MEDIA CONTACT: Justin Johnson
561-302-0461, jjohn218@fau.edu
#17 FAU Beach Volleyball Defeats 10th Ranked South Carolina, Get Nipped by #5 LSU
BOCA RATON, Fla. – (March 1, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University beach volleyball team extended its program best start to 5-0 with a 4-1 win over #10 South Carolina, before coming up just short against #5 LSU, 3-2, on Friday. Both matches were part of the Burrow Beach Bash. FAU is now 5-1 on the young season.
Match 1 vs. #10 South Carolina
Continuing what has been a trend all season long, Savannah Pesante and Kaila Dorish put the Owls on the board first with a 21-15, 21-10 victory on court four. Jillenne Cangelosi and Megan McGrath overcame a 25-23 set one loss to give FAU a 2-0 lead. Amanda Silva and Nicole Grant sealed the win with a dominating 21-9, 21-12 win at no. 3. Carly Scarbrough and Nicole Navarro dropped a pair of nailbiters on court one. Erica Brok and Mackenzie Morris claimed the first set at no. 2, lost set two 21-13, then outlasted a stubborn effort from the Gamecock pair to take set three 20-18 and kept their undefeated record intact. Kristi Tekavec and Bailey Myott fought hard on the exhibition court, but ultimately fell in straight sets.
#17 Florida Atlantic 4, #10 South Carolina 1
1. Shannon Williams/Cadie Bates (SC) def. Nicole Navarro/Carly Scarborough (FAU) 21-19, 23-21
2. Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris (FAU) def. Katie Smith/Lydia Dimke (SC) 22-20, 13-21, 20-18
3. Amanda Silva/Nicole Grant (FAU) def. Franky Harrison/Carly Schnieder (SC) 21-9, 21-12
4. Kaila Dorish/Savannah Pesante (FAU) def. Avery Davis/Caroline Skaff (SC) 21-15, 21-10
5. Jillenne Cangelosi/Megan Mcgrath (FAU) def. Quinn Fulton/Hannah Edelman (SC) 23-25, 21-17, 15-10
Ext. Lauryn Gillis/Whitley Ballard (SC) def. Bailey Myott/Kristi Tekavec (FAU) 24-22, 21-12
Match 2 vs. No. 5 LSU
McGrath and Cangelosi suffered their first loss of the season, losing in straight sets at no. 5. Pesante and Dorish booked the first point for the Owls, falling in set one before take the next two to win the match on court four. Grant and Silva rallied from an 11-0 first set deficit to take the frame 22-20, then won the second by an equally narrow 21-19 margin. On court two, Brok and Morris were victorious in set one, but couldn’t withstand the LSU rally. That brought the entire match down to court one, where the Tigers won by matching 21-17 tallies. Johannah Cummines and Lily Richman split a two-set match on the exhibition court.
#5 LSU 3, #17 Florida Atlantic 2
1. Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss (LSU) def. Carly Scarborough/Nicole Navarro (FAU) 21-17, 21-17
2. Olivia Powers/Ashlyn Rasnick-Pope (LSU) def. Mackenzie Morris/Erica Brok (FAU) 14-21, 21-17, 15-11
3. Nicole Grant/Amanda Silva (FAU) def. Toni Rodriguez/Kelli Agnew (LSU) 22-20, 21-19
4. Savannah Pesante/Kaila Dorish (FAU) def. Taryn Kloth/Maddie Ligon (LSU) 21-19, 22-24, 18-16
5. Allison Coens/Hunter Domanski (LSU) def. Jillenne Cangelosi/Megan Mcgrath (FAU) 21-13, 21-17
Quotable
FAU Head Coach Capri Grotowski
“The girls played really well, they had a big win (against South Carolina) in the first match and they showed up for the (LSU) match ready to play. All the sets were pretty close and I was really proud of the way they played against some tough competition today.”
UP NEXT
The Owls will face UAB and no. 5 Florida State on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. Live stats will be provided for both FAU matches will be available at fausports.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For complete coverage of FAU beach volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@FAUBEACHTeam) and Instagram (@FAUbeachvb).
– 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 have captured two bowl games. 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, visit www.fau.edu
