU 1
1. Helland-Hansen/Perales (Stetson) d. Carroll/Garder 19-21, 21-19, 15-6
2. Dunn/Thomas (Stetson) d. Rhoades/Puisis 25-23, 19-21, 15-8
3. Costa/Noble (Stetson) d. Whetstone/Burnam 21-12, 21-16
4. Borgiotti/Lacour (FGCU) d. Harris/Kuck 21-16, 21-23, 15-13
5. Birker/Ingram (Stetson) d. VanLiew/Ryan 21-18, 25-27, 21-15

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU beach volleyball program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_BeachVB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and on Instagram at @FGCU_BeachVB.

COACH BOTSFORD 
Head coach Matt Botsford, who is also the head coach of the FGCU indoor volleyball program, is in his sixth season at the helm of the FGCU beach volleyball program in 2019. He has compiled a 48-35 record over the past three-plus seasons (54-64 overall) while improving or steadying the team's win total each season. In fact, he led the program to 11 wins in 2016, 15 in 2017 and 15 more in 2018 - all three of which either tied or set new records for most wins in a season. The beach volleyball program is in just its eighth season in 2019 and has an overall record of 65-79. 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.

#FEEDFGCU
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 raise awareness.
 
ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 75 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 35 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport.  The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.