Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball delivered a 3-2 upset victory over No. 15 Florida Atlantic on Friday after defeating South Florida during day one of the Capri Classic, hosted by FAU in Boca Raton, Florida.
In the evening match versus FAU, the Owls took an early 1-0 lead when
Alexis Keeter and
Ava Lilliquist battled through three sets but ultimately fell 21-17, 18-21 and 15-11 on court No. 2.
Andrea Dietz and
Mia Thompson got the Eagles on the scoreboard from court No. 4 with a grueling 21-19, 19-21, 26-24 battle. The Owls regained a one-point lead when
Nicole De Oliveira and
Kaitlyn Luebbers dropped their match on court No. 1 with 21-17, 21-19.
The Eagles responded on court No. 5, tying the match as
Sydney Majick and
Erin Miller earned a 24-22, 21-17 victory.
Jaci Carpenter and
Emma Soncrant accepted the challenge on court No. 3 to bring home the victory, posting a 23-21, 24-22 win to clinch FGCU's second-ranked win of the season. FGCU has beaten both No. 14 FIU and No. 15 FAU.
Friday's upset victory is the first time FGCU has toppled the Owls in the last five matchups and just the second time in the last 12 battles.
In the earlier matchup against South Florida, Keeter and Lilliquist registered a 21-15, 21-17 win on court No. 2 just before Dietz and Thompson pushed through three sets to earn a 21-13, 16-21, 15-10 victory for a 2-0 advantage.
Majick and Miller then clinched the match with an easy 21-8, 21-16 score on court No. 5. De Oliveira and Luebbers added the Eagles' final point to secure the 4-1 win over the in-state Bulls, sweeping 22-20, 21-15.
FGCU improved to 16-10 overall in Friday's action in Boca. The Eagles will next face UTEP at 11 a.m. Saturday for a chance to play in the Capri Championship match at 2 p.m.
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