FAU Beach Bash in Paradise
Matches	Match 7 vs No. 1 Florida State | Friday | 1 p.m. Match 8 vs UAB | Friday | 5 p.m. Match 9 vs No. 14 Stetson | Saturday | 3 p.m. Match 10 at No. 12 Florida Atlantic | 5 p.m.
When	Friday, March 19 and Saturday, March 20
Where	Boca Raton, Fla. | FAU Beach Volleyball Complex
Live Stats	n/a
Stream	n/a
Twitter	@FGCU_BeachVB
Instagram	@FGCU_BeachVB
Facebook	FGCU Beach Volleyball

BOCA RATON, Fla. --- The FGCU beach volleyball team (5-1) will compete against three top 15 nationally-ranked teams, including No. 1 Florida State, in the FAU Beach Bash in Paradise on Friday and Saturday at FAU's Beach Volleyball Complex.
 
It will be the first time the Eagles have ever faced the top-ranked team in the nation, and it is the first time they'll face the Seminoles since the program's second season in April 2013. They'll also battle UAB, who they're 2-0 all-time against with both coming in neutral site matchups, as well as No. 12 FAU and No. 14 Stetson.
 
The Green and Blue are 4-5 against the Owls but produced the program's first-ever win over a ranked team against No. 15 FAU on March 10, 2018. Meanwhile, this will be the first meeting between FGCU and Stetson since the Hatters pulled out a 3-2 win in the 2019 ASUN championship match.
 
Individually, FGCU's current roster has 10 wins over ranked teams, led by Kayla Whetstone (4) and Giovanna Borgiotti (3). Kirstine Garder, Kacie Johnson and Emma Hansen have the other three. The Eagles have produced 21 victories in individual pairings against ranked teams all-time, and Whetstone's total is second-most in FGCU annals behind Madi Wilcox (6).
 
Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) and Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) will also look to continue climbing the program's career victories list.
 

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

 
The Eagles have started the season 5-1 overall with their only loss to No. 13 Florida International last weekend. In fact, this year's schedule is shaping up to be the toughest in program history. The upcoming weekend's slate will push their total matches against ranked teams in 2021 to four, and they could face at least four more ranked teams before the regular season is over, which would surpass the 2017 and 2018 squads, who went up against seven ranked squads apiece.

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.
 
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!
 
COACH SWEAT
Chris Sweat is in his second season as head coach of the FGCU beach volleyball program after spending the prior five seasons as an assistant coach. A member of VolleyballMag.com's Under 40 Coaching Hotshots list in January 2020, he led the Eagles to a 4-0 start in 2020 prior to the Covid-19 shutdown and has compiled a 9-1 record to open his head coaching tenure.
 
#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 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.
 
--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--