DeLand, Fla. – The FGCU beach volleyball team (10-8, 4-2 ASUN Conference) earned a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon against Coastal Carolina (15-8) on the second day of the Stetson Beach Invitational.
 
The Green & Blue would later drop its second match of the day, falling 3-2 against 14^th-ranked FAU (12-8).
 
"Overall, it was a very competitive weekend and exactly what you want pushing your team at the midway point in the season," said FGCU head beach volleyball coach Chris Sweat. "We played some really good competition today, and came away with a great win in our first match and had our moments again in the second match, but couldn't find a way to pull it out.
 
"We've got some big weekends and matchups coming up in the next few weeks, and I'm excited to get back to practice on Monday to prepare for it."
 
Senior Shelby Beisner (Port Charlotte, Fla/Charlotte) and junior Trinity Rosales (Wilmington, N.C./Eugene Ashley) teamed for back-to-back victories – prevailing 19-21, 21-19, 15-8 to clinch the match against the Chanticleers at No. 2, and earning a 21-13, 21-15 victory at No. 1 against the Owls.
 
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 against Coastal Carolina with a 21-18, 21-14 decision at No. 4.
 
The other FGCU pair to grab a win against the Chanticleers was freshman Kristina Gluc (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola Virtual) and sophomore Jacqueline Carpenter (Dublin, Ohio. /Dublin Jerome) – who won 21-19, 21-16 at No. 5.
 
Hamilton and sophomore Mia Thompson (Latana, Texas/Guyer High School) also scored a victory against FAU, winning 24-22, 21-15 at No. 5.
 
The Eagles return to action March 31 at the North Florida Invite in Jacksonville – playing No. 17 Stetson (12-8) at 8 a.m., and host North Florida (11-5) at noon.
 
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 3, Coastal Carolina 2
1. Kragholm, Martine/Riedell, Sarah (CCU) def. Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) 21-18, 25-23
2. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Sanchez, Elena/Hanford, Ellie (CCU) 19-21, 21-19, 15-8
3. Lichty, Madie/Svobodova, Sarlota (CCU) def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 22-20, 21-13
4. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) def. Allred, Madison/Ehlers, Raychel (CCU) 21-18, 21-14
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Gonzalez, Emma/Campbell, Lucy (CCU) 21-19, 21-16 
 
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2


 
No. 14 FAU 3, FGCU 2



1. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Christine Jarman/Kendall Mignerey (FAU) 21-13, 21-15
2. Julie Honzovicova/Ashleigh Adams (FAU) def. Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) 21-17, 22-20
3. Emma Grace Robertson/Jillienne Cloud (FAU) def. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 21-17, 21-15
4. Stephanie Young/Logan Mignerey (FAU) def. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) 21-18, 21-19
5. Lexie Hamilton/Mia Thompson (FGCU) def. Kate McLaughlin/Alivia Orvieto (FAU) 24-22, 21-15



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 60-32 (.652) 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 in 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 3.67 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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