FGCU’s Emma Soncrant (1) and Cora Darling (14) meet at the net during the Green vs. Blue intrasquad scrimmage on Oct. 3 at the FGCU Beach Volleyball Courts in Fort Myers. (Photo by Zachary Gibbons / The Eagle Sports Report)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball team returned to the sand at the FGCU Beach Volleyball Courts for its Green vs. Blue intrasquad scrimmage on Oct. 3.

The opening round of the exhibition featured matches played to 21 points, requiring teams to win by a two-point margin. The Green team established an early 3-0 advantage behind strong performances from seasoned veterans and newcomers alike. Erin Miller and Elaina Millaway claimed a 21-8 victory over Alexis Keeter and Sydney Majick. Andrea Dietz and Kierstin ‘Kiki’ Anderson earned a tightly contested 23-21 win against Vanessa Moriarty and Megan Hair, while Hannah Hall and Emma Soncrant secured a 21-14 decision over Cora Darling and Charli Haynes.

That blend of veteran leadership is precisely what FGCU head coach Chris Sweat is leaning on as the foundation for the fall. With upperclassmen like Miller, Dietz, and Majick setting the daily standard, Sweat notes that the squad’s experience is invaluable for navigating high-stakes moments.

“All of our seniors, and Erin Miller’s a junior that’s going to be a senior this year as well, they’ve all been through all the highs and lows of collegiate volleyball,” Sweat said. “I don’t think there’s going to be a moment this year that’ll be too big for them. They’ve been in those big moments—whether we won, whether we lost in the past—they have that in their back pocket now to know, hey, we’re gonna go forward from this, learn from this, grow from this and hopefully an ASUN championship at the end.”

The Blue Team cut the deficit to 4-2 as Sailor Plasman and Ava Lilliquist earned a hard-fought 24-22 victory over Miller and Soncrant. Darling and Hair bounced back to defeat Hall and Keira Gallegos 21-14, while Keeter and Haynes narrowly dropped a 23-21 decision to the Green Team pairing of Dietz and Millaway.

Hair, a high-profile transfer arriving directly from conference rival Jacksonville University, showcased the exact competitive fire that caught Sweat’s eye during last season’s battles.

“We got to play Jacksonville three times last year,” Sweat noted. “A lot of respect for that coach, that program… getting to see Megan against our girls and see how competitive she was, thinking when she got in the portal we could add some depth like that was huge for us. We know she’s gonna play a big impact, not just on the sand—she’s a great culture girl—but really be able to push everyone and say, hey, I’m here to do exactly what I did at JU and play at that top spot.”

The remaining rounds shifted to matches played to 15 points, once again requiring pairings to win by a two-point margin. The Blue Team continued to chip away, cutting Green’s advantage to 5-4 as Keeter and Lilliquist picked up a 15-7 win over Miller and Anderson. Moriarty and Majick got a 15-10 victory over Hall and Millaway, though Plasman and Haynes dropped a 15-11 decision to Green’s Dietz and Gallegos.

The Green Team regained a 7-5 advantage when Miller and Gallegos secured a 15-12 win over Moriarty and Lilliquist, and Dietz and Soncrant added a 15-13 victory against Darling and Majick. The Blue Team answered back as Keeter and Hair posted a 15-7 decision over Hall and Anderson.

That back-and-forth grind highlighted the immediate impact of FGCU’s talented freshmen class, featuring freshmen like Hall, Gallegos, and Darling adjusting seamlessly to the collegiate pace.

“Every year we have these girls coming in that we’re just amazed at how talented they are at such a young age,” Sweat said watching the rotations unfold. “It just adds to our depth where we have great blockers, great defenders, great teammates. The younger girls pushing these older girls, and the older girls showing the experience to the younger girls, I think it’s going to make us deeper than we’ve ever been.”

Ultimately, the Green Team sealed a 10-6 victory in the final round, which consisted of four matches. Miller and Anderson defeated Plasman and Hair 15-10, Miller and Millaway outlasted Darling and Lilliquist 21-19, and Hall and Soncrant topped Plasman and Haynes 15-8. The Blue Team’s lone win of the final rotation came as Majick and Moriarty edged Hall and Gallegos 15-13.

With the intrasquad tune-up complete, FGCU turns its sights outward. The Eagles travel to Boca Raton from Oct. 10-11 for Florida Atlantic University Fall Tournament to face ASUN foe Stetson University, FAU, and Florida International University, before gearing up for the major AVCA East Coast Qualifier in Taveras from Oct. 24-25 where they will compete against a loaded 10-to-15-team field. The team closes the fall schedule on Nov. 7 in Tampa at the University of South Florida Invite.

“Seeing someone on the other side after playing our team for four, five, six weeks by ourselves—really just learning and grow each day,” Sweat added. “We’re looking forward to it.”