DELAND, Fla. - The third-seeded FGCU beach volleyball team (14-9) will open the ASUN tournament on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. against sixth-seeded North Alabama (10-10) at the Cooper Beach courts on the campus of Stetson University.

The victor will move on to the winner's bracket semifinal against second-seeded North Florida at 3 p.m. The six-team tournament is double-elimination until the championship, which is winner-take-all.

Tournament Schedule
Thursday
Match 1: No. 4 Coastal Carolina vs No. 5 Austin Peay, 8:30 a.m.
Match 2: No. 3 FGCU vs No. 6 North Alabama, 10:30 a.m.
Match 3: No. 1 Stetson vs Coastal Carolina/Austin Peay winner, 1 p.m.
Match 4: No. 2 North Florida vs FGCU/North Alabama winner, 3 p.m.
 
Friday
Match 5: Match 1 loser vs Match 4 loser, 9 a.m.
Match 6: Match 2 loser vs Match 3 loser, 11 a.m.
Match 7: Match 3 winner vs Match 4 winner, 1 p.m.
Match 8: Match 5 winner vs Match 6 winner, 3 p.m.
 
Saturday
Match 9: Match 8 winner vs Match 7 loser, 11 a.m.
Championship: Match 7 winner vs Match 9 winner, 1 p.m.

FGCU's Tournament History
The Eagles are 10-14 all-time in the ASUN tournament, having won a pair of matches in each of the past three years, including a championship match appearance in 2017. Giovanna Borgiotti has the best record (5-2) in the tournament among players currently on the roster.

Year-By-Year
2018 - 2-2 overall, lost in loser's bracket final to North Florida
2017 - 2-2 overall, lost in championship to Stetson
2016 - 2-2 overall, lost in loser's bracket final to North Florida
2015 - 1-2 overall, lost in loser's bracket semifinal to North Florida
2014 - 0-2 overall, lost in loser's bracket quarterfinal to Stetson
2013 - 1-2 overall, lost in loser's bracket semifinal to Jacksonville
2012 - 2-2 overall, tournament featured round-robin play

Record By Opponent
Mercer - 4-1
Jacksonville - 2-1
Coastal Carolina - 1-0
Jacksonville - 1-0
North Florida - 2-7
Stetson - 0-5
 
Individuals in the Tournament
Karissa Rhoades - 5-6
Katherine Puisis - 4-7
Kayla Whetstone - 2-2
Snowy Burnam - 2-2
Cortney VanLiew - 0-4
Amanda Carroll - 3-7
Giovanna Borgiotti - 5-2
 
Past Champions (Regular Season/Tournament)
2019 - Stetson/TBD
2018 - Stetson/Stetson
2017 - Stetson/Stetson
2016 - Stetson/North Florida
2015 - Stetson/Stetson
2014 - North Florida/Stetson
2013 - North Florida/North Florida
2012 - North Florida/North Florida

Follow Along
Live stats will be available for each match of the tournament here. Also, every match is being aired on ESPN+. As the tournament progresses, specific links will be posted here and on social media.
 
On The Line
The third-seeded Green and Blue are looking to become the first school in conference history to capture an ASUN tournament championship in both indoor and beach volleyball, and they are just two victories shy of setting a new single-season record for team victories.

Things to Know
Unlike other sports, the winner of this weekend's tournament does not get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament due to the still-growing nature of the sport.
 
This will be the third-consecutive season that Stetson has hosted the tournament. FGCU hosted the event in 2014 and 2015.
 
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 56-36 record over the past three-plus seasons (62-65 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 73-80. 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.

#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 76 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.