Owls set for season-opening FAU Invitational

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic volleyball will kick off the 2023 season this weekend as the Owls host the FAU Invitational on Aug. 25 & 26. Admission to all matches is free.

The Owls open the season against the Holy Cross Crusaders at 12 p.m., before closing out the opening day at 7 p.m. against the Kansas City Roos. Florida Atlantic will then close out the weekend at 12 p.m. on Saturday as they take on the FDU Knights.

SCOUTING FAU

Florida Atlantic volleyball’s 2023 squad features nine returners and seven newcomers.
The Owls return their top pin hitters from the 2022 season in Valeria Rosado and Katelynn Robine.
Rosado led the Owls in kills (314) and kills per set (3.31), while also ranking second in digs (230) and digs per set (2.42).
Robine led the Owls and CUSA in service aces (44) and service aces per set (0.51) last season and ranked second on the team in kills (256) and kills per set (2.98).
Noelle Stephens is the Owls returning assists leader, averaging a team-best 858 assists and 9.03 assists per set.
Lauryn Green and Alicia Hearn led the Owl in blocks last season, averaging 0.84 and 0.80 blocks per set, respectively.

SCOUTING HOLY CROSS

Holy Cross went 3-24 overall and 1-15 in Patriot League play in 2022.
The Crusaders returning kills leaders are Abbie Lane and Rachel Johnson. Lane led Holy Cross in kills last season with 196 (2.42 per set) and Johnson finished third on the team in kills with 178 (1.98 per set).
Lane is also Holy Cross’ digs leader, ranking second on the team last season with 231 digs and 2.85 digs per set.
Halle Carter and Katie Russell were the Crusaders main setters last season, averaging 4.41 and 3.21 assists per set, respectively.
The Crusaders also return their top blockers from their 2022 campaign in Sanaea Simmons and Lauren Halverson. Simmons tallied a team-best 44 blocks and ranked second on the team in blocks per set with 0.56, while Halverson led the Crusaders in blocks per set, averaging 0.81, and second in total blocks with 43 last season.

SCOUTING KANSAS CITY

Kanas City finished their 2022 season 10-21 overall.
Odyssey Warren is the Roos leading pin hitter, recording a team-leading 381 kills and 3.28 kills per set a season ago.
Sydney Henry is Kansas City’s leading setter after ranking second on the team in 2022 with 578 assists, averaging 4.98 per set.
Kimora Whetstone and Carly Gillen are the Roos returning blocking leaders, averaging 0.84 and 0.67 blocks in 2022.

SCOUTING FDU

FDU went 17-16 overall and 9-5 in NEC play in 2022.
The Knights return their top three hitters from the 2022 campaign in Kylie Nott, Sofia Rampazzo, and Tatijana Fucka, who averaged 2.58, 2.38, and 2.16 kills.
Rampazzo also ranked second on the Knights last season in digs, recording 245 and 2.36 digs per set a season ago.
Fucka led the Knights in blocks last season, tallying 0.90 blocks per set.
Hannah Schmidt is FDU’s assists leader from last season, tallying 688 assists and averaging 5.93 per set in 2022.

UP NEXT