JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (8-9, 5-2 ASUN) fell 3-0 at North Florida (11-7, 4-2 ASUN) on Saturday night at UNF Arena, dropping the match 18-25, 17-25, 18-25 to close out the Jacksonville leg of a four-match ASUN road stretch.
 
Katie Gielas led FGCU with 10 kills, eight digs and a team-high 11.5 points, and Julija Grubisic Cabo added eight kills and seven digs. Dinara Sabitova directed the offense with 16 assists, eight digs and three kills on .222 hitting, while Eliska Vytiskova added six assists. Anna Marzella led the back row with nine digs, as FGCU nearly matched the Ospreys in the back row with 45 digs to North Florida's 46. Abby Toeniskoetter chipped in four kills on .231 hitting and a team-high four total blocks.
 
The opening set went back and forth early, with six ties through the first 18 points. Amany Kuwa and Sabitova put down kills to keep pace, and Gielas tied it at 4 with a service ace before a North Florida setting error with Gielas still at the line gave FGCU its first lead at 5-4. Grubisic Cabo tied it at 9 with a kill and then went to the line for three straight Eagles points, as Maju Hildebrand put down a kill, Toeniskoetter and Hildebrand combined on a block and Gielas added a kill for a 12-9 lead. North Florida answered with five straight points to go ahead 12-14, but FGCU stayed within one behind a Hildebrand kill and a pair of Gielas kills at 14-15 and 15-16. The Ospreys pulled away from there, though kills from Sabitova and Grubisic Cabo kept the Eagles battling to the end of the 18-25 set.
 
Gielas opened the second set's scoring for FGCU with a kill to tie it at 1. North Florida built a 5-9 lead, and the Eagles' front row answered, as Toeniskoetter and Grubisic Cabo combined on a block and, with Grubisic Cabo serving, Gielas and Toeniskoetter teamed up on another before Gielas put down a kill to pull FGCU within one at 8-9. Sabitova kept the Eagles close with a kill at 9-10, but the Ospreys reeled off five straight points to take control. Gielas, Grubisic Cabo and Toeniskoetter each put down kills late, and Hildebrand and Kuwa combined on a block before Kuwa fought off a set point with a kill at 17-24, but North Florida closed out the set 17-25.
 
Toeniskoetter and Camila Soto teamed up on a block for the first point of the third set, and FGCU broke a 2-2 tie with three straight points, a North Florida service error followed by kills from Grubisic Cabo and Gielas with Vytiskova serving, for a 5-2 lead. The Ospreys answered with four straight, but Gielas tied it at 6 with a kill, and Grubisic Cabo leveled it again at 8 with Devynn Schulze at the line. After a North Florida attack error tied it at 9, the Ospreys scored four straight to go ahead 9-13. Grubisic Cabo answered with a kill, and Soto put one down with Marzella serving to bring FGCU within two at 12-14. Trailing 15-23, the Eagles kept fighting, as Toeniskoetter put down a kill and a North Florida ball-handling error with Sabitova serving made it 17-23, and Toeniskoetter fought off a match point with another kill at 18-24 before the Ospreys closed out the match.
 
FGCU continues its road stretch on Friday, Oct. 23, at Lipscomb at 7 p.m.
 
HIGHLIGHTS:

• Katie Gielas led FGCU with 10 kills, eight digs and a team-high 11.5 points
• Julija Grubisic Cabo added eight kills and seven digs
• Anna Marzella led the Eagles with nine digs
• Dinara Sabitova totaled 16 assists, eight digs and three kills on .222 hitting
• Abby Toeniskoetter had four kills on .231 hitting and a team-high four total blocks

 
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