DeLand, Fla. – The FGCU beach volleyball team (9-7, 4-2 ASUN Conference) delivered a 4-1 victory Friday morning against North Alabama (12-9) on the first day of the Stetson Beach Invitational.
 
The Green & Blue would later drop its second match of the day, falling 3-2 against the 17^th-ranked Hatters (11-7).
 
"We are halfway through the season, and are really figuring things out in a lot of our matches," said FGCU head beach volleyball coach Chris Sweat. "Stetson showed why they have been on top of the conference for so long, and we had our chances, but could not execute when we needed to. Our 5s and 3s got us two huge wins, and our other pairs lost sets by two points or in the tiebreak, so the girls know they are right there and will stay hungry for more. I'm excited for the upcoming games on our schedule against some of the best competition we will play."
 
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 21-12, 21-14 against the Lions, and earning a 18-21, 21-19, 17-15 victory against the Hatters.
 
The other pair that grabbed two wins Friday was freshmen Dylan Brewer (Lantana, Texas/John H. Guyer HS) and sophomore Nicole De Oliveira (Cary, N.C./ Green Level HS) winning 21-11, 21-16 at No. 3 vs. North Alabama, and delivering a 21-19, 19-21, 15-11 result against Stetson.
 
Senior Shelby Beisner (Port Charlotte, Fla/Charlotte) and junior Trinity Rosales (Wilmington, N.C./Eugene Ashley) won their match 21-17, 21-15 against UNA 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 21-14, 21-15 decision at No. 4 to seal the victory.
 
The Eagles return to action Saturday afternoon, taking on Coastal Carolina (14-7) at noon, and then battling No. 14 Florida Atlantic (9-7) at 4 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.
 
FGCU 4, North Alabama 1
1. Paula Klemperer/Taylor Seney (UNA) def. Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) 18-21, 21-16, 15-4
2. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Mackenzie Martin/Katy Floyd (UNA) 21-17, 21-15
3. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) def. Martha McLaurin/Selma Robinson (UNA) 21-11, 21-16
4. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) def. Natalie Kordt/Jelena Girod (UNA) 21-14, 21-15
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Kati Anderson/Katie Gerig (UNA) 21-12, 21-14
Ext. Elizabeth Richmond/Mia Thompson (FGCU) def. Sarah Larkin Lewis/Abby Robertson (UNA) 21-8, 21-18
 
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 2, 1


 
No. 17 Stetson 3, FGCU 2


1. Karin Zolnercikova/Shae Henson (STET) def. Maddison Parmelly/Kacie Johnson (FGCU) 21-14, 22-20
2. Carolina Ferraris/Anete Namike (STET) def. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) 21-18, 19-21, 15-13
3. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) def. Noelle Weintraub/Audrey Gauthier (STET) 21-19, 19-21, 15-11
4. Klea Sirois/Lauren Della (STET) def. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) 21-16, 24-22
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Tori Clement/Gabriella Bramante (STET) 18-21, 21-19, 17-15
Ext. Mia Thompson/Lily Felts (FGCU) def. Kennedy Warren/Jenna Gathright (STET) 16-21, 21-18, 16-14


Order of Finish: 4, 5,1,3,2
 

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 59-31 (.655) 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. 19 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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