FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FGCU Eagles opened the 2026 season with a 3-1 win over VCU on Friday night at Alico Arena, taking the match 25-17, 25-16, 24-26, 25-19 to move to 1-0 on the year.
FGCU jumped out to an early 4-2 edge in the first set behind kills from
Amany Kuwa and
Maju Hildebrand, and after the set was tied at 6, the Eagles ripped off three straight points, a pair of
Shay Heaney aces sandwiched around a Hildebrand kill, to push in front 9-6. From there FGCU methodically built its cushion, getting back-to-back kills from Heaney to make it 16-10 and a Hildebrand ace to go up 19-12.
Julija Grubisic Cabo took over down the stretch with four kills over the set's final stretch, and Kuwa capped it with back-to-back kills of her own to close out a 25-17 set win.
The second set was all Eagles. FGCU trailed just briefly before a five-point burst, highlighted by kills from Heaney, Kuwa and a block from
Abby Toeniskoetter, turned a 2-2 tie into a 7-2 lead. Grubisic Cabo and Hildebrand traded knockout blows the rest of the way, with Grubisic Cabo adding a kill and an ace in the middle of the set and Hildebrand chipping in three more kills, and
Eliska Vytiskova closed the door with a service ace to make it 25-16.
Set three was the tightest of the night, with the two teams tied nine times down the stretch. FGCU clawed back from an early 6-4 deficit behind kills from Kuwa and Hildebrand, and pushed ahead late to a 24-22 lead and set point on the strength of back-to-back VCU attack errors. VCU battled back to force extra points, eventually taking the set 26-24, but the Eagles carried the set's momentum and competitive edge right into the fourth.
FGCU shook off the setback in the fourth. The Eagles built an early lead behind Kuwa, Heaney, Hildebrand and Toeniskoetter kills, but VCU answered with a run of its own to go up 17-12. From there FGCU closed the match on a 13-2 tear, a Toeniskoetter ace tied it at 18, and Grubisic Cabo took over with three kills down the stretch, with
Anna Marzella chipping in one as well, as the Eagles finished off the 25-19 set and the 3-1 match win.
FGCU out-hit VCU .267 to .089 on the night and out-killed the Rams 52-33. Grubisic Cabo paced the offense with 16 kills on .303 hitting to go with 10 digs, while Hildebrand added 13 kills in her collegiate debut and Heaney chipped in 10 kills and a team-high 11 digs. Vytiskova ran the offense efficiently with 29 assists and 10 digs, and Kuwa was terrific in her own debut, hitting .417 with 7 kills and a team-high 6 total blocks.
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POSTGAME THOUGHTS:
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The FGCU Invitational continues on with the Eagles facing No. 24 BYU on Saturday, August 29 at 5 p.m. at Alico Arena.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the FGCU 2026 volleyball campaign are now on sale, and you can take advantage of 12 home Eagles matches, including two tournaments featuring some of the nation's best teams, with plans starting at only $60.
By securing your season tickets now, you can save over 50% compared to purchasing single-game tickets for FGCU volleyball.
MINI PLANS
Not sure about a full season? Take advantage of one of our Mini Plans! Now you canÂ
Pick 2,Â
Pick 3Â orÂ
Pick 5! For just $20, you can get aÂ
ticket to any two volleyball matches. Add another game to that tally as theÂ
Pick 3Â mini plan is only $25. Or spend $35 andÂ
pick any five home games from the FGCU men's soccer, women's soccer and/or volleyball schedules.
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