FORT MYERS, Fla. - Florida Gulf Coast University senior outside hitter Julija Grubisic Cabo has been named the ASUN Player of the Week and freshman opposite Maju Hildebrand has been named the ASUN Freshman of the Week, the conference announced Monday. The duo powered the Eagles past Queens and West Florida at Alico Arena to stay perfect in conference play. It is the first weekly honor of Grubisic Cabo's FGCU career, while Hildebrand earns Freshman of the Week for the second time this season.
 
"We are very proud of Julija and Maju for being recognized this week," said head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen. "Julija is one of our captains for a reason. She set the tone for us at the service line and on the attack all weekend, and she came up big for us in the fifth set on Sunday. Maju continues to grow every week, and she is already making plays in big moments for us. To have two players honored in the same week says a lot about the work this group is putting in, and we know there is still a lot of volleyball ahead of us."
 
Grubisic Cabo led FGCU with 25 kills (3.13 per set) and 32 points (4.00 per set) over eight sets. She hit .276 and added five service aces, 15 digs and four blocks as the Eagles improved to 3-0 in ASUN play.
 
The Maribor, Slovenia native opened the week with 11 kills on .476 hitting, four aces, seven digs and three blocks in Friday's 3-0 sweep of Queens. She put down six kills in the first set and served three straight aces during an eight-point third-set run. She followed with a match-high 14 kills, eight digs and 15.5 points in Sunday's five-set win over West Florida. She closed out the second set with a kill and added two more as FGCU opened the deciding fifth on a 6-0 run.
 
Grubisic Cabo leads the Eagles with 169.5 points (3.39 per set) this season. She is one kill shy of 500 in her FGCU career and 16 shy of 1,000 in her collegiate career.
 
Hildebrand totaled 21 kills (2.63 per set) on .333 hitting and 23 points (2.88 per set), adding seven digs and four blocks across the two matches.
 
The Florianópolis, Brazil native hit .450 with 10 kills, five digs and a block against Queens, ending the match with a kill. She added 11 kills, three blocks and 12.5 points against West Florida. She teamed with Amany Kuwa on a block to bring up set point in the second set, then put down three kills in the closing stretch of the fifth.
 
Hildebrand leads the Eagles with 146 kills (2.92 per set) and has 164 points this season.
 
FGCU continues its five-match homestand Friday, Oct. 9, hosting Bellarmine at 6 p.m. at Alico Arena for Dig Pink Night.
 
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