FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast beach volleyball will begin the 2026 campaign at the JU Season Opener on Friday.

The Eagles open at noon Friday against South Carolina, and will also face Jacksonville, Stetson and North Florida throughout the weekend.

FGCU enters 2026 with two unanimous preseason all-ASUN selections in senior Nicole De Oliveira and sophomore Alexis Keeter, along with reigning ASUN Coach of the Year Chris Sweat.

De Oliveira earned the preseason All-ASUN nod after back-to-back first team All-ASUN recognitions as a sophomore and junior. In 2025, De Oliveira went 15-13 overall and 5-2 in the ASUN, including wins over No. 14 FIU, No. 15 Florida Atlantic, No. 19 North Florida and No. 20 Stetson. She has tallied 57 career wins in her three-year career with the Green and Blue heading into her senior campaign.

Keeter earned the unanimous selection heading into her sophomore season as the reigning ASUN Freshman of the Year. She posted a 21-8 and 6-2 (ASUN) record in her first year in Fort Myers. She started out at the No. 4 position but gradually moved to the No. 2 slot, earning wins over No. 8 LSU, No. 20 FIU and No. 15 Georgia State twice with Ava Lilliquist.

Sweat's squad also returns a 2025 second-team all-ASUN honoree in Lilliquist, along with Andrea Dietz, Kristina Gluc, Sydney Majick, Erin Miller, Emma Soncrant and Mollie Thomas. Kaitlyn Beck, Charli Haynes, Kylee McGuirk, Elaina Millaway, Vanessa Moriarty, and Sailor Plasman joined the team for 2026.

As a team, FGCU went 22-13 in 2025, earning five ranked wins over No. 14 FIU, No. 19 North Florida, No. 15 FAU (twice) and No. 15 Georgia State. The Eagles' season came to an end in the ASUN semifinals with a 3-2 loss to the Ospreys. FGCU is the top team receiving votes in the 2026 AVCA preseason poll.

South Carolina is also receiving votes in the preseason AVCA poll. The Gamecocks went 14-17 in 2025 and have a new head coach in Jose Loiola in 2026. South Carolina leads the all-time series with FGCU 8-2; the Eagles last win over the Gamecocks was in 2022.

The Dolphins went 12-23 in 2025 and have one preseason All-ASUN selection in Claire Mrukowski. FGCU leads the all-time series with Jacksonville 23-7 and has won 21 straight matches since March 19, 2016. 

Stetson enters ranked No. 14 in the preseason AVCA poll after a 25-11 campaign in 2025, including a 9-1 mark in DeLand. Marta Carro, Maria Ozaeta, and Julia Radelczuk all earned preseason All-ASUN selections for the Hatters. Stetson has a 37-4 lead in the all-time series with the Eagles. FGCU's most recent win over the Hatters was on March 18, 2022.

North Florida earned the No. 17 ranking in the preseason AVCA poll following a 26-11 2025 season that saw the Ospreys advance to the National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship. UNF lost to No. 5 USC in the postseason. The Ospreys boast the 2026 Preseason ASUN Player of the Year in Cameron Humphries and also had Mackenzie Murphy and Presley Murphy (unanimous) tabbed to the preseason all-conference team. UNF leads the all-time series with FGCU 28-15, but holds just a 17-15 lead since 2016.

For more information on FGCU beach volleyball, follow @FGCU_BeachVB on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.