JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The second-seeded FGCU beach volleyball team (19-18) earned a 3-1 victory Sunday morning against third-seeded North Florida (23-11) to advance to the ASUN Tournament championship, but the Green & Blue fell 3-0 to top-seeded Stetson (22-14) in the title match.
 
FGCU advanced to the ASUN Tournament title match for the fourth time in program history, joining the 2017, 2019 and 2022 squad. All four times, the opponent has been Stetson – with the Hatters finding the upper hand in each instance.
 
Senior Shelby Beisner (Port Charlotte, Fla/Charlotte) and junior Trinity Rosales (Wilmington, N.C./Eugene Ashley) made the ASUN All-Tournament team.
 
"I'm so proud of our team and how many tight games we were in this year," said FGCU head beach volleyball coach Chris Sweat. "You have to bring your best to beat the best and we just did not have it today."
  
"We keep showing flashes what we can be, and I know the future of this program is in great hands with these girls. I wish it was a different outcome, especially for my seniors, but we'll let this fuel us in the offseason, and be right back here next year."
  
The Green & Blue's No. 1 pair of junior Kacie Johnson (Frisco, Texas/ Lebanon Trail) and senior Maddison Parmelly (Rockwall, Texas/Rockwall Health) delivered a 21-13, 21-12 victory to the put the Eagles on the board against North Florida.
 
The Eagles continued its offensive barrage, as sophomore Kaitlyn Luebbers (Union, Ky./Randall K. Cooper) and graduate Lexie Hamilton (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier HS/UNCW) pushed through to win 22-24, 21-17, 15-13 at No. 4 to give FGCU a 2-1 lead.
 
Freshmen Dylan Brewer (Lantana, Texas/John H. Guyer HS) and Nicole De Oliveira (Cary, N.C./ Green Level HS) teamed at No. 3 for a 21-17, 21-19 victory and clinched a title-match opportunity for the Eagles.
 
Sophomore Jacqueline Carpenter (Dublin, Ohio. /Dublin Jerome) and freshman Kristina Gluc (Kissimmee, Fla./Osceola Virtual) won the first set 21-12 against the Hatters at No. 5 before ultimately falling 12-21, 21-17, 15-13.
 
Stetson got its second point when Luebbers and Hamilton dropped match No. 4 with a 18-21, 21-15, 15-10 score. Parmelly and Johnson then fell 21-13, 21-15 at No. 1 to clinch the 2023 ASUN title for Stetson.
 
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 1
1. Kacie Johnson/Madison Parmelly (FGCU) def. Audrey Brooks/Anna Mallory (UNF) 21-13, 21-12
2. Presley Murray/Madison Espy (UNF) vs. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) 15-21, 22-22, unfinished
3. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) def. Michaela Rezentes/Katie Camp (UNF) 21-17, 21-19
4. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) def. M. Feliciano-Sanchez/Mackenzie Murphy (UNF) 22-24, 21-17, 15-13
5. Chantel McMillan/Hayden Wooldridge (UNF) def. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) 20-22, 21-14, 15-13 
 
Order of Finish: 5,1, 4, 3
  
No. 18 Stetson 3, FGCU 0
1. Karin Zolnercikova/Shae Henson (STE) def. Kacie Johnson/Madison Parmelly (FGCU) 21-13, 21-15
2. Carolina Ferraris/Anete Namike (STE) vs. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) 21-19, 15-20, unfinished
3. Tori Clement/Gabriella Bramante (STE) vs. Dylan Brewer/Nicole De Oliveira (FGCU) 21-15, 19-19, unfinished
4. Audrey Gauthier/Noelle Weintraub (STE) def. Kaitlyn Luebbers/Lexie Hamilton (FGCU) 18-21, 21-15, 15-10
5. Aleksandra Stadnik/Lauren Della (STE) def. Jacqueline Carpenter/Kristina Gluc (FGCU) 12-21, 21-17, 15-13
  
Order of Finish: 5, 4. 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 69-42 (.621) 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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