TEMPE, Ariz. — Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball fell 3–1 to Arizona State on Friday in the opening day of the Nore-Stahl Classic, snapping the Eagles' two-match winning streak.
Julija Grubisic Cabo led FGCU with 14 kills and 10 digs for her third consecutive match with double-digit kills.
Barbara Koehler added 12 kills, while
Erica Muhizi provided a spark off the bench, hitting .455 with five kills. Setter
Hanna Borer paced the offense with 18 assists and added 11 digs.
"Arizona State put us under a lot of pressure, but I was proud of how we battled in the second set," head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen said. "Julija and Barbara gave us good production, and Erica was really efficient. We'll use this as a learning opportunity and keep building consistency."
FGCU (2–2) opened the first set with a 14–10 lead before Arizona State (3-1) responded with a 6–0 run to move in front, 16–14. The Eagles kept it close, but the Sun Devils held their edge down the stretch for a 25–23 win.
In the second set, FGCU built a 17–14 advantage behind four kills each from Koehler and
Camila Soto. After ASU tied the frame at 20–20, the Eagles closed with a 5–1 run, capped by three Koehler kills, to even the match with a 25–21 victory.
The Sun Devils jumped out to a 20–13 lead in the third set, but FGCU battled back with a 9–2 run to pull within 23–22. Despite the push, Arizona State held on to take the set 25–23.
ASU controlled the fourth set from the start, building an 18–9 cushion and finishing with four straight points to secure a 25–13 win.
The Eagles close out the Nore-Stahl Classic on Saturday against Loyola Marymount (0-2) at 4 p.m. ET.
