UNF Classic (Saturday)
Game 25	vs UNF | 11 a.m.
Game 26	vs No. 19 Georgia State | 1 p.m.
Where	Jacksonville, Fla. | Cooper Beach Volleyball Complex
Live Stats	here
Live Stream	here (vs UNF only)
Twitter	@FGCU_BeachVB
Instagram	@FGCU_BeachVB
Facebook	FGCU Beach Volleyball

 

JU Classic (Sunday)
Game 27	vs Jacksonville | 10 a.m.
Game 28	vs North Florida | 12 p.m.
Where	Jacksonville, Fla. | Payne Sand Volleyball Courts at Dolphin Beach
Live Stats	here
Live Stream	n/a
Twitter	@FGCU_BeachVB
Instagram	@FGCU_BeachVB
Facebook	FGCU Beach Volleyball

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --- The FGCU beach volleyball team (13-11) will conclude the toughest regular season in program history this weekend with four matches split between events hosted by the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University.
 
The Eagles will face their 10th AVCA Top 20 ranked team of the season on Saturday with a matchup against No. 19 Georgia State (19-12). They'll also face CollegeBeachVolleyball.com No. 20 ranked North Florida (17-7) once each day, as well as Jacksonville (2-16-1) once on Sunday.
 
Prior to this year, FGCU's previous season-high for most ranked opponents faced was seven, which occurred in 2017 and 2018, and those totals also include postseason games. The Eagles are 2-7 in those games so far this year, although three of the losses were in 3-2 fashion and another came against top-ranked Florida State in the program's first-ever match against the No. 1 team in the country.
 
Individually, Kayla Whetstone will look to become FGCU's all-time wins leader this weekend. She is currently tied with Karissa Rhoades (2016-19) for the most with 61, and she's reached the milestone in 13 fewer matches. Meanwhile, Giovanna Borgiotti is tied for third place in career victories (57) with Katie Puisis (2016-19).
 
FGCU Career Wins

1.	61	Karissa Rhoades	2016-19	61-35	.635
	61	Kayla Whetstone	2018-present	61-22	.735
3.	57	Katie Puisis	2016-19	57-32	.640
	57	Giovanna Borgiotti	2017-present	57-47	.548
5.	50	Amanda Carroll	2016-19	50-42	.543

 
Kacie Johnson, who has paired at No. 2 this year with Whetstone, is two wins shy of breaking the program's rookie wins record of 18, which was set just two seasons ago by Kirstine Garder, who moved into the top 10 in career victories earlier this week.
 
Following this weekend, FGCU will compete in the ASUN Championship April 23-25 in DeLand, Fla.
 
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 17-11 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 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.

--FGCUATHLETICS.COM--