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FORT MYERS, Fla.\u00a0– The Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (6-7, 3-0 ASUN) stormed out to a 6-0 lead in the fifth set and never let go, outlasting West Florida (10-3, 2-1 ASUN) 3-2 (18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 17-25, 15-11) in a five-set thriller on Sunday at Alico Arena to stay perfect in ASUN play.
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\nFGCU out-hit West Florida .176 to .135 and out-killed the Argonauts 55-48, with three Eagles reaching double figures in kills. Head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen<\/a> credited her team’s resilience in its first five-set match of the season. “I just told them in the locker room that I’m just proud of the resilience,” she said. “That fifth set is shorter, and you have to be more disciplined. It’s a situation we haven’t been in before against a really good West Florida team, and we came out on a 6-0 run, which made a huge difference.”
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\nJulija Grubisic Cabo<\/a> led all players with 14 kills and 15.5 points while adding eight digs. Camila Soto<\/a> added 12 kills and five total blocks for 14.5 points, and Maju Hildebrand<\/a> chipped in 11 kills. Eliska Vytiskova<\/a> posted a double-double with 26 assists and 12 digs to go with a team-high three aces, and her assist total moved her past Hanna Borer<\/a> (713) into 10th on FGCU’s career list with 731. Dinara Sabitova<\/a> recorded a double-double of her own with 17 assists and 13 digs. Anna Marzella<\/a> paced the defense with a match-high 16 digs. Amany Kuwa<\/a> led FGCU at the net with eight total blocks, and Abby Toeniskoetter<\/a> added six kills and five total blocks.
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\nWest Florida opened the match with the first two points, but FGCU answered with four straight, including back-to-back blocks from the tandem of Katie Gielas<\/a> and Kuwa, for a 4-2 lead. After the Argonauts moved ahead 8-5, Toeniskoetter recorded a solo block and teamed with Soto on another as part of a three-point run that tied it at 9, and a Soto kill gave the Eagles an 11-10 edge. West Florida pulled away from there to take the opener 25-18.
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\nFGCU answered in a second set that featured eight ties. Trailing 8-5, the Eagles scored four straight, as Grubisic Cabo opened the run with a kill, Soto and Kuwa teamed up on a block and Grubisic Cabo put FGCU in front 9-8 with a kill off a Vytiskova set. West Florida went back ahead 12-10, but a Shay Heaney<\/a> kill and a Marzella service ace tied it at 12, and Toeniskoetter’s kill made it 14-12. The two teams traded points until Hildebrand and Toeniskoetter combined on a block to break a 17-17 tie, sparking four straight FGCU points, three of them with Gielas at the line. Kills from Grubisic Cabo and Toeniskoetter pushed the lead to 21-17, and another Grubisic Cabo kill and a West Florida attack error made it 23-18. The Argonauts scored three straight to pull within two, but Kuwa and Hildebrand teamed up on a block to bring up set point at 24-21. After West Florida saved two set points, Grubisic Cabo closed it out with a kill off a Vytiskova set, 25-23
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\nThe Eagles took control after falling behind early in the third. West Florida built a 10-5 lead, but a Grubisic Cabo kill started a five-point FGCU run, and Vytiskova served the final four points of it, including a Soto kill and a service ace that tied it at 10. After the Argonauts went back ahead 11-10, Soto leveled it with a kill, and Grubisic Cabo went to the line for six straight points. Kuwa and Soto teamed up on a block, Gielas and Soto each added two kills and Grubisic Cabo capped the seven-point run with an ace for a 17-11 lead, and FGCU never trailed again. Soto, Toeniskoetter and Hildebrand added kills down the stretch, Kuwa and Grubisic Cabo combined on a block for set point at 24-18, and Kuwa finished the 25-18 set with a kill. FGCU hit .500 in the frame with 16 kills and one error, and Soto put down six kills in the set.
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\nGrubisic Cabo’s kill gave FGCU a 2-1 lead early in the fourth, and after West Florida moved ahead 5-2, back-to-back kills from Soto and Toeniskoetter pulled the Eagles within one. Soto and Gielas added kills to keep FGCU within striking distance at 8-7, but the Argonauts answered with five straight points. Vytiskova served an ace and Heaney added a kill as FGCU chipped away, and Hildebrand finished the set strong with two kills and a block alongside Kuwa, but West Florida took the frame 25-17 to force a deciding fifth.
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\nFGCU wasted no time in the fifth. Vytiskova served the first six points of the set, a run that included two Grubisic Cabo kills, a Vytiskova ace and a Toeniskoetter and Soto block for a 6-0 lead. Gielas added a pair of kills to keep the Eagles ahead 9-4, and after West Florida pulled within two, Hildebrand took over, putting down three kills in the closing stretch. Her third, off a Marzella set, made it 13-10, and after the Argonauts got one back, a West Florida service error brought up match point. Soto ended it with a kill off another Marzella set to seal the 15-11 set and the match.
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\nFGCU continues its five-match homestand Friday, Oct. 9, hosting Bellarmine at 6 p.m. at Alico Arena for Dig Pink Night. The night honors the fighters, celebrates the survivors, remembers those we’ve lost and stands beside every family whose life has been touched by breast cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear pink, fill the stands and help make the night about more than just volleyball.
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\nHIGHLIGHTS:<\/p>\n
\n\tFGCU improved to 3-0 in ASUN play and won the first-ever meeting with West Florida
\n\tJulija Grubisic Cabo<\/a> led all players with 14 kills and 15.5 points and is one kill shy of 500 in her FGCU career
\n\tEliska Vytiskova<\/a> posted a double-double with 26 assists and 12 digs, moving past Hanna Borer<\/a> (713) into 10th on FGCU’s career assists list with 731
\n\tAnna Marzella<\/a> recorded a match-high 16 digs, and Dinara Sabitova<\/a> added a double-double with 17 assists and 13 digs
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