The FGCU beach volleyball team (10-7) concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday with a pair of 5-0 victories over Florida Southern (10-11) and Tampa (12-10) at the UT Beach Volleyball Complex.
"I was really impressed with the way each pairing played," FGCU head coach Matt Botsford said. "Across the board, that was the most consistent performance we have had all season. The team is making strides and you could see how motivated and focused they were from the first match all the way through the second."
The win over Tampa allowed FGCU to avenge a 3-2 loss on March 9 in St. Petersburg, while the victory against Florida Southern finished a season-sweep of the Mocs. The Eagles will be back in action on Thursday at 9 a.m. with a doubleheader against North Florida in Jacksonville.
The duo of sophomores Snowy Burnam and Kayla Whetstone continued a torrid start to the season, moving to 14-3 overall. They are just three wins shy of matching the single-season record set by now seniors Karissa Rhoades and Katherine Puisis last year and have reached the 30-win milestone in just under two seasons together - becoming the ninth and 10th players in program history to equal that benchmark.
Single Season Wins Leaders
17 - Katherine Puisis - 2018 (17-8 .680)
17 - Karissa Rhoades - 2018 (17-8 .680)
16 - Giovanna Borgiotti - 2018 (16-9 .640)
16 - Ashley Glickert - 2018 (16-9 .640)
16 - Snowy Burnam - 2018 (16-10 .615)
16 - Kayla Whetstone - 2018 (16-10 .615)
15 - Elisa Anne Aldrich - 2016 (15-4 .789)
15 - Madi Wilcox - 2016 (15-4 .789)
15 - Katherine Puisis - 2017 (15-9 .625)
15 - Karissa Rhoades - 2017 (15-9 .625)
14 - Caroline Jordan - 2017 (14-9 .609)
14 - Snowy Burnam - 2019 (14-3, .824)
14 - Kayla Whetstone - 2019 (14-3, .824)
Single Season Winning Percentage Leaders
.824 Snowy Burnam - 2019 (14-3)
.824 Kayla Whetstone - 2019 (14-3)
.789 Madi Wilcox - 2016 (15-4)
.789 Elisa Anne Aldrich - 2016 (15-4)
.680 Karissa Rhoades - 2018 (17-8)
.680 Katherine Puisis - 2018 (17-8)
.640 Giovanna Borgiotti - 2018 (16-9)
.640 Ashley Glickert - 2018 (16-9)
.625 Katherine Puisis - 2017 (15-9)
.625 Karissa Rhoades - 2017 (15-9)
Senior Amanda Carroll, who has teamed with freshman Kirstine Garder all year, became the first player in program history to win 10 or more matches at the No. 1 pair in three consecutive seasons. In fact, before she arrived on campus, nobody had won more than six matches at the top pair in a season. On the flip side, Garder became the first freshman to win 10 or more matches at No. 1. The duo is 10-7 overall.
Puisis now has 48 career victories, which moves her into sole possession of second place in career victories, just behind her partner, Rhoades, who has 52. Meanwhile, junior Giovanna Borgiotti is one victory shy of moving into the top five in career wins. She became the first player in program history with three-straight double-digit win totals to open her collegiate career on Saturday.
Career Wins Leaders
52 - Karissa Rhoades, 2016-present
48 - Katherine Puisis, 2016-present
46 - Madi Wilcox, 2014-17
42 - Amanda Carroll, 2016-present
38 - Mackenzie Allen, 2015-18
38 - Ashley Glickert, 2015-18
37 - Giovanna Borgiotti, 2017-present
Due to their 30-win benchmark, Whetstone and Burnam now qualify for the program's career winning percentage leaders - and they aren't looking up at anyone.
Career Winning Percentage Leaders (Minimum 30 Wins)
.698 - Snowy Burnam, 2016-19 (30-13)
.698 - Kayla Whetstone, 2016-19 (30-13)
.615 - Katherine Puisis; 2016-19 (48-30)
.612 - Karissa Rhoades; 2016-19 (52-33)
.590 - Madi Wilcox; 2014-17 (46-32)
.561 - Giovanna Borgiotti; 2017-19 (37-29)
.525 - Amanda Carroll; 2016-19 (42-38)
Sophomore Cortney VanLiew has been a mainstay at the No. 5 pair for the Green and Blue this year. The sophomore moved to 9-8 on the season after Saturday's action, which improves her career-high win total.
This summer, the A-SUN announced the additions of Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Morehead State as affiliate members of the conference for beach volleyball. Those three teams competed as independent programs in the NCAA the past several seasons and will join new A-SUN member North Alabama in bringing the conference to 10 members and a division split. The North Division features Coastal Carolina, Austin Peay, Jacksonville State, Morehead State and North Alabama. The South Division features FGCU, Jacksonville, Mercer, North Florida and Stetson.
In terms of the postseason, the top team from each division will automatically qualify for the A-SUN tournament. They will be joined by four at-large participants with selection and seeding done by the A-SUN office, in conjunction with the same process currently employed by the NCAA.
Thus, the regular season finale against division foes North Florida, Mercer and Jacksonville will play a large role in who gets postseason berths.
RESULTS
FGCU 5, Florida Southern 0
1. Carroll/Garder d. Wilson/Montoya 21-16, 21-14
2. Puisis/Rhoades d. Trefren/Whiteleather 24-22, 21-14
3. Whetstone/Burnam d. Calhoun/Mathews 21-14, 21-6
4. Borgiotti/Lacour d. Goodrich/Greco 21-14, 21-9
5. Ryan/VanLiew d. Jones/Nichols 21-19, 21-9
FGCU 5, Tampa 0
1. Carroll/Garder d. Oswald/Rosequist 21-17, 16-21, 15-12
2. Puisis/Rhoades d. Houghton/McKiel 22-20, 21-7
3. Whetstone/Burnam d. Rosequist/Thompson 21-17, 21-18
4. Borgiotti/Lacour d. 22-20, 29-31, 15-8
5. Ryan/VanLiew d. Duffy/Haslag 21-10, 23-21
Up Next:
FGCU will now close the regular season with six crucial conference matches over a three-day stretch beginning Thursday in Jacksonville. The Eagles will face North Florida, Mercer and Jacksonville over that period.
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