03/13/2026
DeLAND, Fla. – The Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball team beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-1 and North Alabama 3-2 Friday in the Stetson Tournament.
The Eagles (8-6) saw three points against North Alabama come from the middle of their order. Erin Miller and Nicole De Oliveira won 21-8, 21-10 over Paige Griner and Sarah Larkin Lewis on Court 2. Andrea Dietz and Sydney Majick beat Jennah Atchley and Hailey Benesz in a three-set battle 14-21, 21-11, 15-7 on Court 3, while Kaitlyn Beck and Elaina Millaway defeated Brooke Bolden and Mabrey Whitehead 21-17, 24-22 on Court 3.
FGCU 4 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1
The Eagles secured the dual-match victory over the Islanders with four straight-set wins. Alexis Keeter and Ava Lilliquist outlasted Madison Morrow and Kristin Bobay in a tightly contested 22-20, 24-22 battle.
The momentum carried through the middle of the lineup as Dietz and Majick dispatched Bryce Ranney and Mille Maxwell Berthou 21-15, 21-16. FGCU’s lower seeds provided the knockout blows. Beck and Kristina Gluc overcame a marathon first set to overwhelm Lizzie Denyer and Ashlyn Rough 28-26, 21-9, while Emma Soncrant and Vanessa Moriarty capped the scoring with a clinical 21-14, 23-21 win over Mia Stevens and Saskia Hernandez.
Head coach Chris Sweat praised the team’s ability to rise to the level of competition as they look toward a grueling Saturday slate.
“We knew the competition this weekend would be very deep, so it was great to get two wins against two very quality opponents,” Sweat said to FGCU Athletics. “Different pairs showed up at different times, which was nice to see. With three talented opponents tomorrow, we’ll be looking to carry that momentum as we hit the midway point of our season.”
FGCU plays UAB at 9 a.m., followed by Southern Miss at 1 p.m. and No. 15 Stetson at 4:45 p.m. Saturday to finish the tournament.
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