The Florida Atlantic University beach volleyball team earned a pair of victories at the UNF Beach Invite on Saturday. The Owls swept No. 17 Georgia State 5-0, then nipped host North Florida 3-2 in their second match. FAU is now 3-1 on the season.
Match 1 vs. #17 Georgia State
Megan McGrath and Maylin Bouffard overcame a first set defeat on court five, taking the second and third sets to give the Sandy Owls a 1-0 lead. At No. 4, Sam Gott and Jillenne Cangelosi won the first set 21-17, then lost the second before winning the third, putting FAU one point away from victory. Courtney Moon and Kaila Dorish clinched the match for the Owls with a 21-16, 23-21 triumph on court three. Savannah Pesante and Ellie Austin swept their match at No. 2, 21-19, 21-15. On court one, Erica Brok and Mackenzie Morris took the first set 21-18. The GSU duo evened the score with a 21-13 second set win. However, Brok and Morris took a 15-12 decision in the third to complete the sweep. Bailey Myott and Jamie Wood were able to force a third set on the exhibition court, but ultimately fell 15-8 in the third set.
#18 Florida Atlantic 5, #17 Georgia State 0
1. Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris (FAU) def. Olivia Stasevich/Georgia Johnson (GSU) 21-18, 13-21, 15-12
2. Savannah Pesante/Ellie Austin (FAU) def. Maddy Delmonte/Eden Hawes (GSU) 21-19, 21-15
3. Courtney Moon/Kaila Dorish (FAU) def. Kate Novack/Kelly Dorn (GSU) 21-16, 23-21
4. Jillenne Cangelosi/Sam Gott (FAU) def. Maddie Gordon/Becky Tresham (GSU) 21-18, 16-21, 16-14
5. Megan McGrath/Maylin Bouffard (FAU) def. Mattie Johnson/Cara Guthrie (GSU) 15-21, 21-17, 15-10
Exh. Bekah Brodbeck/Bailey Hatchett (GSU) def. Bailey Myott/Jamie Wood (FAU) 21-19, 18-21, 15-8
Match 2 vs. North Florida
McGrath and Bouffard took the first set at No. 5, 21-16, but the Ospreys’ pair took the second with a 21-16 win of their own. McGrath andBouffard outlasted the UNF duo 16-14 in the third to earn the point for the Owls. Dorish and Moon were swept on court three, leveling the match at 1-1. Cangelosi and Gott won the first set at No. 4, but were unable to hold off an Osprey rally, ultimately falling 15-11 in the third set, allowing UNF to go up 2-1. Austin and Pesante dropped the first set on court two, but came back to with the second 21-14, then posted a decisive 15-8 win in the third to knot the match score, 2-2. Brok and Morris clinched the match with the 36th straight-set victory of their careers. Abby Jackson and Lily Richman were swept on the exhibition court.
#18 Florida Atlantic 3, North Florida 2
1. Mackenzie Morris/Erica Brok (FAU) def. Madilyn McCarty/Callie Workman (UNF) 21-12, 21-16
2. Savannah Pesante/Ellie Austin (FAU) def. Lauren Galinis/Carleigh Semeniuk (UNF) 16-21, 21-14, 15-8
3. Carolyn Cain/Marisa Rogers (UNF) def. Courtney Moon/Kaila Dorish (FAU) 21-17, 23-21
4. Dana Roski/Jessi Freeman (UNF) def. Jillenne Cangelosi/Sam Gott (FAU) 16-21, 22-20, 15-11
5. Megan McGrath/Maylin Bouffard (FAU) def. Leah Maloney/Sydni Small (UNF) 21-16, 16-21, 16-14
Ext. Gabby O’Connell/Taryn Griffey (UNF) def. Lily Richman/Abby Jackson (FAU) 21-17, 21-13
Quotable
FAU Head Coach Capri Grotowski
“The girls really came out to compete today. All five teams showed up in a big way. It’s nice to have a deep enough squad where we can all depend on each other. Coming off of a big win (vs. Georgia State) and having to turn around and compete again is tough. I’m very proud of the girls for pulling off the second win today, it’s never an easy thing to do with the emotions so high. I’m very happy with all we did on opening weekend.”
UP NEXT
The Owls will travel to DeLand, Florida, next weekend for the Stetson Spring Fling.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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– FAU –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 4-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 52-28 victory over SMU in the 2019 Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visitwww.fau.edu.
