FORT MYERS, Fla. – Third-seeded and No. 18 Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball opens the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament this Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against sixth-seeded Eastern Kentucky in Huntsville, Alabama.
The Eagles must win at least four matches in three days to hoist their first trophy in program history. If the Eagles fall into the losers' bracket, FGCU must win five. The First Round is Thursday and the Quarterfinals and Semifinals are scheduled for Friday. The Championship is slated for Saturday at 2:30 p.m. All matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
No. 14 Stetson earned the championship's top seed. No. 17 North Florida is the second seed. FGCU climbed into a season-high tie for 18th place in the latest AVCA Collegiate Beach Top 20 Poll on Tuesday.
The winner of the No.3 FGCU/No. 6 EKU match will face the winner of the No. 3 North Florida/No. 7 Central Arkansas contest. Both winners advance to Friday's Quarterfinal Round. The Eagles made it to the semifinals in the winners bracket a season ago and played their way through the loser's bracket back up into the championship match against Stetson, falling 3-0.
If FGCU were to lose on Thursday, FGCU would immediately play at 5:30 p.m. to stay alive. FGCU went 19-11 and 6-2 in the ASUN this season, having won six straight conference matches and 14 of their last 16 overall. Last weekend, FGCU toppled No. 15 Georgia State for its fourth-ranked win of the season. FGCU also notched wins over No. 14 FIU and No. 15 Florida Atlantic twice, and took No. 4 USC and No. 8 LSU the distance. The Eagles' lone two conference losses came at home to both North Florida, 4-1, and Stetson, 3-2.
Five Eagles earned ASUN postseason honors Wednesday as head coach Chris Sweat took home the ASUN Coach of the Year title. Alexis Keeter won the conference's Freshman of the Year recognition, and Nicole De Oliveira and Kaitlyn Lubeers joined her on the First Team. Ava Lilliquist made an appearance on the second team list. Jaci Carpenter was named the ASUN's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
