Bisons claim second place in the ASUN with a thrilling 3-2 win over FGCU
Lipscomb women’s volleyball defeated Florida Gulf Coast University in five sets in Allen Arena on Oct. 23. Featuring 30 ties, 13 in the fourth set alone, and 12 lead changes, the Bisons prevailed to take down the preseason favorites not once, but twice. This win places the Bisons alone in second place in the ASUN conference and was their first regular season sweep over FGCU since 2016.
The two teams faced off just 12 days prior when Lipscomb notched a gritty hard-fought, five-set win over FGCU. It was not easy for the Bisons but they found a way to win in 5 sets once again in their rematch.
“Playing people a second time is always going to be harder than the first. We’ve scouted each other, we’ve played against each other, and so we’re going to get people’s best over and over again,” coach Sarah Baldwin said after the game, “and so knowing that every challenge we are about to face next is going to be an uphill battle, and we should be excited about that. We should love the fact that everybody wants to give us their best efforts, and I want to make sure we want to do the same.”
After the first serve of the game, the Bisons got off to a slow start. FGCU used kills from freshman opposite hitter Maju Hildebrand and sophomore outside hitter Katie Gielas along with a service ace to move in front 10-4. The Eagles brought the aggression early.
The Bisons fought back to 14-9, but Florida Gulf Coast kept building, getting multiple kills from Gielas and a service ace from senior middle blocker Abby Toeniskoetter to reach 21-12 and later 24-14.
Facing set point, the Bisons won seven straight points, beginning with sophomore right-side hitter Anna Clare Brown’s kill and continuing through freshman libero Grace Jones‘ serve with her ace and blocks involving Brown and sophomore middle blocker Sydney Strenger. After a respectable scoring run from the Bisons, junior outside hitter Camila Soto’s kill gave FGCU the set, 25-21.
Kills by senior outside hitter Ella Durham and senior middle blocker Brooklyn Fuchs along with junior setter Kelsey Schenck helped the Bisons move in front 4-2 in the second set. It was a back-and-forth battle to start the set.
After two Strenger kills, a Strenger-Durham block and an FGCU attack error to helped the Bisons move ahead 21-15. Lipscomb reached set point at 24-17 on an Eagle attack error. The Eagles scored the next three points, but Fuchs finished the set with a kill for a 25-20 win for the Bisons.
FGCU scored the first three points of the third frame, but Lipscomb worked back to 4-4 and later moved ahead 8-7 on three straight kills by Brown. Later in the third set the Bisons were still down 21-16 before Brown’s kill, a graduate outside hitter Lexi Guinn block and a FGCU attack error trimmed it to 21-19, and with a Guinn kill plus two more FGCU errors tied the set at 22-22.
Both teams sped up the pace as the Eagles reached set point at 24-22. Strenger’s kill and another FGCU attack error tied it once again. Durham’s kill made it 25-25, but the Eagles responded quickly to take the final two points to win an intense back-and-forth third set, 27-25.
The pressure was on Lipscomb as they fought to stay alive in the fourth frame. To begin the set the Eagles built a quick 5-2 lead. The Bisons answered with four straight points, including a Guinn ace and a Durham kill assisted by Schenck for a 6-5 lead. After FGCU tied it, Strenger put the Bisons back in front at 7-6.
The tension kept building as things got tight late in the fourth set. After a Lipscomb service error made it 16-16, Schenck’s kill and consecutive FGCU attack errors gave the Bisons a 19-16 lead, but FGCU came back to tie the set at 20-20 on a Toeniskoetter block.
The teams traded points to 22-22 before Brown’s kill and another FGCU attack error gave the Bisons set point at 24-22. After Gielas kill made it 24-23, Strenger closed the set with a kill from Schenck for a 25-23 win to force the deciding set.
The Bisons built a 4-1 lead to start the fifth with kills from Guinn, Strenger and Schenck, plus a block by Durham and Strenger. When talking with Durham early in the season one of the things she really wanted to improve on most was her blocking ability. She totaled 17 kills and her season high in blocks with 5 in the rematch against FGCU.
“We’ve all been working so hard in the gym and we have goals every day and I think I’ve been working really hard on just being fast and over and I think it paid off so I’m glad that it finally did.” Ella Durham on her blocking against FGCU.
Florida Gulf Coast answered with five straight points to move ahead 6-4, and the set stayed tight as Lipscomb pulled even at 7-7 on a Fuchs block and again at 8-8 on a Fuchs kill. After the Eagles reclaimed the lead, 11-9, the Bisons scored three straight to go in front 12-11 before FGCU moved back ahead 13-12. Durham’s kill tied it at 13-13, and the Bisons finished the set 15-13 on consecutive attack errors by senior outside hitter Julija Grubisic Cabo, the last coming on a block by Durham and Fuchs giving Lipscomb the win in a thrilling 5 set game.
Strenger was the player of the match, putting together the first 20-point effort of her career thanks to 15 kills and a career-high eight total blocks. Two of her eight stops at the net were solo efforts, as the Bisons posted a season-high 12 blocks as a team.
The victory secures second place in the ASUN for the Bisons with six games remaining in the regular season. FGCU drops to 5-3 in conference play, placing the Eagles third in the standings.
FGCU travels to Louisville, Kentucky, to play Bellarmine. Meanwhile, Lipscomb returns to the court today at 1:30 p.m. against Stetson as it continues a four-game homestreak.
Featured Image taken by Evelyn Bern
Andreas Rizzi
Andreas Rizzi is a junior communication major from Chicago and Michigan. He brings a lifelong passion for sports and loves to call all sports while working as an analyst for ESPN+ on Lipscomb's campus. Andreas hopes to one day become an MLB broadcaster and become an analyst for the YES or MLB network.
