BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic volleyball (7-3) will close out their non-conference slate this weekend as the Owls head to Fort Myers, Florida to compete at the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic on Sept. 15-16 inside Alico Arena.
The Owls will open up play in Fort Myers on Friday, Sept. 15 at 11 a.m. against Le Moyne (0-6). Florida Atlantic will then play in the Friday nightcap against host FGCU (5-4) at 7 p.m., before closing out their weekend on Saturday, Sept. 16 in a 1 p.m. matchup against Big Ten foe Maryland (7-2).
| 2023 Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic | |
| Matchup Details | Friday, Sept. 15 11 AM & 7 PM and Saturday, Sept. 16 1 PM | Alico Arena |
| Game Coverage | Friday, Sept. 15 11 AM | Florida Atlantic vs. Le Moyne | Live Stats 7 PM | Florida Atlantic at FGCU | Live Stats | Live Video Saturday, Sept. 16 1 PM | Florida Atlantic vs. Maryland | Live Stats Twitter: @FAUVolleyball |
| Florida Atlantic Links | Roster | Schedule | Stats |
| FGCU Links | Roster | Schedule | Stats |
| Le Moyne Links | Roster | Schedule | Stats |
| Maryland Links | Roster | Schedule | Stats |
SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC
- The Owls are currently on a four-game winning streak and closed out their non-conference home slate this past weekend, earning three-straight sweeps against Incarnate Word, Youngstown State, and Bethune-Cookman.
- Florida Atlantic enters the FGCU Classic at 7-3 on the season.
- During the Owls Paradise Classic this past weekend, the Owls broke a three-decade-old program record, delivering an astonishing 20 service aces against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.
- Offensively, the Owls are led by Kaila Ru, Arianna Beckham, Romina Cornelio, Lauryn Green, and Katelynn Robine, averaging 2.75, 2.59, 2.17, 2.16, and 2.15 kills per set. Beckham leads the Owls in total kills so far this season with a team-best 88 kills.
- Victoria Hensley and Noelle Stephens are the Owls assists leaders, averaging 7.26 and 4.73 assists per set, respectively. Hensley has tallied a team-leading 254 assists in 2023.
- Isabelle Northam is the Owls’ backline anchor, recording a team-leading 4.71 digs per set this season. She is also tied for the team lead in service aces with 15 so far this season.
- At the net, the Owls are led by Ru and Green, who have recorded 1.04 and 1.0 blocks per set this season. Ru also boasts a team-best nine solo blocks in 2023.
SCOUTING FGCU
- FGCU enters this weekend at 5-4 this season and is just coming off 1-2 weekend that saw the Eagles fall in a pair of sweeps against No. 7 Texas and Rice, before earning a 3-1 win over Houston Christian.
- Friday’s matchup will mark the 14th all-time meeting between the Owls and the Eagles. FGCU leads the all-time series 7-6, however the Owls have held the record on the road going 4-2 in matches played in Fort Myers.
- Offensively, the Eagles are led by Shelby Kent, who leads the team with 86 kills, averaging 2.61 kills per set. Skylar English ranks second on the team with 1.95 kills per set, and Alexandra Zakutney ranks third, averaging 1.91 kills per set with a team second-best 63 kills this season.
- FGCU’s assists leader is Lily Tessier, who is averaging a team-best 8.21 assists per set and has dished out 271 total this season.
- The Eagles backline is anchored by Reese Burry, Lily Terrier, and Alexandra Zakutney, who are averaging 2.87, 2.33, and 2.12 digs per set, respectively, in 2023.
- FGCU’s leaders at the net are Oreva Evivie and Juliana Lentz, who have tallied 1.11 and 1.06 blocks per set, respectively.
SCOUTING LE MOYNE
- Le Moyne enters the FGCU Classic 0-6 overall this season. The Dolphins are just coming off a tough 3-0 loss against Binghamton on Sept. 5.
- Friday’s matchup will mark the first all-time meeting between the Owls and the Dolphins.
- The Dolphins offensive leader is Emily La Ruffa and Madison Dembroski, who have both tallied 27 kills this season, but have averaged 1.69 and 1.59 kills per set, respectively.
- Le Moyne’s Haley Gerken powers the Dolphins offense, averaging a team-leading 5.0 assists per set, tallying 95 assists this season.
- Defensively, the Dolphins’ backline is led by Ella Katz and Dembroski, who have averaged 2.26 and 2.0 digs per set, respectively, while the Dolphins blocks leader is Kayla Anstett, who has tallied 0.74 blocks per set this season.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
- Maryland enters this weekend’s FGCU Classic with a 7-2 overall record this season and are just coming off their home-opening Maryland Tournament. The Terrapins went 3-0, earning a pair of sweeps over Princeton and Howard and winning a five-set battle against Coastal Carolina.
- Saturday’s contest marks the second all-time meeting between the Owls and the Terrapins. The Terrapins won the first meeting between the two teams, capturing a 3-1 win on Sept. 6, 2003.
- Maryland is led by Sam Csire, who has a team-leading 95 kills, averaging 3.17 kills per set, and Eva Rohrbach and Laila Ivey, who have 67 and 65 kills, averaging 2.16 and 2.32 kills per set, respectively.
- The Terrapins offense runs through Sydney Dowler, who has dished out a team-leading 333 assists, averaging 10.41 assists per set.
- Lilly Gunter anchors the Maryland backline, averaging 3.31 digs per set, while the Terrapins primary net defenders are Eva Rohrbach and Anastasia Russ, who have tallied 1.23 and 1.04 blocks per set so far this season.
UP NEXT
- Following the FGCU Classic, the Owls will kick off their inaugural American Athletic Conference season on the road as the head to the Lone Star State to take on the North Texas Mean Green on Wednesday, Sept. 20. First serve is set for 6 p.m. inside the North Texas Volleyball Center.
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