DELAND, Fla. - The third-seeded FGCU beach volleyball team (17-13) knocked off sixth-seeded North Alabama (W, 5-0) and second-seeded North Florida (W, 4-1) in the ASUN tournament on Friday at the Cooper Beach Volleyball Courts. In doing so, the Eagles advance to the winner's bracket final against top-seeded No. 16 Stetson on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
The winner of Saturday's match advances to Sunday's winner-take-all championship match at 1 p.m. while the loser would have to win a loser's bracket final on Sunday at 11 a.m. to play for the title.
 
"Today is what the conference tournament is all about," FGCU head coach Chris Sweat said. "Every set was by two points or it went to a third set, but that's what you can expect in this type of atmosphere. Pulling out tight wins was great, and we are looking forward to the rest of the weekend."
 
FGCU, which needs one more win to match the program's single-season record for victories, opened the day with an easy sweep of North Alabama in which all but one pair was done in just two sets. In the finale, Jenna Banz and Trinity Rosales picked up their second victory of the day to help the Eagles split the first wave. Giovanna Borgiotti and Kirstine Garder then swept at No. 1 with a pair of two-point set wins for a 2-1 lead before Maddison Parmelly and Lexie Hamilton clinched the match with a 21-14, 15-21, 15-11 win at No. 3
 
Kayla Whetstone and Kacie Johnson lost the first set in each of their matches, but recorded two three-set victories, including a thrilling 15-13 win over North Florida.
 
Borgiotti improved to 10-4 all-time in the tournament while Whetstone (9-3) checks in just behind her for the most postseason victories in program history. Garder (6-2) and Emma Hansen (4-3) also improved to a combined 10-5 as those four are the only players with tournament experience for the Eagles prior to this season.
 
As a team, FGCU improved to 2-0 in the tournament against North Alabama. They've also won two of the past three against North Florida, improving to 4-8 all-time. They are also 16-16 overall in the tournament as this year represents the ninth year of its existence.


 
ASUN Championship Schedule/Results
 
Friday
Match 1: No. 4 Coastal Carolina 5, No. 5 Mercer 0
Match 2: No. 2 North Florida 5, No. 7 Jacksonville 0
Match 3: No. 3 FGCU 5, No. 6 North Alabama 0
Match 4: No. 1 Stetson 4, No. 4 Coastal Carolina 1
Match 5: No. 3 FGCU 4, No. 2 North Florida 1
 
Saturday
Match 6: No. 7 Jacksonville vs No. 6 North Alabama, 8 a.m.
Match 7: No. 5 Mercer vs No. 2 North Florida, 10 a.m.
Match 8: Game 6 winner vs No. 4 Coastal Carolina, 12 p.m.
Match 9: No. 1 Stetson vs No. 3 FGCU, 2 p.m.
Match 10: Game 8 winner vs Game 7 winner, 4 p.m.
 
Sunday
Match 11: Game 9 loser vs Game 10 winner, 11 a.m.
Match 12: Winner take all championship match, 1 p.m.
 
FGCU 5, North Alabama 0
1. Giovanna Borgiotti/Kirstine Garder def. Allison Temple/Taylor Seney 21-13, 21-18
2. Kayla Whetstone/Kacie Johnson def. Paula Klemperer/Natalie Kordt 20-22, 21-13, 15-11
3. Lexie Hamilton/Maddison Parmelly def. Jelena Girod/Lauren Quigley 21-17, 21-16
4. Emma Hansen/Madie Lichty def. Mackenzie Martin/Catie Ladner 21-9, 21-17
5. Trinity Rosales/Jenna Banz def. Samantha Shafer/Mackenzie Blackwood 21-19, 21-15
 
FGCU 4, North Florida 1
1. Giovanna Borgiotti/Kirstine Garder (FGCU) def. Dana Roskic/Antonia Harrison 21-19, 23-21
2. Kayla Whetstone/Kacie Johnson (FGCU) def. Taryn Griffey/Callie Workman 20-22, 21-17, 15-13
3. Maddison Parmelly/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) def. Kirby Smith/Marisa Rogers 21-14, 15-21, 15-11
4. Carleigh Semeniuk/Lauren Galinis (UNF) def. Emma Hansen/Madie Lichty 21-19, 12-21, 15-13
5. Jenna Banz/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Chantel McMillan/Carolyn Cain 21-12, 21-16

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 21-13 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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