FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball team (1-1) dropped a four-set decision to No. 24 BYU (2-0) on Saturday night at Alico Arena, falling 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 25-21).
BYU built an early cushion in the first set and never let go. FGCU hung around behind a trio of kills from
Julija Grubisic Cabo, who trimmed the deficit at 13-8, 14-9 and 16-10, and got a kill from
Amany Kuwa to make it 18-13. BYU answered every push, though, and closed out the opening set, 25-17.
The Eagles flipped the script in the second, and freshman
Maju Hildebrand was at the center of it. Trailing 19-13, FGCU reeled off five straight points, punctuated by kills from
Shay Heaney and Hildebrand, to pull within one at 19-18. BYU answered to push back in front, but FGCU kept trading blows, getting kills from Hildebrand and Heaney to tie the set at 20 and 21. After the set was tied a third time at 23, a Hildebrand kill put FGCU ahead for good, and a BYU attack error sealed it, 25-23, to even the match at a set apiece. Hildebrand turned in a monster set, finishing with eight kills alone to power the comeback.
BYU's block and hot hitting took over in the third. FGCU grabbed an early lead, going up 4-3 on a Heaney kill off an
Abby Toeniskoetter assist and 5-4 on a Hildebrand kill, before BYU pulled back in front, 7-6. From there, BYU seized control, scoring 10 of the next 11 points to build a 17-7 lead. FGCU got kills from Hildebrand and Grubisic Cabo down the stretch but couldn't close the gap, dropping the set, 25-15.
The fourth set was the most competitive of the night, with nine total ties. FGCU grabbed the lead right away on a Hildebrand kill, but BYU answered with four straight points to move in front, 4-1. The Eagles battled back to tie it at 4-4 and again at 5-5, and the two teams continued trading from there. FGCU's biggest push came late, with a Grubisic Cabo ace and kills from Heaney and Hildebrand fueling a stretch that put the Eagles in front, 15-13, for their largest lead of the set. BYU answered to tie it at 15, 16 and 17 before taking the lead for good, and although Heaney's kill pulled FGCU within three at 24-21, the Cougars closed out the match on the ensuing point, 25-21.
FGCU hit .205 as a team on the night. Hildebrand paced the Eagles offensively with 16 kills, the second-most in a match by an FGCU freshman over the last five seasons, trailing only
Katie Gielas' 20-kill outing against FIU on Oct. 21, 2025. Grubisic Cabo notched a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs on .391 hitting, while Heaney added 13 kills and
Dinara Sabitova ran the offense with 32 assists. Kuwa led the Eagles at the net with five total blocks.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Maju Hildebrand posted a career-high 16 kills, the second-most by an FGCU freshman in a match over the last five seasons.
- Julija Grubisic Cabo recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs.
- FGCU trailed 19-13 in the second set before closing it out, 25-23, to even the match.
FGCU wraps up the FGCU Invitational on Sunday, Aug. 30, at 1 p.m. against Florida State at Alico Arena.
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