FORT MYERS, Fla. – The FGCU beach volleyball team (13-15, 4-4 ASUN Conference) delivered a 3-2 upset victory Wednesday afternoon against No. 15 FAU (14-12) at the ROC on Senior Day. The win was the Green & Blue's sixth victory over Florida Atlantic in their 20-match history.
 
FGCU later dropped the second match of the day, falling 4-1.
 
"It was great to get a win in that first match, especially for the seniors," said FGCU head beach volleyball coach Chris Sweat. "There was some really good volleyball played all day, and I was really proud of how we fought in every match. You have to bring your best with a well-coached team like FAU, and they showed why they've been a ranked team for so many years with their high level of play.
 
"We are looking forward to the last regular season weekend in South Carolina this Friday and Saturday as we continue to prepare for the conference tournament."

FGCU's No. 1 pair of junior Kacie Johnson (Frisco, Texas/Lebanon Trail HS) and senior Maddison Parmelly (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall Health) delivered back-to-back victories – prevailing 22-20, 21-14 against FAU in the first match, and earning a 21-12, 22-20 victory in the second.
 
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 in the opener with a 21-19, 21-11 decision at No. 4.
 
FGCU's No. 5 pair of freshman Kristina Gluc (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola Virtual) and sophomore Jacqueline Carpenter (Dublin, Ohio. /Dublin Jerome) rallied for a 21-16, 27-29, 15-12 victory in the opener before Parmelly and Johnson clinched the match.
 
The Eagles return to action at 11 a.m. Friday, taking on host and No. 16 South Carolina (15-10) in the Palmetto Invitational.
 
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, No. 15 FAU 2
1. Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) def. Ellie Austin/Christine Jarman (FAU) 22-20, 21-14
2. Jillienne Cloud /Julie Honzovicova (FAU) def. Shelby Beisner /Trinity Rosales (FGCU) 21-19, 21-14
3. Marketa Svozilova/Courtney Moon (FAU) def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 19-21, 21-17, 15-13
4. Lexie Hamilton/Kaitlyn Luebbers (FGCU) def. Emma Grace Robertson/Ashleigh Adams (FAU) 21-19, 21-11
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Logan Mignerey/Stephanie Young (FAU)
21-16, 27-29, 15-12
 
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 1, 3, 2 
 
No. 15 FAU 4, FGCU 1
1. Kacie Johnson/Maddison Parmelly (FGCU) def.  Ellie Austin/Christine Jarman (FAU) 21-12, 22-20
2. Jillienne Cloud /Julie Honzovicova (FAU) def. Shelby Beisner /Trinity Rosales (FGCU) 21-16, 21-18
3. Sydney Schroder/Courtney Moon (FAU) def. Lexie Hamilton /Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 23-21, 21-16
4. Logan Mignerey/Stephanie Young (FAU) def. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) 21-12, 21-14
5. Emma Grace Robertson/Ashleigh Adams (FAU) def. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Mia Thompson (FGCU) 21-19, 21-15
 
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2
 
COACH SWEAT
Chris 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 63-39 (.617) 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 97 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. 15 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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