TAMPA, Fla. - The FGCU beach volleyball team (10-7) concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday with a pair of 5-0 victories over Florida Southern (10-11) and Tampa (12-10) at the UT Beach Volleyball Complex.

"I was really impressed with the way each pairing played," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Across the board, that was the most consistent performance we have had all season. The team is making strides and you could see how motivated and focused they were from the first match all the way through the second."

The win over Tampa allowed FGCU to avenge a 3-2 loss on March 9 in St. Petersburg, while the victory against Florida Southern finished a season-sweep of the Mocs. The Eagles will be back in action on Thursday at 9 a.m. with a doubleheader against North Florida in Jacksonville.

The duo of Snowy Burnam and Kayla Whetstone continued a torrid start to the season, moving to 14-3 overall. They are just three wins shy of matching the single-season record set by Karissa Rhoades and Katherine Puisis last year and have reached the 30-win milestone in just under two seasons together - becoming the ninth and 10th players in program history to equal that benchmark.

Single Season Wins Leaders
17 - Katherine Puisis - 2018 (17-8 .680)
17 - Karissa Rhoades - 2018 (17-8 .680)
16 - Giovanna Borgiotti - 2018 (16-9 .640)
16 - Ashley Glickert - 2018 (16-9 .640)
16 - Snowy Burnam - 2018 (16-10 .615)
16 - Kayla Whetstone - 2018 (16-10 .615)
15 - Elisa Anne Aldrich - 2016 (15-4 .789)
15 - Madi Wilcox - 2016 (15-4 .789)
15 - Katherine Puisis - 2017 (15-9 .625)
15 - Karissa Rhoades - 2017 (15-9 .625)
14 - Caroline Jordan - 2017 (14-9 .609)
14 - Snowy Burnam - 2019 (14-3, .824)
14 - Kayla Whetstone - 2019 (14-3, .824)

Single Season Winning Percentage Leaders
.824 Snowy Burnam - 2019 (14-3)
.824 Kayla Whetstone - 2019 (14-3)
.789 Madi Wilcox - 2016 (15-4)
.789 Elisa Anne Aldrich - 2016 (15-4)
.680 Karissa Rhoades - 2018 (17-8)
.680 Katherine Puisis - 2018 (17-8)
.640 Giovanna Borgiotti - 2018 (16-9)
.640 Ashley Glickert - 2018 (16-9)
.625 Katherine Puisis - 2017 (15-9)
.625 Karissa Rhoades - 2017 (15-9)

Amanda Carroll, who has teamed with Kirstine Garder all year, became the first player in program history to win 10 or more matches at the No. 1 pair in three consecutive seasons. In fact, before she arrived on campus, nobody had won more than six matches at the top pair in a season. On the flip side, Garder (Halden, Norway/Topvolley Norge) became the first freshman to win 10 or more matches at No. 1. The duo is 10-7 overall.
 
Puisis (Mason, Ohio/William Mason HS) now has 48 career victories, which moves her into sole possession of second place in career victories, just behind her partner, Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior HS), who has 52. Meanwhile, Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) is one victory shy of moving into the top five in career wins. She became the first player in program history with three-straight double-digit win totals to open her collegiate career on Saturday.

Career Wins Leaders
52 - Karissa Rhoades, 2016-present
48 - Katherine Puisis, 2016-present
46 - Madi Wilcox, 2014-17
42 - Amanda Carroll, 2016-present
38 - Mackenzie Allen, 2015-18
38 - Ashley Glickert, 2015-18
37 - Giovanna Borgiotti, 2017-present

Due to their 30-win benchmark, Whetstone and Burnam now qualify for the program's career winning percentage leaders - and they aren't looking up at anyone.

Career Winning Percentage Leaders (Minimum 30 Wins)
.698 - Snowy Burnam, 2016-19 (30-13)
.698 - Kayla Whetstone, 2016-19 (30-13)
.615 - Katherine Puisis; 2016-19 (48-30)
.612 - Karissa Rhoades; 2016-19 (52-33)
.590 - Madi Wilcox; 2014-17 (46-32)
.561 - Giovanna Borgiotti; 2017-19 (37-29)
.525 - Amanda Carroll; 2016-19 (42-38)

Cortney VanLiew (Seymour, Ind./Columbus East HS) has been a mainstay at the No. 5 pair for the Green and Blue this year. The sophomore moved to 9-8 on the season after Saturday's action, which improves her career-high win total.

Up Next
FGCU will now close the regular season with six crucial conference matches over a three-day stretch beginning Thursday in Jacksonville. The Eagles will face North Florida, Mercer and Jacksonville over that period.
 
This summer, the ASUN announced the additions of Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Morehead State as affiliate members of the conference for beach volleyball. Those three teams competed as independent programs in the NCAA the past several seasons and will join new ASUN member North Alabama in bringing the conference to 10 members and a division split. The North Division features Coastal Carolina, Austin Peay, Jacksonville State, Morehead State and North Alabama. The South Division features FGCU, Jacksonville, Mercer, North Florida and Stetson.

In terms of the postseason, the top team from each division will automatically qualify for the ASUN tournament. They will be joined by four at-large participants with selection and seeding done by the ASUN office, in conjunction with the same process currently employed by the NCAA.
 
Thus, the regular season finale against division foes North Florida, Mercer and Jacksonville will play a large role in who gets postseason berths.

RESULTS
FGCU 5, Florida Southern 0
1. Carroll/Garder d. Wilson/Montoya 21-16, 21-14
2. Puisis/Rhoades d. Trefren/Whiteleather 24-22, 21-14
3. Whetstone/Burnam d. Calhoun/Mathews 21-14, 21-6
4. Borgiotti/Lacour d. Goodrich/Greco 21-14, 21-9
5. Ryan/VanLiew d. Jones/Nichols 21-19, 21-9

FGCU 5, Tampa 0
1. Carroll/Garder d. Oswald/Rosequist 21-17, 16-21, 15-12
2. Puisis/Rhoades d. Houghton/McKiel 22-20, 21-7
3. Whetstone/Burnam d. Rosequist/Thompson 21-17, 21-18
4. Borgiotti/Lacour d. Pfuner/Elias 22-20, 29-31, 15-8
5. Ryan/VanLiew d. Duffy/Haslag 21-10, 23-21
 
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 51-35 record over the past three-plus seasons (57-64 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 68-79. 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.