FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball team (2-3) dropped a four-set decision to West Virginia (3-1) on Saturday afternoon in the finale of the Sunshine State Classic at Alico Arena, falling 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 28-30, 25-23).
Maju Hildebrand opened the match with a kill, and FGCU held a 2-1 edge before West Virginia took control of the opening set. The Mountaineers pushed the margin to 13-9 and 19-13, while the Eagles got kills from Hildebrand,
Julija Grubisic Cabo and
Abby Toeniskoetter to stay within reach.
Dinara Sabitova added a pair of setter kills, and
Katie Gielas served an ace late to make it 24-17, but West Virginia closed out the set, 25-17.
West Virginia jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second and stretched it to 8-2. Gielas provided a pair of kills, and aces from Hildebrand and Gielas pulled FGCU within 11-7, but the Mountaineers built the lead back out to 16-7. The Eagles made one more push, trailing 21-12 before scoring four straight, capped by an
Amany Kuwa-
Shay Heaney block and consecutive Hildebrand kills, to trim it to 21-16. West Virginia closed the set, 25-19.
FGCU turned the match around in the third with
Camila Soto and
Eliska Vytiskova in the mix. Trailing 6-3, the Eagles got three kills from Toeniskoetter and another from Soto to pull within 8-7, then ran off five straight points during Toeniskoetter's service turn. A Toeniskoetter ace, a Soto kill, an
Erica Muhizi-Grubisic Cabo block and a West Virginia error flipped a 10-7 deficit into a 12-10 lead, and kills from Muhizi and Grubisic Cabo made it 14-12. West Virginia tied it at 17 and surged in front, 20-17, but the Eagles responded again. Kills from Toeniskoetter, Grubisic Cabo and Soto and a Sabitova ace drew FGCU even at 22-22, setting up the rally of the match. The two teams traded shot after shot in an extended exchange that had the crowd at Alico Arena going crazy, and it ended with Grubisic Cabo stuffing a West Virginia attack for a solo block and a 23-22 lead. A Hildebrand kill then gave the Eagles their first set point at 24-23. From there, the two teams traded blows through eight more ties. Heaney erased a West Virginia set point at 25-24 with a kill, then put FGCU in front, 26-25, on the next point. Hildebrand answered a second Mountaineer set point at 27-26, and a Soto-Toeniskoetter block gave the Eagles the lead at 28-27. After West Virginia tied it a 12th and final time at 28, Soto delivered a kill and a West Virginia attack error sealed it, 30-28. FGCU put down 18 kills in the set to cut the match deficit to 2-1.
The fourth set featured 11 more ties, with the two teams knotted at every point from 1-1 through 6-6. West Virginia opened a 14-10 cushion, but the Eagles came right back during another Toeniskoetter service run, getting an ace from Toeniskoetter and a Soto kill to tie it at 15. The teams stayed even at 16, 17 and 18 before West Virginia moved ahead, 20-18. Hildebrand and Toeniskoetter answered with kills to tie it at 20, and after the Mountaineers reached 24-22, Grubisic Cabo's kill and a West Virginia error pulled FGCU within 24-23. West Virginia closed out the match on the ensuing point, 25-23.
FGCU hit .119 as a team but hit .316 in the fourth set. Hildebrand led the Eagles with 13 kills, reaching double figures for the fifth time in five matches this season. Toeniskoetter posted a season-high 10 kills on .304 hitting to go with two aces, and Soto came off the bench for a season-high nine kills on .286 hitting in three sets. Grubisic Cabo added eight kills, 14 digs and two blocks,
Anna Marzella finished with 10 digs, and Sabitova and Vytiskova combined for 38 assists.
HIGHLIGHTS:
SUNSHINE STATE CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
- Dinara Sabitova - FGCU
- Maya Van Heyst - FAU
- Two West Virginia players still to be determined
Next up for the Eagles is the Mizzou Invitational, hosted by Missouri in Columbia, Mo. FGCU faces Wichita State on Friday, Sept. 11, at 5 p.m., Arkansas State on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m., and Missouri on Sunday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m.
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 can
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Pick 3 or
Pick 5! For just $20, you can get a
ticket to any two volleyball matches. Add another game to that tally as the
Pick 3 mini plan is only $25. Or spend $35 and
pick any five home games from the FGCU men's soccer, women's soccer and/or volleyball schedules.
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