BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Oct. 11, 2019) – The nation’s second longest home winning streak came to an end as the Florida Atlantic University volleyball team fell to WKU in four sets (23-25, 25-17, 25-23, 25-19) on Friday night. The Owls are now 8-7 overall and 2-2 in Conference USA play.
Key Plays
In the first set, the Owls managed a modest early lead before WKU (18-1, 4-0) tied the score at 8-8. The pattern repeated itself as FAU reestablished a small advantage, followed by the Hilltoppers coming back to knot the score, 15-15. The score was even once again, this time 17-17 when a 7-4 run gave FAU three set points. WKU took the next two points, but a Sigourney Kame kill ended the frame and put the Owls up a set.
Set number two was also even at 8-8, but this time, the Hilltoppers reeled off 13 of the next 18 points and eventually won the frame 25-17.
WKU continued its momentum and held a 16-10 advantage in the third set. The Owls refused to fold and steadily narrowed the margin, with a Sydney Riggs kill leveling the sides at 23-23. The Hilltoppers won the next two points to take the set.
Early in set number four, it appeared WKU might cruise to a match-clinching win, building an 11-4 cushion, but FAU persisted, eventually pulling to within two on a Kennedy Muckelroy kill. WKU withstood the rally attempt and ended the match with a 25-19 victory.
Notables
- Sigourney Kame and Massiel Matos led the Owls with 13 kills each. Matos also had four blocks
- Stephanie Young had 25 assists and seven digs
- Nikki Lakman posted 23 assists and eight digs
- Kori Varney and Sydney Nemtuda tallied nine digs apiece
- The loss snapped FAU’s home winning streak at 21. It was the Owls’ first loss at home since Nov. 3, 2017, when they lost to UTSA
What’s Next
The Owls host Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 13. Match time is set for noon. Live stats and live video will be available at fausports.com. Live updates will be posted to the team’s official Twitter account, @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.
