"One of the important things for us in our growth is being in a position to win," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "I thought every one of our pairs put themselves in position to win. Now we didn't get every one of those sets or every one of those matches, but we put ourselves in position to be competitive. The second match, specifically, was a step up for us in terms of overall performance from one through five. I was really happy with that. I think it's a step in the right direction."
As described in Botsford's post-game thoughts, the Eagles nearly ended Stetson's 21-match A-SUN winning streak in the second match. Junior Giovanna Borgiotti and redshirt sophomore Candace Lacour earned a measure of revenge for a three-set defeat in the opener by handing Stetson's Samantha Harris and Julie Varga a 21-16, 21-23, 15-13 defeat in the finale to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
Sophomores Cortney VanLiew and Alayna Ryan then forced a third set at No. 5 with a thrilling 27-25 second-set victory but fell 21-15 in the decider as Stetson evened things up. In the third pair, sophomores Kayla Whetstone and Snowy Burnam fell in two sets as the Hatters took a 2-1 lead, but it was far from over.
Following that, both teams went back-and-forth in the first and second pairs. Senior Amanda Carroll and freshman Kirstine Garder won the first set 21-19 at No. 1, but dropped the second 21-19. Seniors Karissa Rhoades and Katherine Puisis dropped a 25-23 opening set, but captured a 21-19 second set to force both courts to a third set.
Stetson, however, won 15-6 and 15-8 on the first and second courts, respectively, to seal the match and push their A=SUN winning streak to 22.
Puisis and Rhoades, despite the loss, did well to take a set from Stetson's No. 2 pair of Darby Dunn and Sammee Thomas. The reigning A-SUN pair of the year had won 22 of their past 23 sets in conference play since the start of last season.
Borgiotti and Lacour, meanwhile, produced their first win together over a ranked opponent, although it was the second of Borgiotti's career in the Green and Blue, while it was the third of Lacour's NCAA career after she earned two wins as a freshman at FAU in 2017. The duo is now 8-6 in their first year together.
"She's great," Borgiotti said of Lacour, who transferred in from FAU this year. "We're friends off the court, too, which makes it really easy for us to play together. Our pair, we utilize our strengths really well with me blocking and her playing defense."
For Burnam and Whetstone, the duo is now 11-3 overall this year after tallying their third career win over a ranked team with a 21-11, 19-21, 19-17 win in the opener, which ties them for second-most in program history behind Madi Wilcox, who had six.
Full Results
Stetson 4, FGCU 1
1. Perales/Helland-Hansen (Stetson) d. Carroll/Garder 21-14, 21-12
2. Dunn/Thomas (Stetson) d. Puisis/Rhoades 21-13, 21-14
3. Whetstone/Burnam (FGCU) d. Costa/Noble 21-11, 19-21, 19-17
4. Harris/Varga (Stetson) d. Borgiotti/Lacour 13-21, 21-19, 15-11
5. Birker/Ingram (Stetson) d. VanLiew/Hansen 21-13, 21-17
Stetson 4, FGCU 1
1. Helland-Hansen/Perales (Stetson) d. Carroll/Garder 19-21, 21-19, 15-6
2. Dunn/Thomas (Stetson) d. Rhoades/Puisis 25-23, 19-21, 15-8
3. Costa/Noble (Stetson) d. Whetstone/Burnam 21-12, 21-16
4. Borgiotti/Lacour (FGCU) d. Harris/Kuck 21-16, 21-23, 15-13
5. Birker/Ingram (Stetson) d. VanLiew/Ryan 21-18, 25-27, 21-15
Next Up
The Green and Blue will be back in action on Tuesday against Florida Southern at 4 p.m. The match will be held on FGCU's campus at the ROC, and the program will honor Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia HS), Rhoades and Puisis as part of senior day.
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