DELAND, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (13-11, 10-4 ASUN) are rolling into the postseason. FGCU closed the regular season with its fifth straight win on Saturday night, sweeping Stetson (5-20, 1-13 ASUN) 3-0 at Insight Credit Union Arena, 25-18, 25-18, 25-21, behind a lights-out serving night that produced 12 aces, six of them from
Dinara Sabitova. The win completed a season sweep of the Hatters and sends the Eagles home to Alico Arena as the No. 2 seed for the 2026 ASUN Volleyball Championship.
FGCU out-aced Stetson 12-1, and the 12 aces tie for the sixth-most in a three-set match in program history. Sabitova's six aces were a career high and tie for the seventh-most in a single match in program history, and she added 24 assists and five digs. The Eagles also out-hit the Hatters .227 to .144, out-killed them 46-28 and out-dug them 46-34.
Julija Grubisic Cabo led all players with 10 kills and passed 1,100 kills in her collegiate career, while
Abby Toeniskoetter was nearly unstoppable in the middle with nine kills on .571 hitting (9-1-14), a team-high five total blocks and a team-high 13 points.
"I loved the way we finished the regular season," head coach
Thais Baziquetto-Allen said. "Our serving set the tone tonight, and Dinara was outstanding at the line. It was also great to have Erica back on the floor with us. This group has grown so much over the last few weeks, and five straight wins is a reflection of how hard they've worked and how much they trust each other. Now we get to come home, play in front of our fans at Alico Arena and start a brand-new season on Friday."
Katie Gielas hit .471 with nine kills, five of them in the opening set, and
Maju Hildebrand added nine kills and three total blocks.
Camila Soto chipped in six kills and
Amany Kuwa added three.
Eliska Vytiskova handed out 15 assists with eight digs, and
Anna Marzella paced the back row with a team-high 15 digs to go with three aces and five assists.
Erica Muhizi made her return from injury in the third set, seeing her first action since Sept. 13 at Missouri.
The Eagles grabbed control early in the first set. Hildebrand put down two of FGCU's first three kills, Soto added another and two Stetson attack errors made it 6-2. After the Hatters pulled within 6-4, Kuwa and Gielas teamed up on a block and Kuwa and Grubisic Cabo followed with kills, and then Sabitova went to work. With her at the line, Hildebrand and Toeniskoetter combined on a block, Hildebrand put down a kill and Sabitova fired back-to-back aces to cap a four-point burst for a 13-6 lead. Gielas took over from there, hammering home back-to-back kills for an 18-9 lead and another for 19-11, and Grubisic Cabo's 1,100th collegiate kill made it 20-12. Sabitova added her third ace of the set for a 23-14 cushion, Toeniskoetter stuffed a Stetson attack for set point and Gielas finished off the 25-18 frame with a kill.
Set two belonged to Grubisic Cabo. The Maribor, Slovenia native opened the scoring for FGCU with a kill to tie it at 1, then served three straight points, including an ace, for a 4-1 lead. Stetson battled back to grab a 5-6 edge, but Gielas and Soto answered with kills, and after the Hatters tied it at 10, Toeniskoetter put the Eagles in front for good with a kill. Grubisic Cabo and Gielas put down back-to-back kills for a 14-11 lead, Toeniskoetter, Kuwa and Soto kept the pressure on, and when Stetson pulled within 18-17, Grubisic Cabo answered with kills at 19-17 and 20-18. Then she went to the line and slammed the door for the second straight match, serving the final five points of the set. Toeniskoetter put down back-to-back kills, two Stetson attack errors brought up set point and Hildebrand finished it off with a kill off a Marzella set to seal the 25-18 win.
FGCU saved its best serving for last, piling up eight aces in the third set. Toeniskoetter and Vytiskova served aces to help the Eagles to an early 5-3 lead, and after Stetson moved in front 6-8, Marzella tied it at 8 with an ace. Grubisic Cabo put down back-to-back kills to tie it at 9 and take a 10-9 lead, and Sabitova followed with three straight aces to push the margin to 13-9. The Hatters fought back to tie it at 17, but they never pulled ahead. Soto and Toeniskoetter answered with kills for a 19-17 edge, and Marzella took over at the line, serving an ace, combining with a Toeniskoetter and Grubisic Cabo block and firing another ace for a 22-17 lead. Toeniskoetter added a kill for a 23-19 lead, Hildebrand brought up match point with a kill off a Marzella set, and Gielas sealed the 25-21 set and the sweep with a kill.
FGCU, the No. 2 seed, earned a first-round bye and opens play in the semifinals of the 2026 ASUN Volleyball Championship on Friday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m. ET at Alico Arena against the winner of Thursday's first-round match between No. 3 North Florida and No. 6 Queens. The championship match is set for Sunday, Nov. 22, at 1 p.m. ET.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- FGCU extended its winning streak to five matches, finished the regular season 10-4 in ASUN play and earned the No. 2 seed for the ASUN Championship at Alico Arena
- The Eagles served 12 aces, tied for the sixth-most in a three-set match in program history, including eight in the third set
- Dinara Sabitova served a career-high six aces, tied for the seventh-most in a single match in program history, and added 24 assists
- Julija Grubisic Cabo led all players with 10 kills, passed 1,100 collegiate kills and served the final five points of the second set for the second straight match
- Abby Toeniskoetter hit .571 with nine kills, a team-high five total blocks and a team-high 13 points
- Anna Marzella posted a team-high 15 digs and three aces
- Erica Muhizi returned to the lineup for the first time since Sept. 13
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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