DELAND, Fla. --- The No. 20 FGCU beach volleyball team (7-5) came within just a couple points of splitting a weekday doubleheader at No. 16 Stetson (12-6) on Wednesday, but dropped the deciding set 17-15 as the host Hatters won both matches.
 
In the first match, the Eagles were swept but forced third sets at the No. 2 and 4 pairs. In the finale, the underclassmen duo of Trinity Rosales and Elizabeth Richmond produced a 21-17, 21-18 win at No. 5 to even up the match before the second wave began.
 
After Stetson took a 2-1 lead, Giovanna Borgiotti and Kirstine Garder registered a thrilling 27-25 win in their opening set at No. 1 before finishing off Stetson in straight sets to even up the match. The reigning ASUN co-pair of the week, Kayla Whetstone and Kacie Johnson, then rallied for a 23-21 win in their second set at No. 2 and led 11-6 in the third, but Stetson ultimately pulled out a 17-15 win.
 
With her win in the finale, Borgiotti (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall HS) moved into a tie with Whetstone (Arlington, Texas/Arlington Lamar HS) for third place in career victories with 51 as the duo continues to chase Karissa Rhoades (61, 2016-19) and Katie Puisis (57, 2016-19) for the top spot.
 
The Eagles will be back in action on Friday and Saturday in the FIU Surf 'N Turf, where they will face Florida Memorial and Tulane on Friday before battling No. 12 FAU and No. 13 FIU on Saturday. Next Tuesday's home doubleheader against Eckerd College has been postponed as a makeup date is being worked on.
 
No. 16 Stetson 5, No. 20 FGCU 0
1. Carly Perales/Ana Costa def. Giovanna Borgiotti/Kirstine Garder 21-10, 21-18
2. Yasmin Kuck/Gabriella Bramante def. Kayla Whetstone/Kacie Johnson 15-21, 21-13, 15-8
3. Kamryn Johnson/Shae Henson def. Maddison Parmelly/Lexie Hamilton 21-14, 21-11
4. Brittany McLean/Noelle Weintraub def. Emma Hansen/Madie Lichty 21-14, 17-21, 15-11
5. Aleksandra Stadnik/Madison Bobes def. Jenna Banz/Trinity Rosales 21-19, 21-15
 
No. 16 Stetson 3, No. 20 FGCU 2
1. Giovanna Borgiotti/Kirstine Garder (FGCU) def. Carly Perales/Ana Costa 27-25, 21-13
2. Yasmin Kuck/Gabriella Bramante (STET) def. Kayla Whetstone/Kacie Johnson 21-7, 21-23, 17-15
3. Kamryn Johnson/Shae Henson (STET) def. Maddison Parmelly/Lexie Hamilton 21-16, 21-14
4. Brittany McLean/Noelle Weintraub (STET) def. Emma Hansen/Madie Lichty 21-17, 21-16
5. Trinity Rosales/Elizabeth Richmond (FGCU) def. Aleksandra Stadnik/Madison Bobes 21-17, 21-18
 
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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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 11-5 record to open his head coaching tenure.
 
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 85 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 40 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 21, 2020-21), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 23 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, and 2020 Fall 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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