VERMILLION, S.D. — Florida Gulf Coast University fell 3-0 to No. 17 Kansas on Thursday in the opening match of the Coyote Invitational, hosted by South Dakota.
"We did some good things today, but just didn't play consistently enough to beat a Top 25 team like Kansas,"FGCU head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen said. "We will do a quick reflection tonight and get right back after it against a really good South Dakota team tomorrow."
The Jayhawks (4-4) jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the first set, but the Eagles (3-3) responded with a 5-0 run to tie it at 13. Kansas regained control and reached set point at 24-22 before FGCU scored two straight to even the score. The Jayhawks closed it out, however, 26-24.
Kansas took command early in the second set, building a 17-8 lead. FGCU chipped away, but the Jayhawks held on for a 25-16 win.
The third set was more competitive, with Kansas pulling ahead 16-10. The Eagles answered with an 8-6 run to close the gap to 22-18, but the Jayhawks finished strong for a 25-20 victory.
Barbara Koehler led FGCU with 10 kills, while
Julija Grubisic Cabo added eight and 14 digs.
Erica Muhizi chipped in four kills and a .273 hitting percentage, and setter
Hanna Borer paced the offense with 20 assists.
FGCU continues tournament play Friday against host South Dakota (4-2) at 8 p.m.
