The FGCU beach volleyball team (10-7, 0-2 A-SUN) will conclude its regular season with six crucial conference matches over the next three days against Jacksonville (1-9, 0-6 A-SUN), Mercer (7-2, 2-2 A-SUN) and North Florida (17-12, 4-2 A-SUN) on the road.
The Green and Blue will open the action with a 9 a.m. doubleheader against North Florida on Thursday before staying in town to battle Mercer for a twin-bill at 3 p.m. on Friday. Saturday's tilts against Jacksonville will start at 11 a.m.
What's At Stake:
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 joined new A-SUN member North Alabama in bringing the conference to 10 members and a division split.
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 next three days will determine who gets a postseason bid.
A-SUN Beach Volleyball Standings
North Division
Stetson - 21-8, 6-0
North Florida - 17-12, 4-2
Mercer - 7-2, 2-2
FGCU - 10-7, 0-2
Jacksonville - 1-9, 0-6
South Division
Coastal Carolina - 15-9, 4-0
North Alabama - 9-7, 3-1
Morehead State - 13-6, 3-3
Austin Peay - 10-12, 4-4
Jacksonville State - 3-11, 0-6
A-SUN Beach Volleyball Schedule
Wednesday
Mercer @ Stetson (DH)
Thursday
FGCU @ North Florida (DH)
Coastal Carolina @ North Alabama (DH)
Friday
Coastal Carolina @ Jacksonville State (DH)
FGCU vs Mercer in Jacksonville (DH)
Saturday
FGCU @ Jacksonville (DH)
Morehead State @ North Alabama (DH)
Series History:
FGCU is 10-7 all-time against Mercer with four straight wins, 9-7 against Jacksonville with six straight victories and 5-17 against North Florida, although the Eagles have won five of the past nine in the series.
Opponent Capsules:
North Florida has played eight ranked opponents this season with a combined opponent winning percentage of .593. Dana Roskic and Callie Workman have been UNF's winningest pair this year, posting a 21-8 overall record. They were tabbed A-SUN Pair of the Week earlier this year and are on a seven-match winning streak. Workman and Roskic are 19-6 at the No. 4 pair and topped their opposing pair in both of the matches against No. 10/11 Stetson this past weekend. The Ospreys have received votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll in five different weeks.
Mercer is set to take on Stetson this afternoon before meeting FGCU on Friday. The Bears got their lone win against North Florida last weekend from Kacy Ogden and Elli Merchant. Conversely, the team swept Jacksonville while dropping only one set. Four of their victories are against non-Division-I teams.
Jacksonville enters this week having lost eight straight. The lone victory for the Dolphins came against Eckerd College on March 1.
Green and Blue Notes
As a team, FGCU clinched its fourth-consecutive season with at least 10 wins on Saturday, which is a program-first.
The sophomore duo of 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 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 last weekend.
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.
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