NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (8-10, 5-3 ASUN) fell 3-2 at Lipscomb (13-5, 6-2 ASUN) on Friday night at Allen Arena, dropping the match 25-21, 20-25, 27-25, 23-25, 13-15 in the third match of a four-match ASUN road stretch. Anna Marzella anchored the back row with a career-high 30 digs, and four Eagles posted double-doubles, including career highs from Maju Hildebrand in kills and Katie Gielas in digs.
 
FGCU out-killed Lipscomb 66-62, out-dug the Bisons 101-90 and out-aced them 6-4. Julija Grubisic Cabo posted a double-double with a match-high 18 kills and 12 digs, adding an ace and a team-high 19 points. Hildebrand matched her with 19 points behind a career-high 17 kills on .238 hitting, 13 digs and an ace for a double-double, and Gielas recorded a double-double of 16 kills and a career-high 20 digs with 17 points. Dinara Sabitova directed the offense with 41 assists and 13 digs for a double-double, adding four kills on .250 hitting, an ace and a solo block, while Eliska Vytiskova added 10 assists. Marzella's match-high 30 digs topped her previous career high of 26, set last Friday at Jacksonville, and she added seven assists and two aces. Abby Toeniskoetter chipped in six kills, an ace and a team-high six total blocks, including four solo blocks, for 12 points.
 
Florida Gulf Coast came out sharp in the opening set. Marzella started the match with a service ace, and Toeniskoetter followed with a kill and a solo block for a 3-1 lead. After Lipscomb tied it at 3, Hildebrand put down back-to-back kills and Grubisic Cabo served an ace to make it 6-3. Toeniskoetter then went to the line for three straight points, as Hildebrand and Gielas put down kills and a Lipscomb attack error made it 10-4, and Camila Soto added back-to-back kills with Gielas serving to push the lead to 14-6. Toeniskoetter served three more straight points, an ace and two Lipscomb attack errors, to open a 21-12 advantage, and Gielas put down back-to-back kills to make it 23-13. The Bisons scored seven straight points to pull within 24-21, but Soto ended it with a kill off a Vytiskova set to seal the 25-21 set. Gielas had six kills in the frame.
 
Lipscomb scored the first two points of the second set, and Gielas answered with a pair of kills, the second giving FGCU a 5-4 lead. The Bisons took the lead for good with four straight points to go ahead 6-9. Hildebrand put down back-to-back kills to pull the Eagles within three at 13-16, and trailing 17-24, FGCU fought off three set points behind a Hildebrand kill, a Gielas kill and a Toeniskoetter-Hildebrand block before Lipscomb closed out the 20-25 set.
 
FGCU answered in a back-and-forth third set. Marzella served the first three points, an ace followed by two Lipscomb attack errors, for a 3-0 lead. After the Bisons pulled ahead 7-8, the Eagles' front row took over. Amany Kuwa and Gielas combined on a block to tie it at 8, and with Hildebrand at the line, the pair teamed up on another before Kuwa and Sabitova put down kills for an 11-8 lead. Gielas then served three straight points, a Sabitova solo block followed by kills from Hildebrand and Grubisic Cabo, for a 15-9 cushion, and a Toeniskoetter solo block made it 21-16. Lipscomb rallied to tie it at 22, but a Bisons setting error put FGCU back in front, and Grubisic Cabo earned set point with a kill at 24-22. Lipscomb answered to tie it at 24 and again at 25, but a Bisons attack error gave the Eagles another chance, and Grubisic Cabo closed out the 27-25 set with a kill off a Marzella set. Grubisic Cabo had six kills in the set.
 
The fourth set featured 13 ties. Gielas put down two kills around a Hildebrand ace and then served back-to-back points on Lipscomb attack errors for a 5-2 lead, and after the Bisons went ahead 5-6, Grubisic Cabo tied it at 6, 7 and 8 with kills. Hildebrand put down back-to-back kills with Toeniskoetter serving to put FGCU in front 11-10, and kills from Hildebrand, Gielas and Sabitova built a 15-12 lead. Lipscomb answered to go ahead 16-19, but Soto and Sabitova pulled the Eagles within one with a kill and a service ace, and a Toeniskoetter solo block tied it at 20. Hildebrand and Gielas tied it again at 21 and 22, and Gielas fought off a set point with a kill at 23-24 before the Bisons took the set 23-25 to force a fifth.
 
Down 1-4 in the deciding set, FGCU responded with five straight points. Grubisic Cabo sided out with a kill and then served four straight, as Toeniskoetter stuffed a solo block, a Lipscomb setting error tied it and Hildebrand and Grubisic Cabo put down kills for a 6-4 lead. Kills from Sabitova and Grubisic Cabo gave the Eagles a 10-8 edge, and Grubisic Cabo made it 11-9 with another. After a Lipscomb service error tied it at 12, Hildebrand and Toeniskoetter teamed up on a block to put FGCU in front 13-12, but the Bisons scored the final three points to take the set 13-15.
 
FGCU closes its four-match road stretch on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Bellarmine in Louisville, Ky., at 5 p.m.
 
HIGHLIGHTS:

• Anna Marzella posted a career-high and match-high 30 digs, topping her previous best of 26 set last Friday at Jacksonville
• Julija Grubisic Cabo recorded a double-double with a match-high 18 kills and 12 digs
• Maju Hildebrand added a double-double of a career-high 17 kills and 13 digs on .238 hitting
• Katie Gielas posted a double-double of 16 kills and a career-high 20 digs
• Dinara Sabitova totaled 41 assists and 13 digs for a double-double
• Abby Toeniskoetter had six kills and a team-high six total blocks, including four solo blocks

 
2026 ASUN VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS
Tickets are on sale for the 2026 ASUN Volleyball Championship, set for Nov. 19-22 at Alico Arena. FGCU is hosting the league tournament for the fourth straight year and the 10th time overall, with the top six ASUN teams playing in Fort Myers for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Single-session tickets start at $14, and all-tournament passes start at $30.
 
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