FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast beach volleyball opened the 2026 season by earning a 3-2 win over South Carolina and sweeping Jacksonville 5-0.

The Eagles earned the thrilling win over South Carolina behind victories at the 1, 3 and 5 pairs. Vanessa Moriarty and Kristina Gluc got the first win for FGCU, defeating Virginia Trost and Grace Travis 27-25, 21-18 at the No. 5 pair for the Eagles' first win of the match against the Gamecocks.

Andrea Dietz and Sydney Majick took another point for FGCU, winning 21-19, 14-21, 15-9 at the No. 3 spot. South Carolina got a two-set victory at the No. 4 spot and eked out a three set win at No. 2, leaving all the attention on the No. 1 court. 

After losing the opening set 25-27, Alexis Keeter and Ava Lilliquist took the second set 21-17. The duo took a 15-14 lead and served to win the match. South Carolina returned the serve, but Keeter set Lilliquist, who placed her shot perfectly. The Gamecocks' dig attempt sailed wide, and the Eagles got their first win over South Carolina since 2022.

"The matchup against South Carolina is the epitome of what college beach volleyball is about," head coach Chris Sweat said. "Two point wins, two point losses, third set victories, third set losses and everything in between. It was a wild ride against a great team, and we're very happy we pulled out the win."

In the second match of the day, FGCU rolled to its 22nd straight win over Jacksonville. The Eagles swept the Dolphins 5-0, and have won every matchup with JU since March 29, 2016. 

"I thought we played very disciplined against Jacksonville," Sweat said. "They played a great match against Stetson earlier in the day and were very tough on their home court, so I'm glad we were able to pull out some victories."

The Eagles face a pair of preseason ranked opponents on Saturday in No. 14 Stetson (8 a.m.) and No. 17 North Florida (noon).

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