FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball team split a pair of matches in the first of a two-day FGCU Inaugural Tournament in Fort Myers Friday. The tournament boasts a prestigious field that also features a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference foes in the No. 19 University of North Florida and No. 20 Stetson University, plus No. 14 Florida International University and the University of South Carolina.
FGCU kicked off the tournament with a 4-1 morning victory over FIU, only the Eagles' third all-time win over the Panthers, but their third in the squads' last four meetings. FIU got on the board first at the No. 5 pair. The Panthers' Zoe Cahill and Kendra Brown bested FGCU's
Erin Miller and
Mia Thompson 21-14, 21-17.
That was all FIU would get, however. Each of FGCU's four remaining pairs triumphed, two of which came in hard fought two setters. At the No. 3 pair,
Ava Lilliquist and
Andrea Dietz were victorious 22-20, 21-17. It was even tighter at the No. 1 pair. The Eagles' preseason All-ASUN duo of
Nicole De Oliveira and
Kaitlyn Luebbers took down FIU's flagship pairing of Ella Gray and Maria Fernanda Vinatea Sanchez 21-19 in the opening set, before a marathon 26-24 second set victory.
Luebbers, the Preseason ASUN Player of the Year, earned her 77th career victory, putting the senior six wins away from setting FGCU's all-time program record.
At the No. 4 pair, the Eagles'
Alexis Keeter and
Kristina Gluc won their match in three sets, 21-19, 18-21, 15-12. Their teammates
Jaci Carpenter and
Sydney Majick dropped the opening set 21-19 at the No. 2 pair, before rallying for a dominant 21-14 second set victory, and finished it off with a 15-12 win in the third.
FGCU fell to South Carolina 3-2 in its afternoon matchup. The Gamecocks got on the board first thanks to VB Trost and Evie Ziffer, who defeated Lilliquist and Keeter 21-19, 21-13 at the No. 4 pair.
FGCU answered at the No. 5 pair, with Miller and Thompson gutting out a 22-20, 19-21, 15-13 win. South Carolina clinched its victory in the next two counting matches. At the No. 1 pair, Julia Waugh and Riley Whitesides beat De Oliveira and Luebbers 21-16, 21-17. Then, a three setter at the No. 3 pair saw South Carolina's Sadie Nelson and Abigail Lagemann squeak past Dietz and Majick 21-17, 13-21, 16-14 to put the Gamecocks' lead out of reach.
FGCU salvaged the final match at the No. 2, with
Jaci Carpenter teaming up with
Emma Soncrant for a 21-17, 24-26, 15-7 win.
The Eagles (4-4, 1-0 ASUN) continue their FGCU Inaugural Tournament slate Saturday with matchups against a pair of ranked conference foes. Florida Gulf Coast takes on No. 19 North Florida at 10 a.m. and No. 20 Stetson at 4 p.m. at the FGCU Beach Volleyball Courts in Fort Myers.
