Tampa, Fla. – The FGCU beach volleyball team (3-5, 1-1 ASUN Conference) delivered a 3-2 victory against Tampa (1-8) Sunday morning in the Tampa Tournament before dropping a close 3-2 battle against No. 2 Florida State (7-0).
 
"The level of competition that this tournament was what college volleyball is all about," said FGCU head beach volleyball coach Chris Sweat. "There were so many matches over the weekend that came down to two points, and whoever executed the game plan better ended up winning. We came up short in a couple of matches, but it was great to see the fight in some overtime victories at certain sets.
 
FGCU's No. 2 pair of senior Shelby Beisner (Port Charlotte, Fla/Charlotte) and junior Trinity Rosales (Wilmington, N.C./Eugene Ashley) delivered back-to-back victories – battling 12-21, 21-15. 16-14 against the Seminoles, and taking a 21-15, 11-21, 19-17 victory against the Trojans.
 
The other victorious pair from the FSU match was sophomore Kaitlyn Luebbers (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) and graduate Lexie Hamilton (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS/UNCW) delivering a 16-21, 22-20, 15-12 decision at No. 4.
 
In the morning session, freshman Kristina Gluc (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola Virtual) and sophomore Jacqueline Carpenter (Dublin, Ohio. /Dublin Jerome) won 21-16, 21-9 at match No. 5.
 
FGCU's No. 1 pair of junior Kacie Johnson (Frisco, Texas/Lebanon Trail HS) and senior Maddison Parmelly (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall Health) delivered a 21-15, 21-15 victory.
 
The Eagles return to action at home March 15 for double matches against Jacksonville, with matches set for 2 p.m. and 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.
 
Tampa 2, FGCU 3
1. Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) def. Cassidy Ehrie and Julia Oswald (UT) 21-15, 21-15
2. Shelby Beisner /Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def Angel Williams and Payton Brunick (UT)
21-15, 11-21, 19-17
3. Nevaeh Wolfe and Hailey Wolfe (UT) def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 15-21, 21-18, 15-13
4. Keely Hamilton and Madison Brunick (UT) def. Lexie Hamilton/Kaitlyn Luebbers (FGCU) 12-21, 21-17, 15-11
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Madison Mandeville and Kalli Cors (UT)
21-16, 21-9


Order of Finish: 5, 4, 1, 3, 2

No. 2 FSU 3, FGCU 2
1. Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff (FSU) def. Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) 21-13, 21-10
2. Shelby Beisner /Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Caitlin Godwin and Anna Long (FSU)
12-21, 21-15, 16-14
3. Jordan Polo and Audrey Koenig (FSU) def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 21-14, 21-16
4. Lexie Hamilton/Kaitlyn Luebbers (FGCU) def. Maddie Trusty and Audrey Rothman (FSU) 16-21, 22-20, 15-12
5. Chloe Charles and Carra Sassack (FSU) def. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) 21-15, 22-20


Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 1, 2
 
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.

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 53-28 (.654) 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 95 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 47 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. 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 four 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 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 26 consecutive semesters. The past six semesters (Fall 2019 – Spring 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.