TAMPA, Fla. - The FGCU beach volleyball team produced a pair of victories over Jacksonville (5-0) and Tampa (3-2) in the Tampa Classic to open the 10th season in program history on Friday at the Tampa Beach Volleyball Complex. It was the first time the Eagles had competed since March 7, 2020.
 
"It was amazing to watch the athletes compete again after the craziness of the last year," FGCU head coach Chris Sweat said. "Our last match with Tampa was such a battle and to see them pull out a couple hard fought sets was really nice to see. The confidence that Maddie Lichty had in clutch moments in her first collegiate day of beach volleyball was really nice to see as well."­
 
A mixture of newcomers and veterans had solid days for the Eagles. Senior Kayla Whetstone teamed with freshman Kacie Johnson for a pair of victories, with one coming at No. 1 and the other at No. 2. Junior Emma Hansen teamed with freshman Madie Lichty at the No. 3 and No. 4 pairs for two wins, including a tough three-set victory against Tampa that helped FGCU clinch the match.
 
Sophomore Maddison Parmelly also won two matches, each coming with a different partner. Along with Kirstine Garder, she swept the No. 2 pair against Jacksonville before teaming with Lexie Hamilton for a straight-set win at the No. 3 pair vs Tampa. Jenna Banz, Elizabeth Richmond and Trinity Rosales also picked up one victory apiece.
 
FGCU is now 7-3 all-time in season-openers with wins in six straight. The Eagles are 4-1 all-time vs Tampa and 13-7 against Jacksonville.
 
The Green and Blue will look to continue their strong start on Saturday with matches against Mercer and Eckerd at 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
 
Notes
With her two wins, Whetstone now has 46 career victories, which moved her into a tie with Madi Wilcox (2014-17) for fifth-most in program history. She started the day tied with Snowy Burnam (44, 2018-20) and now sets her sights on teammate Giovanna Borgiotti (48) and Amanda Carroll (50, 2016-19).
 
FGCU 5, Jacksonville 0
1. Kayla Whetstone/Kacie Johnson d. Morgan Dees/Shaylee Befus 21-15, 21-13
2. Maddison Parmelly/Kirstine Garder d. Rina Mitchell/Olivia Szszkiewicz 21-19, 21-16
3. Emma Hansen/Madie Lichty d. Kathryn Wristen/Giao Huynh 21-16, 21-9
4. Lexie Hamilton/Jenna Banz d. Kari DeYoung/Kaitlyn Sereda 21-7, 21-3
5. Trinity Rosales/Elizabeth Richmond d. Jacksonville (forfeit)
 
FGCU 3, Tampa 2
1. Rachel Rosequist/Julia Oswald (Tampa) d. Giovanna Borgiotti/Kirstine Garder 26-24, 16-21, 15-9
2. Kayla Whetstone/Kacie Johnson (FGCU) d. Melissa Elias/Tatiana Gutierrez (Tampa) 21-15, 23-21
3. Lexie Hamilton/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) d. Valerie Rosequist/Katie McKiel (Tampa) 21-18, 21-18
4. Madie Lichty/Emma Hansen (FGCU) d. Kiersten Anderson/Madison Brunick (Tampa) 23-21, 9-21, 15-12
5. Payton Brunick/Cassidy Ehrie (Tampa) d. Jenna Banz/Elizabeth Richmond 21-15, 20-22, 15-10
 
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!
 
#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--