BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – (Oct. 27, 2019)– A career-high 10 total blocks from Zuri Smith and double-doubles from both Massiel Matos and Sydney Nemtuda led the Florida Atlantic University volleyball team to a four-set win (25-20, 21-25, 25-18, 25-15) over UAB on Sunday. The Owls are now 12-7 overall and 5-2 in Conference USA.
Key Plays
The two teams were neck-and-neck in the first set. UAB called timeout after a modest rally gave FAU a 12-8 lead. When play resumed, the Blazers got to within two, but couldn’t fully close the gap, as FAU won 25-20. Matos had seven kills in the frame.
UAB used a 6-2 run to take a 13-8 lead in set number two. The margin grew to as many as seven at 21-14. The Owls got the margin down to three, but a Blazer kill tied the match at one set apiece.
With the score tied at four early in the third set, a Matos kill was the first of five unanswered Owl points. UAB never relented and eventually evened the score 13-13. The sides were level at 15 when Smith put down back-to-back kills, kickstarting a 10-2 FAU spurt that gave the Owls a two sets to one lead.
Matos had four kills over the course of five points, helping stake FAU a 9-2 advantage in set number four. Later on in the frame, Smith had a hand in three straight blocks that made the score 15-6 in favor of the Owls. A kill by Nemtuda ended the match.
Notables
- Sydney Nemtuda and Massiel Matos each recorded 16 kills and 10 digs on Sunday afternoon. It is the fifth double-double of the season for both players.
- For Matos, it is career double-double number 18, while Nemtuda notched the ninth of her career
- In addition to being a career-high, Zuri Smith’s 10 total blocks are the most in Conference USA in a four-set match this year. Smith also added eight kills
- Sigourney Kame posted nine kills, while Cailea Gibbs collected eight kills
- Nikki Lakman had a match-high 35 assists. Stephanie Young dished out 18
- Kori Varney followed up her career-high 22 dig effort on Friday night with 14 more against UAB.
Quotable
FAU Head Coach Fernanda Nelson
“(It was a) great win for us on the road. I am so proud of the girls’ effort. We served aggressively and our blocking and defense was fantastic again.”
What’s Next
The Owls host UTSA on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. 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.
