JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The second-seeded FGCU beach volleyball team (18-17) earned a 3-2 victory Saturday afternoon against third seeded North Florida (23-10) to advance to the ASUN Tournament semifinals for the 10th time in program history. But that accomplishment was dampened in the semifinals, as the Green & Blue fell 3-1 to top-seeded Stetson (21-14) – sending the Eagles into the loser's bracket.
 
Stetson awaits  either FGCU or North Florida – which play in the loser's bracket final at 11 a.m. Sunday – in the tournament final at 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
  
"Our first match against UNF is what the conference tournament is all about," said FGCU head beach volleyball coach Chris Sweat. "Every match went to a tie-break set, and Kacie and Maddie came up with a huge 20-18 win in the third for us.
 
"The intensity of every point was awesome to be a part of, and was a great experience for the girls. We had our moments against Stetson. But too many unforced errors gave them a few sets, and that was the difference when you play to clinch."
 
The Green & Blue's No. 5 pair of sophomore Jacqueline Carpenter (Dublin, Ohio. /Dublin Jerome) and freshman Kristina Gluc (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola Virtual) delivered a 18-21, 21-14, 15-13 victory to the put the Eagles on the board against North Florida.
 
The Ospreys responded, as freshmen Dylan Brewer (Lantana, Texas/John H. Guyer HS) and Nicole De Oliveira (Cary, N.C./ Green Level HS) fell 21-18, 18-21, 10-15 at No. 3. 
 
Senior Shelby Beisner (Port Charlotte, Fla/Charlotte) and junior Trinity Rosales (Wilmington, N.C./Eugene Ashley) pushed through three sets to win 28-30, 21-16, 15-8 at No. 2 and tie the match 2-2.
 
With tensions high on both teams, junior Kacie Johnson (Frisco, Texas/ Lebanon Trail) and senior Maddison Parmelly (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall Health) teamed at No. 1 for a 16-21, 22-20, 20-18 victory to clinch the match.
 
The Green & Blue's No. 4 pair of sophomore Kaitlyn Luebbers (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) and graduate Lexie Hamilton (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS/UNCW) were the only victorious pair against the Hatters – prevailing 21-18, 11-21, 15-13.
  
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, North Florida 2
1. Kacie Johnson/Madison Parmelly (FGCU) def. Audrey Brooks/Iris Fletcher (UNF) 16-21, 22-20, 20-18
2. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Presley Murray/Madison Espy (UNF) 28-30, 21-16, 15-8
3. Michaela Rezentes/Katie Camp (UNF) def. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 18-21, 21-18, 15-10
4. M. Feliciano-Sanchez/Mackenzie Murphy (UNF) def. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) 21-17, 10-21, 15-9
5. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) def. Chantel McMillan/Hayden Wooldridge (UNF) 18-21, 21-14, 15-13 
 
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 2, 1
 
No. 18 Stetson 3, FGCU 1
1. Karin Zolnercikova/Shae Henson (STE) def. Kacie Johnson/Madison Parmelly (FGCU) 21-19, 21-19
2. Carolina Ferraris/Anete Namike (STE) def. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) 21-19, 21-16
3. Tori Clement/Gabriella Bramante (STE) vs. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 21-18, 18-21, 2-0, unfinished
4. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) def. Audrey Gauthier/Noelle Weintraub (STE) 21-18, 11-21, 15-13
5. Aleksandra Stadnik/Lauren Della (STE) def. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) 21-15, 19-21, 15-11
 
Order of Finish: 4 5,2,1 
  
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 68-41 (.623) 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 98 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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