ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Coming off an ASUN Championship runner-up finish and a single-season record 18 wins, the FGCU beach volleyball team will begin its ninth season in program history this weekend with four matches over two days in Eckerd College's Battle On The Bay. The Eagles will face UT Martin and Jacksonville on Friday before closing things out against Florida Southern and Tampa on Saturday.
 
"Everyone is really excited to get this season started," FGCU head coach Chris Sweat said. "Last week, the team really started to come together and it showed in the intense competitions at practice. The girls have been working really hard, and I can't wait to see them in action this weekend."
 
Sweat will make his official debut as head coach on Friday after being elevated from an assistant coach role, which he has served in for the past five seasons. Outside of that, several other storylines will be interesting to follow either this weekend or as the team progresses forward through the season:
 
Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS), the team's lone senior, sits at 44 career wins, which is fifth in program history. She is the only player in program history with 10 or more wins in each of her first three collegiate seasons, and she has done so at three different pairs. This year, she will have a chance to make it four as she opens the season at the No. 1 spot, and she would need 18 wins to become the program's all-time career leader.
 
Along with Borgiotti, Kirstine Garder (Halden, Norway/TopVolley Norge) is coming off the best rookie season in program history as she won 18 games at the No. 1 pair along with the now-graduated Amanda Carroll. She was named the ASUN's Freshman of the Year and became one of just four freshmen in program history with at least 15 wins. She finished 4-2 in the ASUN tournament, which included a sweep of Stetson's Carly Perales and Sunniva Helland-Hansen in the championship match - the duo's first two-set loss in three-plus years together and their first to an unranked team.
 
Snowy Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) and Kayla Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) also return for their third year together after becoming the first pair in program history to win more than 20 matches with an .800 winning percentage in a season. Overall, they broke the program's single-season wins record (24) en route to First Team All-ASUN recognition and were also selected for the AVCA's Top Flight Award. They are on pace to break the program's career wins record in 2021.
 
The Green and Blue will also see several debuts this weekend. Jenna Banz (Cambridge, Ontario/St. Benedict Catholic Secondary) transferred in from the University of Hawaii, where she produced a win over No. 11 Stanford last year. Additionally, a trio of freshmen will also make their debuts - Elizabeth Richmond (Oakville, Ontario/Blythe Academy), Shelby Beisner (Port Charlotte, Fla./Charlotte HS) and Maddison Parmelly (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall Heath HS).

SERIES HISTORY
1-0 vs UT Martin
11-7 vs Jacksonville
2-0 vs Florida Southern
2-1 vs Tampa
 
THE COMPETITION
UT Martin (4-2) has already surpassed last year's win total (3-19). Both of their losses have come in 3-2 fashion. Their No. 4 duo of Kayla Carrell and Addison Conley, along with their No. 5 pair of Haeleigh Paulino and Jessica Reynolds, are both 5-0 on the season.
 
The Eagles will meet ASUN rival, Jacksonville, in a non-conference matchup. It will also be the season opener for the Dolphins after finishing 1-11 last year, and they will be led by new interim head coach Darren Roberts.
 
Florida Southern (3-1) produced wins over Erskine and St. Johns River to open the season before splitting a doubleheader with UT Martin. After finishing 14-16 overall last year, the Mocs improved their win total by nine games last year following the program's inaugural season in 2018.

Tampa (5-3) will be the most-seasoned team the Eagles will face this weekend as they have already competed in eight matches. All three of their losses have come to ranked teams, including No. 2 Florida State (5-0) on Feb. 23, No. 7 Cal Poly (4-1) on Feb. 22 and No. 10 Florida International (4-1) on Feb. 29. They have competed in events hosted by Florida State and FIU, while their No. 4 pair of Tatiana Gutierrez and Erica Haslag are a team-best 7-1 this year.

SEASON OPENERS
The Eagles have won four straight and are 5-3 all-time in season-opening matches.

NEXT UP
FGCU will be in Boca Raton next weekend for FAU's Burrow Beach Bash where they'll face Austin Peay, Webber International, UNC Wilmington and No. 13 Florida Atlantic.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For complete coverage of the beach volleyball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_BeachVB, on Facebook at /FGCUvolleyball and online at FGCUathletics.com. You can also sign up to have news on FGCU beach volleyball or other programs delivered directly to your inbox by visiting www.fgcuathletics.com/email.
 
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 81 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 12-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just eight-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 36 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including women's basketball (2019-20) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2018 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for twenty-one consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall semester saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--