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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball continues its five-match ASUN homestand this weekend, hosting Queens Friday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. and West Florida Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. at Alico Arena.
 
Florida Gulf Coast (4-7, 1-0 ASUN) opened conference play Saturday with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-18) sweep of Stetson, its second sweep of the season. The Eagles out-hit the Hatters .342 to .090, out-killed them 39-25 and served 13 aces, tied for the third-most aces in a match in program history. FGCU hit .522 in the opening set and never trailed in it. Senior captain Julija Grubisic Cabo served eight aces, tied for the most by an individual in a 3-set match in program history, and added six kills and six digs for a match-high 14.5 points. The win extended Florida Gulf Coast’s winning streak over Stetson to 28 straight matches.
 
Freshman opposite Maju Hildebrand leads the Eagles with 125 kills (2.98 per set) and 141 points through 11 matches. She opened her collegiate career with 13 or more kills in each of her first six matches and was named ASUN Freshman of the Week on Sept. 8. Grubisic Cabo ranks second on the team with 115 kills and 98 digs, leads the Eagles with 17 service aces and has three double-doubles this season. Sophomore Katie Gielas led all players with nine kills on .389 hitting against Stetson and has 54 kills (3.00 per set) in five matches since moving into the starting lineup. Junior Camila Soto went 5-for-7 without an error against the Hatters and has 52 kills on the season, including a season-high 13 against No. 25 North Carolina.
 
Senior middle blocker Abby Toeniskoetter hit .636 with eight kills and four blocks against Stetson and leads the Eagles with 33 total blocks. Freshman middle blocker Amany Kuwa is right behind with 32 total blocks, including a team-high five solo blocks, after adding four kills and four blocks Saturday. Senior setter Dinara Sabitova has 288 assists (6.86 per set) with 20 or more in nine of 11 matches, including 23 against Stetson, and senior captain Eliska Vytiskova has added 144 assists. Senior defensive specialist Anna Marzella leads the back row with 119 digs (2.83 per set) and has recorded at least eight digs in every match this season.
 
Queens (Friday, Oct. 2, 6 p.m.)
239 Night ($2 Popcorn | $3 Beer | $9 Tickets)
Queens is 4-10 under second-year head coach Matt Stolz and opened ASUN play with a 3-0 (16-25, 22-25, 15-25) home loss to West Florida on Sept. 26. Four days earlier, the Royals won 3-1 (26-24, 27-25, 20-25, 25-16) at UNC Asheville. Senior opposite Emma Norris leads Queens in kills (159, 3.00 per set) and points (177.5) while hitting .283, and she has reached double figures in kills in nine of 14 matches, including a season-high 21 on .576 hitting against USC Upstate. Sophomore outside hitter Elizabeth Layson has 131 kills and a team-high 16 aces, and she had 14 kills and 12 digs at UNC Asheville. Senior outside hitter Callie DeSchryver has 129 kills and leads the team with 144 digs (2.72 per set). Junior setter Marlee Cook leads four Royals setters with 223 assists (4.55 per set), and freshman Destiny Wiggins (107 digs) and senior Tilley Collins (99 digs) anchor the back row. Freshman middle blocker Layni Tobias leads the team with 34 total blocks, and Norris adds 32. As a team, Queens is hitting .173, with opponents hitting .243.
 
Florida Gulf Coast leads the all-time series 8-0, has won 24 of 27 sets against the Royals and is 5-0 against Queens in Fort Myers. Both meetings in 2025 went four sets. The Eagles won 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-22) at Alico Arena on Oct. 5, taking the final three sets after dropping the first. Grubisic Cabo led the way with 19 kills, Toeniskoetter posted a match-high six blocks, Marzella served four aces and Vytiskova dished 30 assists. Florida Gulf Coast then won 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 26-24, 33-31) in Charlotte on Oct. 31, closing it out in a 33-31 fourth set. The Eagles totaled 71 kills to tie the program record at the time, including 24 in the fourth set alone. Grubisic Cabo had 15 kills, Toeniskoetter hit .632 with 12 kills and no errors, and Gielas added 10 kills and three blocks.
 
West Florida (Sunday, Oct. 4, 1 p.m.)
 West Florida is 9-2 under head coach Melissa Wolter, now in her 23rd season, in its first year as an ASUN member after moving up from Division II. The Argonauts opened conference play with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-15) win at Queens on Sept. 26, hitting .302 to the Royals’ .165. At the  Kwik Star Klassic on Sept. 18, West Florida beat Texas Tech 3-1 (16-25, 25-16, 27-25, 25-23) and took host Iowa to five sets (25-20, 16-25, 19-25, 25-18, 10-15). Senior opposite Kumara Flanagain leads the Argonauts with 97 kills (2.49 per set) and 113.5 points while hitting .295, and she had 18 kills against Iowa and 13 against Texas Tech. Senior outside hitter Emily Breazeale has 91 kills, and junior outside hitter Talya Sampson has 89, including a season-high 20 kills on .741 hitting against Central Arkansas. Redshirt junior Delaney Hanowell has 74 kills and leads the team with 61 total blocks (1.56 per set), and she had nine kills on .643 hitting with six blocks at Queens. Redshirt junior middle blocker Aniston Cochran is the Argonauts’ most efficient hitter at .367 and has 31 total blocks. Sophomore Karyna Werley leads the team with 173 assists (4.55 per set), while senior Gabi Moulton has 164 (6.56 per set) and freshman Lizzy Kwiatkowski has 90. Senior libero Maddie Mire leads the back row with 156 digs (3.80 per set). As a team, West Florida is hitting .233 and holding opponents to .138, and it averages 2.49 blocks per set.
 
Sunday marks the first all-time meeting between Florida Gulf Coast and West Florida.
 
Florida Gulf Coast wraps up its five-match homestand next weekend, hosting Bellarmine Friday, Oct. 9 at 6 p.m. and Lipscomb Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1 p.m. at Alico Arena.
 
MINI PLANS
Take advantage of one of our Mini Plans! Now you can Pick 2, 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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