The Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball team split a pair of matches on the second day of the FIU Invite in Pompano Beach, Fla., hosted by Florida International University. FGCU downed Tulane 3-2 in its first contest of the day, then fell to the event's host, No. 20 FIU, 3-2.
The Eagles and Green Wave are the top two vote getters in the AVCA poll who do not feature in the rankings, with Tulane one spot outside the top 20 and FGCU right behind. The two squads' second match in 24 hours went down to the wire after the Eagles earned a 3-2 win Friday.
Tulane flipped the script by claiming a 1-0 lead at the No. 4 pair after FGCU won each of the first three counting matches Friday. However, the Eagles responded quickly at the No. 2.
Alexis Keeter and
Ava Lilliquist won their first set 22-20 before dropping the second 21-18. Keeter and Lilliquist then took the first of FGCU's three third-set wins 15-8 to tie the score at one.
The Eagles pulled ahead at the No. 3.
Jaci Carpenter and
Emma Soncrant tallied FGCU's second three-setter,
21-15, 18-21, 15-9. The Green Wave answered with a tight two-set win at the No. 5
23-21, 23-21, drawing even at 2-2 and making the contest at the No. 1 pair decisive.
FGCU's Preseason All-ASUN duo of
Kaitlyn Luebbers and
Nicole De Oliveira dropped their first set 21-13 but battled for a 23-21 triumph in the second. The gap was narrow in the third as well, but Luebbers and De Oliveira eked it out 16-14 to win the match on the final hit for the Eagles, 3-2, to give head coach
Chris Sweat his 100th career victory. Luebbers claimed her 87th career victory, extending the senior and Preseason ASUN Player of the Year's program record. Luebbers overtook her former teammate Kacie Johson's mark of 84 last week.
In the second match of the day, FIU and FGCU split the first four counting matches, each ending in two sets. The Panthers struck first at the No. 4, but the Eagles got the next two. Keeter and Lilliquist won at the No. 2
21-17, 21-16 to make it a 4-0 weekend for the Green and Blue's second pairing. Majick and Miller's
21-12, 21-19 success at the No. 5 made it 2-1 FGCU.
However, FIU then took the contest at the No. 4 spot, and, in the only three-setter of the match, won at the No. 1
21-16, 19-21, 15-12 to finish off its comeback and hand FGCU its only loss of the weekend.
Florida Gulf Coast (14-10, 5-2 ASUN) had its nine-game win streak snapped by FIU but still earned a 3-1 weekend in Pompano Beach. The Eagles are back in action next weekend when they travel to Boca Raton, Fla. to contest the Capri Classic hosted by Florida Atlantic on April 11 and 12.
