ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Featuring two different lineups, the FGCU beach volleyball team (4-0) remained undefeated with a 5-0 win over Florida Southern and a 3-2 win over Tampa to close out Eckerd College's Battle on the Bay on Saturday afternoon.
 
"Today was a great battle for all of our teams," FGCU head coach Chris Sweat said. "Eight of the 10 matches went to a third set and it was great seeing us execute in high pressure situations. Overall, we're really happy with the first weekend of season and looking forward to the next few months."
 
In the opener against Florida Southern, Sweat shuffled around his lineup, which forced the duo of Snowy Burnam and Kayla Whetstone to be separated for the first time in their two-plus year careers. Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) joined Giovanna Borgiotti at the No. 1 pair and produced a 21-12, 14-21, 15-12 win, while Burnam (Palm City, Fla./Jensen Beach HS) teamed with Maddison Parmelly for a 21-8, 21-13 win at No. 2.
 
Meanwhile, the Eagles also produced gritty, three-set wins at the other three pairs as Cortney VanLiew and Jenna Banz (Cambridge, Ontario/St. Benedict Catholic Secondary) pulled out a 15-7 win in the third set at No. 3, while Shelby Beisner (Port Charlotte, Fla./Charlotte HS) and Emma Hansen won 15-12 at No. 4. Alayna Ryan (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS) and Camryn Bossinas captured a 19-21, 21-15, 15-12 win at No. 5 that was the first non-exhibition match career victory for Bossinas (Roswell, Ga./Roswell HS).
 
In the finale against Tampa, Burnam and Whetstone rejoined each other at No. 2 and pulled out a come-from-behind win in three sets with a 15-10 clincher. Kirstine Garder (Halden, Norway/Topvolley Norge) teamed with Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) for another come-from-behind win in a 15-13 clincher at No. 1.
 
Also producing a win in the second match of the day was Elizabeth Richmond (Oakville, Ontario/Blyth Academy) and Hansen (Trophy Club, Texas/Westlake Academy) at No. 5, and they recorded the lone two-set win of the match (21-12, 21-19).
 
Overall, Hansen, Borgiotti, Burnam and Whetstone are all 4-0 on the season, while Garder checks in at 3-0. Through four matches, the Eagles are 18-2 in pairings head-to-head.
 
With her two wins on Saturday, Borgiotti moved past Madi Wilcox (46, 2014-17) for sole possession of fourth-place on the program's career wins list. Next up is Amanda Carroll (50, 2016-19).
 
Next Up
FGCU will be back in action Friday against Austin Peay and Webber International in the opener of FAU's Burrow Beach Bash in Boca Raton.
 
Full Results - Saturday
FGCU 5, Florida Southern 0
1. Borgiotti/Whetstone d. Greco/Ronda 21-12, 14-21, 15-12
2. Burnam/Parmelly d. Bergeron/Eberle 21-8, 21-13
3. VanLiew/Banz d. Whiteleather/Goodrich 21-14, 15-21, 15-7
4. Beisner/Hansen d. Trefren/Jones 20-22, 21-16, 15-12
5. Ryan/Bossinas d. Matthews/Bozeman 19-21, 21-15, 15-12
 
FGCU 3, Tampa 2
1. Garder/Borgiotti (FGCU) d. Oswald/Rosequist 13-21, 21-11, 15-13
2. Burnam/Whetstone (FGCU) d. Civiero/Rosequist 18-21, 21-15, 15-10
3. McKiel/Elias (Tampa) d. Parmelly/Banz 13-21, 21-15, 16-14
4. Haslag/Gutierrez (Tampa) d. VanLiew/Beisner 19-21, 24-22, 15-11
5. Richmond/Hansen (FGCU) d. Overton/Pfuner (Tampa) 21-12, 21-19
 
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.
 
E.A.G.L.E. CAMPAIGN
IT TAKES A TEAM to achieve our newest goal - a $10 million campaign to address student-athlete needs in continued academic success, life skills, mental health, nutrition, and strength and conditioning as well as departmental needs in facility expansion and improvement as well as mentoring and leadership training for coaches and staff. The name embodies our mission and the purpose of the E.A.G.L.E. Campaign - Eagle Athletics Generating Lifetime Excellence. Join Our Team and pledge your gift today to help the Eagles of tomorrow!

#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April 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 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--