MIAMI, Fla. – The FGCU beach volleyball team (6-6, 3-1 ASUN Conference) delivered an upset 3-2 victory Friday morning against No. 14 FIU (6-3) on the first day of the Surf & Turf Invitational. It was the first victory for the Eagles against the Panthers in program history.
 
FGCU would later drop the second match of the day, falling 4-1 against No. 15 FAU (8-6).
 
"I was very proud about how we played against some nationally ranked teams today," said FGCU head beach volleyball coach Chris Sweat. "We really handled the wind, and our serve receive put us in great position to score on either side. Both teams have such good ball control, and are so well coached, which made it a really great atmosphere for beach volleyball. We were more consistent in our first match but made too many errors against a team like FAU to come out with a second win. Overall, I was pleased with everyone's performance today."
 
FGCU's No. 5 pair of freshman Kristina Gluc (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola Virtual) and sophomore Jacqueline Carpenter (Dublin, Ohio. /Dublin Jerome) delivered back-to-back victories – prevailing 21-15, 29-27 against the Panthers, and taking a 21-19, 21-15 victory against the Owls.
 
Senior Shelby Beisner (Port Charlotte, Fla/Charlotte) and junior Trinity Rosales (Wilmington, N.C./Eugene Ashley) won their match 16-21, 21-19, 15-12 against FIU at No. 2. Sophomore Kaitlyn Luebbers (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) and graduate Lexie Hamilton (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS/UNCW) added another point for the Green & Blue with a 21-17, 21-15 decision at No. 4 to deliver the upset.
 
Hamilton and Luebbers won the first set 21-19 against FAU before falling 21-13, 19-17, and FGCU's No. 1 pair of junior Kacie Johnson (Frisco, Texas/Lebanon Trail HS) and senior Maddison Parmelly (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall Health) battled through a close 21-19, 21-18 defeat at No. 1.
 
The Eagles return to action Saturday afternoon, taking on Erskine (1-5) at 1:30 p.m., and then battling Palm Beach Atlantic (9-9) at 6:30 p.m.
 
For complete coverage of the FGCU 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.
 
No. 14 FIU 2, FGCU 3
1. Rachele Mancinelli/Milica Vukobrat (FIU) def. Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU)  21-16, 21-16
2. Shelby Beisner /Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def Giada Bianchi and Lisa Luini (FIU)
16-21, 21-19, 15-12
3. Alice Pratesi and Emily Meyer (FIU) def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 15-21, 21-15, 15-11
4. Lexie Hamilton/Kaitlyn Luebbers (FGCU) def. Zuzanna Bielak/Roberta Ribeiro (FIU) 21-17, 21-15
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Anna Davis/Dimitriadis (FIU)
21-15, 29-27

Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2, 3, 5  

No. 15 Florida Atlantic 4, FGCU 1
1. Ellie Austin/Christine Jarman (FAU) def.  Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly  (FGCU) 21-19, 21-18
2. Ashleigh Adams /Julie Honzovicova (FIU) def. Shelby Beisner /Trinity Rosales (FGCU) 21-11, 21-16
3. Emma Grace Robertson/Jillienne Cangelosi (FAU) def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 16-21, 21-19, 15-9
4. Logan Mignerey/Courtney Mooni (FAU) def. Lexie Hamilton/Kaitlyn Luebbers (FGCU) 19-21, 21-13, 19-17
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Stephanie Young/Alivia Orvieto (FAU) 21-19, 21-15

Order of Finish: 2, 1, 5, 4, 3
 

COACH SWEAT
Sweat's 2022 team finished with a program-high 29 wins, and Sweat earned his 50th career victory in just his third season as coach. Sweat became the first coach in FGCU program history to earn ASUN Coach of the Year accolade after guiding his team to its 11th-consecutive appearance in the ASUN Championship. The Eagles earned wins over two top-25 teams in 2022, downing No. 17 Stetson and No. 18 South Carolina while also taking down seven different conference squads. Sweat's FGCU program again ascended to a No. 20 ranking in the AVCA Top 20 in March 2022 and maintained that ranking through the ASUN Tournament. He is in his fourth 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 56-30 (.651) record
 
#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 96 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 15-plus seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just 11-plus seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 48 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. In 2022, the men's golf team became the first program to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. Nine FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 20 in 2021-22 and No. 22 in 2022-23), baseball (No. 20 in 2023), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2022), and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as five of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green & 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 3.66 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2022 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 27 consecutive semesters. The past seven semesters (Fall 2019 – Fall 2022) saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher cumulative 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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