MIAMI, Fla. --- The Lone Star State duo of Kacie Johnson and Kayla Whetstone produced a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon as the FGCU beach volleyball team (5-1) split two matches in the FIU Beach Bash against Palm Beach Atlantic (W, 4-1) and No. 13 FIU (L, 4-1).
 
"Both teams we played today made us work for every single point," FGCU head coach Chris Sweat said. "In the first match, I thought we serve received very well, but in our second one, FIU did a great job getting us out of system. They are both really great teams, and we are really looking forward to getting into the bulk of our season."
 
Whetstone and Johnson (Frisco, Texas/Lebanon Trail HS) improved to 5-1 together on the season. In the opener against PBA, they notched a come from behind victory with a thrilling 24-22 win in the second set before closing it out 15-8. Then, they swept No. 13 FIU's No. 2 pair of Emery Pillsbury and Emma Erteltova 21-19, 21-10.
 
Meanwhile, Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) pushed her career win total to 49, which puts her one shy of becoming the fifth player in program history to reach 50 victories. On top of that, that also puts her one win away from tying former teammate Amanda Carroll and current teammate Giovanna Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) for the third-most wins all-time.
 
Most Career Wins In Program History

1.	Karissa Rhoades	2016-19	61
2.	Katie Puisis	2016-19	57
3.	Amanda Carroll	2016-19	50
	Giovanna Borgiotti	2017-present	50
5.	Kayla Whetstone	2018-present	49

 
With the loss in the finale, the Eagles had their 13-match regular season winning streak snapped. The team will now prepare for the FAU Beach Bash in Paradise next Friday and Saturday as Tuesday's home match was postponed due to Covid-19 protocols within the University of Tampa program.
 
FGCU 4, Palm Beach Atlantic 1
1. Lunden Evans/Jazz Schmidt (PBA) def. Giovanna Borgiotti/Kirstine Garder 21-15, 19-21, 18-16
2. Kacie Johnson/Kayla Whetstone (FGCU) def. Lyndzey Minter/Abby Devido 15-21, 24-22, 15-8
3. Lexie Hamilton/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) def. Olivia Finckel/Emma Pieper 21-16, 21-16
4. Emma Hansen/Madie Lichty (FGCU) def. Julia Golichowski/Gabriella Aziz 21-19, 21-15
5. Trinity Rosales/Elizabeth Richmond (FGCU) def. Sydney Wagner/Jessica Nodell 21-15, 21-19
 
#13 FIU 4, FGCU 1
1. Frasca, Federica/Ribeiro, Roberta (FIU) def. Giovanna Borgiotti/Kirstine Garder 21-15, 21-23, 15-9
2. Kayla Whetstone/Kacie Johnson (FGCU) def. Pillsbury, Emery/Erteltova, Emma 21-19, 21-10
3. Bernier, Lina/Lipscomb, Gina (FIU) def. Lexie Hamilton/Maddison Parmelly 21-15, 21-15
4. Hughes, Abbie/Kalkhoff, Paige (FIU) def. Emma Hansen/Madie Lichty 21-9, 22-20
5. Mancinelli, Rachele/Bianchi, Giada (FIU) def. Jenna Banz/Elizabeth Richmond 21-9, 21-9
 
For complete coverage of the beach volleyball program, follow the Eagles on Twitter and Instagram at @FGCU_BeachVB, on Facebook at /fgcubeachvb 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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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 84 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 13 seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 38 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 (No. 24, 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 3.46 GPA in the classroom in the spring 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 22 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall and 2020 Spring semesters each 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.
 
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