FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (9-11, 6-4 ASUN) put five players in double figures in kills in a 3-1 win over North Florida (12-9, 5-4 ASUN) on Friday night at Alico Arena. FGCU took the match 25-17, 27-25, 20-25, 25-18 in its return home after a four-match ASUN road stretch.
 
FGCU out-hit North Florida .306 to .184, out-killed the Ospreys 63-47 and out-dug them 69-52. Katie Gielas led all players with 16 kills on .387 hitting. Julija Grubisic Cabo posted a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs, adding an ace and 15.5 points. Camila Soto hit .348 with 11 kills, seven of them in the second set. Maju Hildebrand added 11 kills and four total blocks, and Abby Toeniskoetter hit .529 with 10 kills on just one error, adding an ace and three total blocks.
 
"That's our volleyball," head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen said. "We have so many offensive weapons that we have to be able to spread it and keep their defense and their blocking from setting on one player. I think we did that today. Our setters did a tremendous job of finding players in different spots and finding the players that were hot in different moments and feeding them the ball."
 
Eliska Vytiskova handed out 27 assists with two aces, moving past Shanelle Puetz (828) into ninth on FGCU's career assists list with 850, and Dinara Sabitova recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 14 digs. Anna Marzella paced the back row with a match-high 19 digs, adding eight assists and an ace, and Shay Heaney chipped in 10 digs. Amany Kuwa led the Eagles with five total blocks, including a solo stuff.
 
The first set was tied six times before Florida Gulf Coast took control. Gielas gave FGCU its first lead with a kill at 5-4, and the Eagles moved in front for good at 10-9 on a North Florida attack error. With Grubisic Cabo at the line, another Ospreys error and a Hildebrand-Toeniskoetter block made it 12-9. Toeniskoetter then served four straight points. Kuwa and Hildebrand combined on a block, Hildebrand put down back-to-back kills and a North Florida attack error pushed the lead to 17-11. Gielas added two kills down the stretch, Marzella served an ace and Toeniskoetter put down a kill for a 23-15 cushion. Hildebrand and Toeniskoetter teamed up on a block to close out the 25-17 set. Hildebrand had five kills and three blocks in the frame.
 
Set two came down to the wire. The two teams traded points through a 6-6 tie, and then Toeniskoetter served up a Hildebrand-Kuwa block and a North Florida attack error. Vytiskova followed with back-to-back aces and set up a Gielas kill for a 13-7 lead. Soto, Grubisic Cabo and Toeniskoetter kept the pressure on, and a Toeniskoetter kill made it 20-15. North Florida rallied to earn set point at 21-24, but the Eagles fought off three straight. A North Florida attack error got FGCU within two. With Vytiskova serving, Soto put down a kill, Gielas tied it at 24 with a kill and Soto gave FGCU its own set point at 25-24. After the Ospreys tied it at 25, Soto ended it with back-to-back kills to take the set 27-25. Soto accounted for four of FGCU's final six points.
 
The third set featured 10 ties. Toeniskoetter put down three kills and Grubisic Cabo added four, including back-to-back swings that helped pull FGCU within 17-19 late. North Florida held on to take the set 20-25.
 
FGCU answered in the fourth. A Grubisic Cabo-Kuwa block gave the Eagles an early 3-1 lead, and the two teams tied it 11 times in the set. Trailing 9-13, FGCU went on a 16-5 run to close the match. Grubisic Cabo sided out with a kill, and with Marzella at the line, Toeniskoetter put down back-to-back kills and teamed with Soto on a block to tie it at 13. After a Soto kill made it 14-15, Grubisic Cabo tied it at 15 and again at 16 with kills. Grubisic Cabo then went to the line, where a Hildebrand kill put FGCU ahead for good and her service ace made it 18-16. Hildebrand added another kill and Toeniskoetter served an ace for a 20-17 edge, and Gielas put down a kill to make it 21-18. Vytiskova served out the match from there. Kuwa and Soto combined on a block, Gielas put down a kill and two North Florida attack errors sealed the 25-18 set. Grubisic Cabo had five kills in the fourth.
 
FGCU closes its regular-season home slate on Senior Day against Jacksonville at Alico Arena on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 1 p.m.
 
POSTGAME THOUGHTS:


HIGHLIGHTS:

• Five Eagles reached double figures in kills: Katie Gielas (16), Julija Grubisic Cabo (14), Camila Soto (11), Maju Hildebrand (11) and Abby Toeniskoetter (10)
• Gielas led all players with 16 kills on .387 hitting and 16 points
• Grubisic Cabo posted a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs, adding an ace and five kills in the fourth set
• Soto hit .348 with 11 kills, including seven in the second set and four of FGCU's final six points
• Toeniskoetter hit .529 with 10 kills and just one error
• Eliska Vytiskova moved into ninth on FGCU's career assists list with 850, passing Shanelle Puetz (828), behind 27 assists and two aces
• Dinara Sabitova recorded a double-double with 23 assists and 14 digs
• Anna Marzella led all players with 19 digs and has at least eight digs in all 20 matches this season

 
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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