The Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball team dropped both of its matches Saturday in its final day at the Florida Atlantic Beach Invitational in Pompano Beach, Fla., hosted by Florida Atlantic University. FGCU fell to No. 4 USC 3-2 and to No. 20 Georgia State by the same margin. The Eagles finished the event with a 1-3 record, after beating UAB and coming up short against the University of Tampa Friday.
In the morning matchup, the Eagles took an early lead over the four-time defending national champion Trojans. At the No. 5 pair, FGCU's
Sydney Majick and
Erin Miller cruised to a 21-15 first set victory before eking out a 22-20 win in the second set. It was even tighter at the No. 4 pair. The Eagles'
Andrea Dietz and
Mia Thompson triumphed 21-19, 22-20, giving FGCU a 2-0 lead.
USC's championship pedigree then shined. Needing to win the final three counting matches, the Trojans did just that, with each remaining pair containing a member of its 2024 title squad. At the No. 3, Madison Goellner teamed up with Kaileigh Truslow to take down FGCU's
Alexis Keeter and
Ava Lilliquist 21-17, 21-10. At the No. 2, USC's Ashley Pater and Kennedy Coakley beat
Jaci Carpenter and
Emma Soncrant 21-16, 21-8.
The match came down to the No. 1 pair, where USC's flagship duo of Madison White and Zoey Henson triumphed over
Nicole De Oliveira and
Kaitlyn Luebbers 21-15, 21-16. The Trojans earned a 3-2 victory in which each match ended in two sets.
In the afternoon, Georgia State struck first at the No. 5 pair. Majick and Miller, one of two FGCU duos that remained the same from the USC match, fell 21-16, 21-10. The Panthers extended their lead to 2-0 at the No. 1. Luebbers, pairing with Soncrant, dropped a two-setter 21-19, 21-9 to Georgia State's top team of Ayla Johnson and Aree Keller.
FGCU's other pair that did not change from the morning to the afternoon was Lilliquist and Keeter, who took their opening set 21-14 at the No. 2 and then got FGCU on the board with a hard-fought 22-20 victory in the second.
Georgia State clinched the match at the No. 3 pair. Dietz partnered with Lily Hafner, who did not play in the first match of the day for FGCU. Dietz and Hafner lost their first set 11-21 but responded with a 21-13 win in the second to force a decisive third frame. Dietz and Hafner came up just short, falling 16-14 to the Panthers' Danica Singleton and Michaela Jefferson, handing Georgia State an insurmountable 3-1 lead.
FGCU salvaged the final point at the No. 3 pair. Carpenter and Thompson won a three-setter of their own 21-15, 18-21, 15-10.
Florida Gulf Coast (5-9, 1-2 ASUN) returns home for its senior day festivities on March 19 at the FGCU Beach Volleyball Courts in Fort Myers, Fla. before contesting the ASUN Mid-Season Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla. on March 28 and 29.
