FORT MYERS, Fla. — Florida Gulf Coast University's volleyball team opens its 2025 season Saturday with a doubleheader at Alico Arena. It takes on No. 17 Missouri at 1 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. match against James Madison.
The Saturday contests kick off a three-match weekend for the Eagles. The Missouri game features a Blueout, and the first 500 fans will receive a free clear bag; the James Madison match is Camper Night, with volleyball athletes signing posters afterward.
This marks FGCU's second meeting ever with Missouri — the Tigers defeated the Eagles in three sets at the USF Classic in Tampa on Sept. 4, 2015. FGCU is also facing James Madison for the first time at home after previously winning 3–0 on Sept. 15, 2007, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
It will be head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen's first weekend leading the FGCU volleyball program. She arrives from Florida SouthWestern State College, where she became the first coach in NJCAA Division I history to win three consecutive national championships.
The Eagles return five players from last season's ASUN championship team and welcome 10 newcomers expected to make an impact. Transfers include
Julija Grubisic Cabo,
Anna Marzella and
Abby Toeniskoetter (from FSW);
Eliska Vytiskova (Akron);
Hanna Borer (Texas Tech);
Catharina Scorza (USF);
Chandler Swanson (Boston College); and
Alona Clinansmith (USC Upstate). Incoming freshmen are
Katie Gielas from Loveland, Ohio, and
Erica Muhizi from Uppsala, Sweden.
Last year, FGCU finished with a 27-5 overall record and a 15-1 mark in ASUN play, winning the conference tournament for the fourth consecutive year and earning another trip to the NCAA Tournament.
