Katie Gielas recorded 14 kills as the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles women’s volleyball team swept Queens 3-0 on Friday at Alico Arena in Fort Myers. Florida Gulf Coast won 26-24, 25-16 and 25-19 to improve to 5-7 overall and 2-0 in ASUN play. Queens fell to 4-11 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
The victory gave Florida Gulf Coast its second consecutive sweep to open conference play and its third sweep of the season. The Eagles also improved to 9-0 all time against Queens. Florida Gulf Coast hit .367 for the match, compared with .173 for Queens, and held advantages in kills, 44-36, and aces, 7-4.
Gielas led all players with 14 kills on .400 hitting. She added two aces and finished with 16.5 points, including seven kills in the third set. Julija Grubisic Cabo matched Gielas with 16.5 points after recording 11 kills on .476 hitting, four aces, seven digs and three total blocks.
Maju Hildebrand added 10 kills on .450 hitting to give Florida Gulf Coast three players in double figures. Abby Toeniskoetter posted a match-high six total blocks and contributed four kills. Dinara Sabitova and Eliska Vytiskova combined for 34 assists, with Sabitova recording 18 assists and a team-high nine digs.
Florida Gulf Coast rallies in opening set
Queens built an early 7-3 lead in the opening set, but Florida Gulf Coast gradually closed the gap. Kills from Toeniskoetter and Gielas helped the Eagles move closer, and Toeniskoetter and Camila Soto teamed up for consecutive blocks during the comeback.
Florida Gulf Coast took its first lead at 17-16 after scoring four straight points. Grubisic Cabo added a kill, Sabitova served an ace and Hildebrand delivered a kill as the Eagles moved ahead 20-17. Queens tied the set at 24, but Toeniskoetter put Florida Gulf Coast back in front before Gielas finished the set with a service ace.
Eagles pull away in final two sets
The second set featured six ties through the first 18 points before Florida Gulf Coast created separation. Grubisic Cabo broke a 9-9 tie with consecutive kills, and Hildebrand followed with two kills as the Eagles took a 12-9 lead. Florida Gulf Coast closed the set on a seven-point run to win 25-16 and held Queens to minus-.129 hitting in the frame.
Queens scored the first two points of the third set, but Gielas answered with consecutive kills to begin an eight-point Florida Gulf Coast run. Grubisic Cabo served three consecutive aces during the surge, and Gielas added another kill for an 8-2 advantage. The Eagles extended the lead to 22-13 before Toeniskoetter brought up match point and Hildebrand ended the sweep with a kill.
Florida Gulf Coast head coach Thais Baziquetto-Allen credited the team’s service pressure and offensive execution after the match.
“We’re pretty good at the service line, keeping them out of system,” Baziquetto-Allen said. “It’s really hard to stop our offense when we’re in system like that.”
Next match
Florida Gulf Coast is scheduled to host West Florida at 1 p.m. Sunday, October 4, at Alico Arena. It will be the first meeting between the programs.
FSB Take
Florida Gulf Coast’s sweep combined efficient attacking with service pressure and blocking. Gielas, Grubisic Cabo and Hildebrand supplied the Eagles’ double-figure kill performances, while Toeniskoetter led the net defense with six blocks. The result leaves Florida Gulf Coast 2-0 in ASUN play heading into its first meeting with West Florida.
Source: Original report