Sports
No. 18 FGCU falls in nail-biting ASUN Semifinal match
Story Links FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball pushed second-seeded and No. 17 North Florida to the brink Saturday in the Atlantic Sun Conference Semifinals, falling 3-2 in Huntsville, Alabama. The third-seeded Eagles were three points away from advancing to the ASUN Championship match against top-seeded Stetson. […]
FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University beach volleyball pushed second-seeded and No. 17 North Florida to the brink Saturday in the Atlantic Sun Conference Semifinals, falling 3-2 in Huntsville, Alabama.
The third-seeded Eagles were three points away from advancing to the ASUN Championship match against top-seeded Stetson. With the match tied 2-2, FGCU’s No. 1 pair of Kaitlyn Luebbers and Nicole De Oliveira strived to clinch in the third set. Luebbers and De Oliveira were up 12-11 in a back-and-forth battle in the third, but the duo would succumb to a late 3-0 rally from UNF’s top pair, dropping the individual dual 15-13 to give North Florida the tight 3-2 win.
De Oliveira saved set point and the match in the second set with a diving dig, giving way to a 21-19 win to force the season-altering third set. The final outcome came down to near-simultaneous matches in the third set.
FGCU picked up a critical three-set win on court two from Alexis Keeter and Ava Lilliquist just moments prior to the loss on one, tying the match 2-2 to give the Eagles hope. The pair painted the back line to win 15-13 as Luebbers and De Oliveira tied their three-set thriller 10-10. On the scoreboard, the Eagles were trailing 2-1 at the time of the Keeter and Lilliquist victory. A loss there would have given UNF a 3-1 win.
The Eagles put the Ospreys on notice early after UNF’s easy, 3-0 sweep the day prior. FGCU won just a single set the first time the teams squared off in the tournament’s winner’s bracket quarterfinal round on Friday.
Andrea Dietz and Mia Thompson got things started Saturday by producing a quick, straight-set sweep on court four, 21-13 and 21-11, to give FGCU a 1-0 lead.
FGCU’s No. 5 pair dropped a hard-fought match in straight sets to allow UNF to tie 1-1, but the duo pushed both sets beyond 21. UNF edged FGCU on court five 25-23 and 23-21. UNF then went up 2-1 after another straight-set battle on court three before Keeter and Lilliqiust tied it 2-2 to set up the final dramatics on court one for Luebbers and De Oliveira.
No. 18 FGCU capped the 2025 campaign 22-13 overall and just three points away from advancing to the ASUN Championship. The Eagles took down four ranked opponents in 2025.