UNIVERSITY PARK, Fla. (Oct. 6, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team’s comeback attempt fell just short as the Owls lost to rival FIU in five sets (25-21, 25-22, 18-25, 22-25, 15-12) on Sunday. FAU is now 8-6 on the season and 2-1 in Conference USA play.
Key Plays
For the second time on the weekend, the Owls got off to a slow start in the first set, allowing FIU (8-6, 1-2) to take an early 10-6 lead. FAU rallied to within two, but the Panthers were able to hold on and took the first set 25-21.
It was a similar story in set number two, with the Panthers building a 9-4 advantage. The cushion grew as large as eight at 13-5, but FAU didn’t go away, and fought off three set points before FIU was able to convert the fourth and take a two set lead, 25-23.
The Owls were able to grab the momentum early in the third set, going up 11-6, and eventually stretching the difference to double-digits, 21-11. FIU staved off five set points, but a Sigourney Kame kill cut FAU’s deficit in half with a 25-18 Owl victory.
Set number four was more of the same with FAU taking a 10-6 lead and going up by as much as six. The Panthers denied four more set points, forcing a FAU timeout. After play resumed, Kame put down her seventh kill of the frame, clinching a 25-22 win and forcing a fifth set.
FAU led 6-4 in the fifth set, but the Panthers reeled off four straight points and held an 8-6 lead at the changeover. Sydney Nemtuda tied the score with a kill and solo block, but a strong FIU finish helped the Panthers take the set and the match.
Notables
- Jordan Yauch led the Owls with a season-high 16 kills and hit .343 on the day
- Sydney Nemtuda and Massiel Matos posted a pair of matching double-doubles, each of them recording 15 kills and 15 digs in the match. It was the fourth double-double of the year for both players
- Sigourney Kame collected a dozen kills on Sunday. She passed Kim Pruitt and Kelly Paiva and is now third in school history with 1,112 career kills
- Nikki Lakman dished out 29 assists and had 12 digs, good for her second double-double of the season
- Kori Varney amassed 16 digs, the most of any FAU player
What’s Next
The Owls return home to host WKU on Friday, Oct. 11. Match time is set for 7 p.m. Live video and live stats will be available at fausports.com. Live updates will be posted to the team’s official Twitter account, @FAUVolleyball.
– FAUSports.com –
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
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 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
