ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The No. 3 duo of
Snowy Burnam and
Kayla Whetstone swept all four sets to help the FGCU beach volleyball team (1-1) split a pair of season-opening matches in Eckerd College's Battle on the Bay against Saint Leo (W 5-0) and Arizona State (L 4-1), who was in the receiving votes section of the latest AVCA poll.
"I thought we had a solid first day to the season," FGCU head coach
Matt Botsford said. "All the pairs got off to a nice start against Saint Leo, and I really liked the in-game adjustments our players were making as the matches went on. Against Arizona State, we had some great opportunities that we just couldn't take advantage of. I was really pleased with the way each team competed and think that we learned a lot about what areas we need to work on collectively."
Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and
Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) opened the day with a 21-12, 21-16 win over Saint Leo's Kirsten Kaiser and Sam Bogdan. They closed with a 21-12, 21-18 victory over Katie Cross and Cierra Flood of Arizona State. The duo is now 18-10 in just over one year together in the Green and Blue.
"Snowy and Kayla played extremely well in their matches, and I thought their defensive effectiveness and transition really set the tone," Botsford said.
In the opener against Saint Leo,
Kirstine Garder teamed with
Amanda Carroll at the No. 1 pair on won her collegiate debut in comeback fashion, 19-21, 21-19, 15-5. Coming off their record-breaking season, the No. 2 duo of
Katherine Puisis and
Karissa Rhoades won the No. 2 pair in straight sets.
Another highlight was the new pair of
Giovanna Borgiotti and
Candace Lacour at the No. 4 spot. Borgiotti lost
Ashley Glickert due to graduation, but
Lacour (Buckeye, Ariz./Verrado HS) transferred in from Florida Atlantic and the duo swept the No. 4 pair.
Against Arizona State,
Garder (Halden, Norway/Topvolley Norge) and
Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), along with the duo of
Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) and Rhoades, each took the Sun Devils to three sets before dropping their matches.
Against Saint Leo,
Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS) picked up her 42nd career victory, which puts her just five shy of surpassing Madi Wilcox (46, 2014-17) for the most in program history. Puisis, who currently ranks third on the list with 38, remains No. 1 all-time in career winning percentage (38-25, .603).
Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS), who finished last year with eight straight wins, picked up a new program record ninth-straight victory against Saint Leo. She was previously tied with Elisa Anne Aldrich and Madi Wilcox, who achieved their streak from April 5-22 of 2016.
The Green and Blue will be back in action on Saturday against Tampa (12 p.m.) and the University of Tennessee at Martin (4 p.m.)
Saturday's Schedule
Tampa vs North Florida, 10 a.m.
Arizona State vs UT Martin, 11 a.m.
Tampa vs FGCU, 12 p.m.
Saint Leo vs North Florida, 1 p.m.
Arizona State vs Eckerd, 2 p.m.
Saint Leo vs Webber, 3 p.m.
UT Martin vs FGCU, 4 p.m.
Eckerd vs Webber, 5 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_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. Despite a 47-59 record in his tenure, he's improved or steadied 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 58-74. 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.
