COLUMBIA, S.C. – The FGCU beach volleyball team (14-16, 4-4 ASUN Conference) earned a 4-1 victory Friday evening against College of Charleston (19-8) on the first day of the Palmetto Invitational.
 
The Green & Blue dropped its first match of the day, falling 3-2 against host and No. 16 South Carolina (17-10).
 
" This is one of our favorite trips of the year because of the atmosphere and competitive teams that are here," said FGCU head beach volleyball coach Chris Sweat. " We had some great moments in the South Carolina match and we would've loved to get the win, but we are definitely building momentum going into next weekend."

The Green & Blue'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 – prevailing 17-21, 21-19, 16-14 against the Gamecocks, and earning a 23-21, 21-13 victory vs. the Cougars to clinch the match.
 
Sophomore Kaitlyn Luebbers (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) and graduate Lexie Hamilton (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS/UNCW) also earned two victories. The No. 4 pair delivered a 24-22, 21-16 showing at No. 4 against South Carolina and grabbed a 21-18, 22-20 victory against COC.
 
Sophomore Jacqueline Carpenter (Dublin, Ohio. /Dublin Jerome) and freshman Kristina Gluc (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola Virtual) teamed at No. 5 for a 21-13, 21-9 win to give the Eagles their first point against the Cougars at No. 5.

Freshmen Dylan Brewer (Lantana, Texas/John H. Guyer HS) and Nicole De Oliveira (Cary, N.C./ Green Level HS) added the final point with a 21-18, 21-14 victory at No. 3.
    
The Eagles return to action Saturday for day two of the Palmetto Invitational – playing Jacksonville (12-17) at 9 a.m., and Coastal Carolina (21-10) at 11 a.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 2, No. 16 South Carolina 3
1. Skylar Allen/Simone Priebe (SC) def. Maddison Parmelly/Kacie Johnson (FGCU) 21-18, 21-15
2. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Allison Coens/Lauren Wilcock (SC) 17-21, 21-19, 16-14
3. Kaeli Crews/Hannah Mackenhausen (SC) def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 17-21, 21-19, 15-11
4. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) def. Jolie Cranford/Kennedy Westendorff (SC) 24-22, 21-16
5. Lizzie Thompson/Peyton Gray (SC) def. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) 14-21, 21-18, 15-8
Ext. Chase Teal/Riley Whitesides (SC) def. Lily Felts/Mia Thompson (FGCU) 21-18, 21-15 
 
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 1, 2, 3

FGCU 4, COC 1
1. Kyra Thompson/Gabi Bailey (COFC) def. Maddison Parmelly/Kacie Johnson (FGCU) 21-12, 21-16
2. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Ella Reames/Maria Zweig (COFC) 23-21, 21-13
3. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) def. Kora Hansen/Emma Falk (COFC) 21-18, 21-14
4. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) def. Sofie Vogel/Tynley Smeltzer (COFC) 21-18, 22-20
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Alli Grant Avery/Elizabeth Curry (COFC) 21-13, 21-9

Order of Finish: 5, 4, 2, 3 ,1
 
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 64-40 (.615) 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, 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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