BOCA RATON, Fla. – With a 4-1 win over Saint Leo in the first match of the day, the No. 20 FGCU beach volleyball team set a new program record for single-season wins as the Eagles earned their 19
th victory of the season. In the late afternoon session, the Green and Blue saw its nine-match win streak broken in a 5-0 loss to No. 10 FAU. The split pushed FGCU's record to 19-6 overall on the year.
"I thought we battled really well today, especially against one of the top teams in the country. FAU plays so well at home and edged us out in some of the pairs," said head coach
Chris Sweat. "But I love to see us fight so hard against the #10 team in the country. We are looking forward to playing them again tomorrow and finishing the next two weekends strong before conference."
The first match of the day saw the Eagles earn a 4-1 win over Saint Leo (19-9) after winning three straight flights. The win for FGCU snapped the Lions' 13-match win streak. Saint Leo opened the match with a win at the No. 2 flight before the Eagles won at No. 4, No. 5, and No. 1 to secure the win.
Kacie Johnson and
Maddison Parmelly earned the match-clinching point after winning the top flight 21-5, 21-18.
In the late afternoon set, the Owls earned a 5-0 win improving to 17-8 overall and winning their fourth straight match. The Eagles played three closely contested matches that either forced three sets or were decided by two points. In the No. 4 flight,
Snowy Burnam and
Cortney VanLiew won the second set, 21-19 before falling 15-12 in the third.
Kaitlyn Luebbers and
Emma Hansen also won their second set, 21-17, with their first and third sets being decided by a pair of points. Johnson and Parmelly also fought to two-point games falling at the No. 1 fight (21-19, 22-20).
The Eagles will return to action on Saturday afternoon as they take on Palm Beach Atlantic (1 PM) and FAU (3 PM).
#20 FGCU 4, Saint Leo 1
1. JOHNSON, Kacie/PARMELLY, Maddison (FGCU) def. Nina Vattovas/Jeanette Henderson (SLU) 21-5, 21-18
2. Aliya Fredette/LeeAnn Potter (SLU) def. CARPENTER, Jaci/HAMILTON, Lexie (FGCU) 22-20, 21-18
3. ROSALES, Trinity/BEISNER, Shelby (FGCU) def. Ally-Reese Williams/Emma Miller (SLU) 21-19, 21-19
4. BURNHAM, Snowy/VANLIEW, Cortney (FGCU) def. Clare Flanagan/Brenna Reinhard (SLU) 21-14, 21-16
5. LUEBBERS, Kaitlyn/HANSEN, Emma (FGCU) def. Elizabeth Sandoval/Amanda Doherty (SLU) 21-11, 21-10
Ext. ENGLISH, Skylar/THOMPSON, Mia (FGCU) def. Morgan Maddox/Angela Goggin (SLU) 21-12, 21-13
Order of finish: 2,4,5,1,3
#10 Florida Atlantic 5, #20 FGCU 0
1. Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris (FAU) def. JOHNSON, Kacie/PARMELLY, Maddison (FGCU) 21-19, 22-20
2. Courtney Moon/Marketa Svozilova (FAU) def. CARPENTER, Jaci/HAMILTON, Lexie (FGCU) 22-20, 21-12
3. Ellie Austin/Julie Honzovicova (FAU) def. BEISNER, Shelby/ROSALES, Trinity (FGCU) 21-16, 21-13
4. Jillienne Cangelosi/Christine Jarman (FAU) def. BURNHAM, Snowy/VANLIEW, Cortney (FGCU) 21-11, 19-21, 15-12
5. Mica Allison/Logan Mignerey (FAU) def. LUEBBERS, Kaitlyn/HANSEN, Emma (FGCU) 22-20, 17-21, 16-14
Ext. Abby Jackson/Lily Richman (FAU) def. ENGLISH, Skylar/THOMPSON, Mia (FGCU) 21-9, 21-14
Order of finish: 2,4,1,5,3
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
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COACH SWEAT
Chris Sweat is in his third 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 40-21 record to open his head coaching tenure.
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 90 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 10 seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 44 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. 20, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022) 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 25 consecutive semesters. The past five semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2021) each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. 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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