FGCU BVB @ Florida Southern; Tampa Preview

 The FGCU beach volleyball team (8-7) will conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule on Saturday with tilts against Florida Southern (12 p.m.) and Tampa (2 p.m.) at the Tampa Beach Volleyball Complex.

The Eagles will be looking to avenge a tough 3-2 loss to Tampa on March 9 in St. Petersburg. In that matchup, FGCU lost 15-12 in the third set of the one, three and five pairs. Meanwhile, the Green and Blue are coming off a 5-0 win over Florida Southern earlier this week to end a six-match winning streak for the Mocs.

Storylines:
Senior Karissa Rhoades, who previously became the program's all-time career wins leader, became the first player in program history to reach 50 career wins with a 21-8, 21-8 victory at the No. 2 pair along with her senior partner Katherine Puisis on Tuesday. This weekend, it will be Puisis who will be looking to etch her name further up in the record book as the senior can take sole possession of the second-most wins in program history.

Senior Amanda Carroll became just the fourth player in program history to reach 40 wins on Tuesday, and she will now look to give this year's senior class the top three spots in career wins. To do so, Carroll would need seven more triumphs to give the trio sole possession of the top three spots.

Career Wins Leaders
50 - Karissa Rhoades, 2016-present
46 - Madi Wilcox, 2014-17
46 - Katherine Puisis, 2016-present
40 - Amanda Carroll, 2016-present
38 - Mackenzie Allen, 2015-18
38 - Ashley Glickert, 2015-18
35 - Giovanna Borgiotti, 2017-present

Puisis already holds the program's career winning percentage record at 46-30 (.605), while Rhoades isn't far behind.

Career Winning Percentage Leaders (Minimum 30 Wins)
.605 - Katherine Puisis; 2016-19 (46-30)
.602 - Karissa Rhoades; 2016-19 (50-33)
.590 - Madi Wilcox; 2014-17 (46-32)
.547 - Giovanna Borgiotti; 2017-19 (35-29)
.513 - Amanda Carroll; 2016-19 (40-38)

At the No. 3 pair, the sophomore duo of Snowy Burnam and Kayla Whetstone can reach 30 career victories should they win twice on Saturday, while also inching closer to the single season wins record of Puisis and Rhoades that was set last year. In fact, they're looking to become the first two-time 16-game winners in program history later this year, and they'll likely take control of the top spot for career winning percentage once they reach 30 career wins.

Single Season Win 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)

Burnam and Whetstone are also approaching the record for best single-season winning percentage in program history. The duo is currently 12-3 (.800), but still has some work to do.

Single Season Winning Percentage Leaders
.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)
.615 Snowy Burnam; 2018 (16-10)
.615 Kayla Whetstone; 2018 (16-10)

Junior Giovanna Borgiotti can become the first player in program history with three-straight double-digit win totals to open her collegiate career on Saturday. Borgiotti continues to grow in the No. 4 pair along with redshirt sophomore Candace Lacour as they ended a 10-match winning streak for Florida Southern's Haley Goodrich and Celia Greco on Tuesday. The duo is now 9-6 this year, which ties them with Puisis and Rhoades for the second-best record on the team.

Sophomore Cortney VanLiew has been a mainstay at the No. 5 pair for the Green and Blue this year. VanLiew has recorded a career-high seven victories and can push herself over .500 on the season (7-8) with a pair of wins on Saturday. She has teamed with freshman Emma Hansen and classmate Alayna Ryan.

Scouting Tampa:
The Spartans (11-9) opened the season by losing four straight matches to ranked teams in 5-0 fashion before bouncing back to win eight of its next nine - including wins over A-SUN members Jacksonville, North Florida, FGCU and North Alabama. Seven of the team's losses have come against ranked teams - No. 3 Florida State, No. 6 Cal Poly, No. 8 FIU, No. 9 South Carolina, No. 16 FAU, No. 18 Tulane and No. 19 Georgia State. They are coming off a 3-2 victory over Saint Leo on Wednesday.

Scouting Florida Southern:
The Mocs (10-9) have won six of their past seven after a loss to FGCU on Tuesday. Their win total doubles last year's, and they are led by the duo of Haley Goodrich and Celia Greco, who are 11-1 at the No. 4 pair. They suffered the lone loss to Borgiotti and Lacour on Tuesday, although both sets were close.

A-SUN Roundup
After Saturday's action, FGCU will close the regular season with six crucial conference matches over a three-day stretch April 11-13 in Jacksonville.