FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (7-8, 4-1 ASUN) fell to Lipscomb (11-4, 4-1 ASUN) 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Alico Arena, dropping a 21-25, 25-21, 23-25, 25-13, 10-15 decision on Fan Appreciation Day. Senior Julija Grubisic Cabo reached 1,000 kills in her collegiate career in the first set and finished with a double-double.
 
Grubisic Cabo led FGCU with 14 kills on .286 hitting and added 11 digs for a double-double, along with two aces and a team-high 16 points. Maju Hildebrand added 13 kills and 14 points, and Camila Soto finished with nine kills on .250 hitting and three total blocks. Abby Toeniskoetter hit .333 with seven kills and a match-high seven total blocks, while Amany Kuwa added seven kills. Dinara Sabitova and Eliska Vytiskova each posted a double-double, as Sabitova had 25 assists and a team-high 12 digs, and Vytiskova totaled 20 assists, 10 digs and a match-high four aces. Anna Marzella added 11 digs, six assists and three aces.
 
Lipscomb jumped out to an early lead in the opening set before Soto answered with back-to-back kills to tie it at 2 and 3, and Grubisic Cabo tied it again at 4. The Bisons pushed ahead 6-11, but the Eagles chipped away behind a Hildebrand kill, a Toeniskoetter-Soto block, a Katie Gielas ace and a Grubisic Cabo kill to pull within 12-13. With FGCU trailing 13-15, Grubisic Cabo put away a kill for the 1,000th of her career across UMBC, Florida SouthWestern and FGCU, then tied the set at 15 with another kill on the next rally. Lipscomb answered with five straight points and built a 16-23 lead, but the Eagles rallied for five in a row, as Gielas added a kill and Marzella served back-to-back aces to make it 21-23. The Bisons closed out the 25-21 set from there.
 
Florida Gulf Coast took control of the second set almost immediately. Sabitova served three straight points, including a kill from Kuwa, a kill from Hildebrand and a service ace, for a 5-1 lead, and after Lipscomb pulled within 5-3, Hildebrand sided out with a kill and Grubisic Cabo went to the line for six straight points. The Bisons committed three straight attack errors before Grubisic Cabo added an ace and Hildebrand and Shay Heaney put down kills for a 12-3 FGCU lead. A Toeniskoetter-Soto block pushed the margin to 15-7, and kills from Grubisic Cabo, Heaney and Kuwa made it 21-15. Lipscomb answered with four straight points to get within two, but a Bisons service error and attack error restored the cushion, and Hildebrand closed out the 25-21 set with kills on two of the final three rallies. Hildebrand led FGCU with six kills in the frame.
 
The third set was the tightest of the match, with six ties and three lead changes. Lipscomb led 6-10 before Kuwa and Heaney put down back-to-back kills, and two straight Soto kills pulled the Eagles within 11-12. Grubisic Cabo tied it at 14 with a kill, Hildebrand tied it again at 15, and a Lipscomb attack error gave FGCU its first lead since 1-0. Kuwa added a solo block for a 17-16 edge, and with Devynn Schulze serving, a Bisons attack error and a Heaney-Toeniskoetter block made it 19-16. Toeniskoetter's kill put FGCU up 21-19, and after Lipscomb tied it at 22, Kuwa answered with a kill for a 23-22 lead, but the Bisons scored the final three points to take the set 25-23.
 
The Eagles never trailed in the fourth. Toeniskoetter opened the set with a kill, Marzella followed with an ace and Grubisic Cabo put down three kills in the first six points for the Eagles, adding a service ace for an 8-2 lead. FGCU blew it open behind Vytiskova, who served seven straight points, including three aces, around two Soto kills, a Toeniskoetter kill and a Lipscomb attack error to turn a 10-5 lead into a 17-5 advantage. A Heaney-Toeniskoetter block made it 18-6, and Grubisic Cabo and Kuwa added kills down the stretch before Toeniskoetter's kill brought up set point at 24-13. A Lipscomb attack error sealed the 25-13 set, as FGCU hit .455 with six aces in the frame to force a fifth.
 
Lipscomb scored the first two points of the fifth set, and kills from Soto, Grubisic Cabo and Hildebrand kept FGCU within one at 4-5. After the Bisons stretched the lead to 4-8, Heaney sided out with a kill and Toeniskoetter teamed up with Heaney and Hildebrand on back-to-back blocks to pull the Eagles within 7-8. Lipscomb answered with five straight points, and despite a Hildebrand kill and a Toeniskoetter-Soto block, the Bisons closed out the 15-10 set.
 
FGCU opens a four-match road stretch on Friday, Oct. 16, at Jacksonville at 6 p.m.
 
HIGHLIGHTS:

• Julija Grubisic Cabo recorded the 1,000th kill of her collegiate career in the first set and finished with a double-double of a team-high 14 kills and 11 digs
• FGCU out-aced Lipscomb 12-4 and outscored the Bisons 104-99 in total points
• Eliska Vytiskova served seven straight points with three aces in the fourth set and finished with a double-double of 20 assists and 10 digs, plus a match-high four aces
• Dinara Sabitova posted a double-double of 25 assists and a team-high 12 digs
• Abby Toeniskoetter hit .333 with seven kills and a match-high seven total blocks

 
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