FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball team continued its winning ways on Friday night, picking up a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 27-25) win over ETSU at Alico Arena. The win marks the second consecutive year and fifth time in program history that the Eagles have opened A-Sun play with a perfect 4-0 record.

The Green and Blue, who are now 6-2 all-time against the Bucs, improved to 8-7 overall (4-0 A-Sun), while ETSU fell to 10-7 overall (1-2 A-Sun).

Sophomore Jill Hopper (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown HS) led the Eagles with 13 kills and eight digs. Junior Christine Pinder (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz HS/Houston/Central Florida CC) finished with seven digs to go with 10 kills, while sophomore Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River HS) added seven kills. The setting duo of sophomore Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz HS) and junior Courtney Greenberg (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS/Juniata College) racked up 40 assists and 13 digs, combined.
 
The Eagles jumped on the Bucs early in the first set, taking a 15-10 lead after a Pinder kill. ETSU responded with a 3-1 run to cut the FGCU advantage to 16-13. After the teams exchanged punches, the Eagles, who were leading the set 20-17, used a 5-2 run, capped by a Greenberg kill, to take the opening frame (25-19).

The Lady Bucs bounced back in the second set, jumping out to an 11-8 lead and causing head coach Dave Nichols to call a timeout. Following the break, FGCU employed an 8-1 spurt, highlighted by a pair of Hopper kills and a service ace from junior Karina Mambuca (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast HS/Southeastern), to take a 16-12 advantage. After ETSU tied the set at 23-23 on an attack error from the Eagles, Hopper blasted a kill and Meyer picked up a service ace to give the Green and Blue the set, 25-23, and a 2-0 lead in the match.

In the third set, which saw 15 ties, the teams battled to a 21-21 score. Megan Divine recorded a kill and the Eagles were charged with an attack error, giving ETSU a 23-21 lead. Leading FGCU 24-22 and threatening to take the game, the Bucs picked up a service error to leave the door open for the Eagles (24-23). After Mambuca served up an ace and Ivey Rice picked up a kill to give ETSU set-point at 25-24, the Green and Blue used a 3-0 run, capped by Hopper’s 13th kill of the match, to take the set (27-25) and the match (3-0).
 
FGCU will be back in action Saturday night when they welcome USC Upstate to 'The Nest' for a 7 p.m. match. The Eagles hold a 7-0 lead in the all-time series over Upstate and have only dropped two sets to the Spartans in the seven meetings.