RICHMOND, Ky. — Julija Grubisic Cabo posted a double-double with 13 kills and 13 digs as Florida Gulf Coast University earned a 3-2 victory over Eastern Kentucky on Sunday to open Atlantic Sun Conference play.
Barbara Koehler led the Eagles (6-5, 1-0 ASUN) with a team-high 15 kills.
Camila Soto added 11, while
Iyanna Battle finished with nine kills on 14 swings for a .571 hitting percentage.
Eliska Vytiskova directed the offense with a season-best 26 assists and 14 digs, and
Abby Toeniskoetter delivered a career-high nine blocks — including three solo — along with five kills.
FGCU also controlled the service line with a 7-3 ace advantage and totaled 64 digs.
"Really proud of how the team battled through some adversity today," head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen said. "We played a tough non-conference schedule specifically to get us ready for this type of situation and the girls took what they learned from those moments and turned it into a big win for us today to open ASUN play."
In the opening set, the Eagles built a 14-10 lead before EKU (9-5, 1-1 ASUN) responded with a 10-3 run to take control and finish 25-21.
Set two stayed tight early at 11-11, but FGCU surged ahead 21-16 behind four kills from Soto. Grubisic Cabo and Battle closed it out with two points each to even the match with a 25-20 win.
Eastern Kentucky again pushed ahead in set three, leading 17-12, but FGCU answered with an 11-2 run to storm back and win 25-20.
In the fourth set, EKU came out hot and grabbed a 10-5 lead before extending the margin to 20-13. The Eagles tried to rally late, but the Colonels maintained control and closed out the frame 25-20 to force a decisive fifth.
FGCU jumped out quickly in the final set, building an 8-2 lead. EKU cut the deficit to 11-8, but the Eagles held steady to close out the match 15-10.
The Eagles return home Tuesday to host Stetson (5-8, 1-1 ASUN) at 5 p.m.
