BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Nov. 1, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team recorded its first ever win over UTSA in convincing fashion, sweeping the Roadrunners (25-16, 25-22, 25-20) on Friday night. The win is the fifth in a row for the Owls, their longest winning streak of the season and they improved to 13-7 overall and 7-2 in Conference USA.
Key Plays
Sydney Nemtuda’s serving powered the Owls in the first set, as she enjoyed two extended runs behind the end line that helped FAU win set one 25-16. In addition to her serving, Nemtuda had four kills in the frame, as did Massiel Matos.
FAU fell behind early in the second set, but Kori Varney served the Owls to an 8-7 lead. UTSA (13-10, 6-4) evened the score with a kill. The set featured five more ties, the final one coming at 19-19. FAU closed on a 6-3 run to take the set 25-22.
The two teams battled for control early in set number three, with neither side able to maintain momentum. With FAU leading by only a point, the Owls scored six of the next seven points to go ahead 15-10. A Zuri Smith kill stretched the margin to six at 23-17, when UTSA scored three points in a row, prompting a FAU timeout. Out of the break, Nemtuda put down her ninth kill of the night, and Matos capped off the sweep with a service ace.
Notables
- Massiel Matos had a match-high 11 kills, her 11th double-digit kill match of the season
- Sydney Nemtuda ended the night just shy of a double-double, recording 15 digs to go along with her nine kills
- Nikki Lakman dished out 25 assists, had a pair of service aces, two digs and a kill
- Cailea Gibbs hit .556 on nine attempts and Jordan Yauch hit .533 on 15 swings
- As a team, FAU outhit UTSA .402 to .217
- The win is the Owls’ first in nine all-time meetings with the Roadrunners
Quotable
Outside Hitter Sigourney Kame
On beating UTSA for the first time…
“It feels amazing because we played as a team from the first point to the last point. It was beautiful to see.”
What’s Next
The Owls host North Texas on Sunday, Nov. 3 at noon. Admission is free. Live stats and video will be available at fausports.com. In-game updates will be available at twitter.com/FAUVolleyball.
– FAUSports.com –
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.
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.
