WICHITA, Kan. – After losing the first two sets, No. 6 Florida Atlantic rattled off three straight set wins to defeat No. 2 Rice in a thrilling five-set semifinal match (23-25, 14-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-10) at the 2024 American Volleyball Championship on Saturday at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas.
After hitting a combined .076 in the first two sets, Florida Atlantic bounced back in the following two sets to hit .245 across the next two sets to win and force a fifth and decisive set. Florida Atlantic would decisively win the fifth set 15-10 to earn a spot in The American Volleyball Championship final match.
Katelynn Robine led Florida Atlantic with 20 kills against just one error (.322 hit percentage). Valeria Rosado finished with a double-double, adding 13 kills and 14 digs. Victoria Hensley paced the Owls with 43 assists, while adding 11 digs defensively. Florida Atlantic dominated the nets with 13 blocks, led by Kaila Ru’s 9 blocks.
Three Rice players finished with double-digit kills – Samarah Hill (18 kills), Lola Foord (17 kills) and Lademi Ogunlana (10 kills). Savannah Skopal paced the Owls with 44 assists, while adding 15 digs. Nia McCardell led all players with 24 digs.
Florida Atlantic will await the winner of No. 4 Wichita State and No. 1 South Florida in the championship match on Sunday, November 24 at 1 p.m. ET/12 p.m. CT.
2024 American Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship Schedule
Hosted by Wichita State | Charles Koch Arena | Wichita, Kansas
First Round Games (Friday, November 22)
Game 1 – No. 6 Florida Atlantic 3, No. 3 East Carolina 2 (25-22, 25-27, 21-25, 25-12, 16-14)
Game 2 – No. 2 Rice 3, No. 7 North Texas 1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-17, 25-19)
Game 3 – No. 1 South Florida 3, No. 8 UAB (25-13, 25-23, 13-25, 25-22)
Game 4 – No. 4 Wichita State 3, No. 5 Tulsa 0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22)
Box Score | Highlights
Semifinal Games (Saturday, November 23)
Game 5 – No. 6 Florida Atlantic 3, No. 2 Rice 2
Game 6 – No. 1 South Florida vs. No. 4 Wichita State (3 pm ET/2 pm CT) | Stats | ESPN+
Final (Sunday, November 24)
Game 7 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (1 pm ET/12 pm CT) | Stats | ESPN+
