BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Oct. 13, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team concluded its three-match homestand with a sweep of UTEP (27-25, 25-14, 25-11) on Sunday. The Owls recorded their 10th win of the season and fourth in Conference USA play.
Key Plays
FAU had to dig itself out of an early hole in the first set, as UTEP (9-11, 2-5) got out to a 9-5 lead. The Owls used a 10-3 run to boost themselves to a 15-12 advantage. The Miners fought back to tie the score at 16. The sides were even at 22 when a Massiel Matos kill and UTEP attack error gave the Owls two set points. UTEP scored three straight points to earn a set point of its own, when Matos put down her fifth kill of the frame and teamed up with Zuri Smith on a block to put the Owls ahead 26-25. FAU was not to be denied a third time and won the set 27-25.
Strong serving keyed the Owls’ win in set two, as Cailea Gibbs, Nikki Lakman, Camryn Vogler, Matos and Kori Varney all had runs behind the end line and FAU won 25-14 to go ahead two sets to none.
It was a similar story in the third set, with the serving of Matos and Varney spotting the Owls a 15-4 cushion. The margin remained in double digits the rest of the frame and FAU won 25-11 to complete the sweep.
Notables
- The sweep was the fifth at home for FAU this season and sixth overall
- The Owls held UTEP to a .061 hitting percentage as a team, the lowest of any C-USA opponent so far this year
- Sydney Nemtuda led all players with nine kills and added eight digs
- Massiel Matos and Sigourney Kame had eight kills each
- Nikki Lakman posted a match-high 20 assists
- Stephanie Young just missed a double-double with 13 assists and nine digs
What’s Next
The Owls travel to Southern Miss and UAB on Friday, Oct. 25 and Sunday, Oct. 27, respectively. Links to live stats and 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.
