Members of the FGCU volleyball team huddle together on the court during a match at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Fla. (Zachary Gibbons/The Eagle Sports Report)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball team (8-10, 5-3 ASUN) lost 3-2 (21-25, 25-20, 25-27, 25-23, 15-13) to Lipscomb University on Friday night at Allen Arena, dropping its third match of a four-match ASUN Conference road trip.

In the deciding fifth set, FGCU rallied from a 4-1 deficit with five unanswered points, highlighted by kills from Julija Grubisic Cabo and Maju Hildebrand alongside an Abby Toeniskoetter solo block, to go up 6-4. After Lipscomb evened the score, Dinara Sabitova and Grubisic Cabo powered the Eagles to an 11-9 advantage. Lipscomb answered with three straight points to jump ahead 12-11 before a Hildebrand-Toeniskoetter block put FGCU back on top, 13-12. However, the Bisons erased the late deficit with an Ella Durham kill, then sealed the match on an FGCU attack error and a match-ending block by Durham and Brooklyn Fuchs.

Anna Marzella anchored the Eagles defensively with a career- and match-high 30 digs, eclipsing her previous personal best of 26 set just a week prior against Jacksonville. Offensively, FGCU had four players with double-doubles, led by Grubisic Cabo’s match-high 18 kills and 12 digs. Hildebrand posted a career-high 17 kills alongside 13 digs while hitting .238, Katie Gielas chipped in 16 kills to go with a career-best 20 digs, and Sabitova directed the offense with 41 assists and 13 digs. Toeniskoetter added six kills and a team-high six total blocks, including four solo efforts.

Lipscomb’s attack was led by Durham, who had a team-high 17 kills alongside five blocks, while Anna Claire Brown and Sydney Strenger contributed 15 kills apiece. Strenger also anchored the Bisons with a match-high eight total blocks. Setter Kelsey Schenck led the offense with 52 assists, and Grace Jones led the defense with a team-high 23 digs to go along with two service aces. Makenna Kirlin and Madyson McCarthy added 18 and 16 digs, respectively, to round out the Bisons’ back-row coverage.

FGCU took control in the opening set, using back-to-back kills from Hildebrand and a Grubisic Cabo ace to spark an initial 6-3 run. The Eagles built a 14-6 cushion following kills from Gielas and Camila Soto, eventually stretching the lead to 21-12 behind an Abby Toeniskoetter ace. After back-to-back Gielas kills to reach set point at 24-14, Lipscomb went on a seven-point run to close the gap to 24-21. Soto halted the run with the set-winning kill to secure the 25-21 set win for FGCU.

Lipscomb took control early in the second set, using a four-point run to build a 9-6 lead it would not relinquish. FGCU stayed within striking distance through Hildebrand, who delivered back-to-back kills to bring the Eagles within three at 16-13. Down 24-17, FGCU mounted a late charge to erase three set points behind kills from Hildebrand and Gielas, as well as a Hildebrand-Toeniskoetter block, but the Bisons held on to secure the 25-20 set.

The Eagles responded in the third set, starting on a 3-0 run anchored by an Anna Marzella service ace. After Lipscomb went ahead 8-7, FGCU’s defense shifted the momentum. A pair of combination blocks involving Amany Kuwa, Gielas, and Sabitova highlighted an 8-1 run to put the Eagles ahead 15-9. Lipscomb rallied late to force extra points at 24-24 and 25-25, but Grubisic Cabo—who had six kills in the set—put down the set-winning kill from Marzella to seal the 27-25 set win.

The fourth set saw 13 ties as both teams traded points. FGCU took an early 5-2 lead behind two kills from Gielas and an ace by Hildebrand. After Lipscomb pulled ahead 6-5, Grubisic Cabo kept the Eagles level with three consecutive kills. Mid-set kills from Hildebrand, Gielas, and Sabitova helped FGCU push ahead 15-12, but the Bisons responded with a 7-0 run to claim a 19-16 cushion. FGCU erased the deficit behind a Sabitova ace and a Toeniskoetter solo block at 20-20. Gielas held off a late set point with a kill at 24-23, but Lipscomb secured the final point to take the set 25-23 and force the deciding fifth set.