FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The No. 2-seed and No. 15-ranked Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team made a huge statement in the Conference USA Championship opening round, earning a dominant 4-1 win against No. 3-seed Tulane at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park.
NO. 2 FAU 4 – NO. 3 TULANE 1Jillienne Cloud and Julie Honzovicova got the Sandy Owls started in a big way, capturing an impressive 21-12, 21-13 two-setter on court one. Ellie Austin and Christine Jarman pushed the Sandy Owls lead to 2-0 after capturing another dominant two-set victory on court two, defeating Tulane’s Sara Hall and Maddie Speicher 21-12, 21-12. The Green Wave got one back on court four as Ashleigh Adams and Emma Grace Robertson fell in a hard-fought three-setter, 25-23, 15-21, 8-15, against Tulane’s Abby Jackson and Ashton Mares. However, the Sandy Owls bounced back to clinch the match on court three as Courtney Moon and Marketa Svozilova took a three-set battle against the Green Wave’s Samantha Mehlman and Emily Heintzelman, 21-16, 18-21, 15-9. Logan Mignerey and Stephanie Young closed out the match for the Sandy Owls, lifting Florida Atlantic to a 4-1 win after capturing another three-setter on court five against Tulane’s Laura Torruella and Savka Popovic, 21-17, 19-21, 15-13.
Scores
1. Jillienne Cloud/Julie Honzovicova (FAU) def. Kendall Peters/Mollie Ebertin (TU) 21-12, 21-13 (finished first)
2. Ellie Austin/Christine Jarman (FAU) def. Sara Hall/Maddie Speicher (TU) 21-12, 21-12 (finished second)
3. Courtney Moon/Marketa Svozilova (FAU) def. Samantha Mehlman/Emily Heintzelman (TU) 21-16, 18-21, 15-9 (finished fourth)
4. Abby Jackson/Ashton Mares (TU) def. Emma Grace Robertson/Ashleigh Adams (FAU) 23-25, 21-15, 15-8 (finished third)
5. Logan Mignerey/Stephanie Young (FAU) def. Laura Torruella/Savka Popovic (TU) 21-17, 19-21, 15-13 (finished fifth)
THOUGHTS FROM COACH GROTOWSKI“I’m so proud of our team for the way they played today! Every member of our squad was working towards one goal. They were calm and composed. We will definitely need that mentality against UAB tomorrow.”
NOTABLES
- The 4-1 win over Tulane improves the Sandy Owls to 17-13 on the season.
- Julie Honzovicova and Jillienne Cloud improve their perfect mark this season to 7-0 with their court one win over Tulane.
- Christine Jarman and Ellie Austin improve to 12-14 on the season with their dominant two-set victory over the Green Wave.
- Courtney Moon and Marketa Svozilova improved their season record to 5-1 with their three-set clinching battle on court three.
- Logan Mignerey and Stephanie Young improved their season mark to 5-5 with their court five win over Tulane.
UP NEXTThe No. 2 Sandy Owls will return to action tomorrow in the C-USA winner’s bracket semifinals as they face off against the No. 4-seeded UAB Blazers at 12 p.m. for a spot in the C-USA Championship.
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