BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic volleyball closed out their season-opening weekend on Saturday, earning a decisive 3-1 (25-15, 25-21, 23-25, 25-23) win over the FDU Knights in their FAU Invitational Finale at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
“I thought this was a really great first weekend for us,” expressed head coach Fernanda Nelson. “Our team is still getting to know each other and continually learning how to play together. I’m very proud of our girls in how they were able to bounce back today and earn a strong win against FDU. We have some work to do offensively, but we will enjoy our win today and get ready to play a really good Miami team on Monday.”
FLORIDA ATLANTIC 3 – FDU 1
The Owls bounced back in a big way on Saturday, earning an impressive four-setter against the FDU Knights in their FAU Invitational finale.
Arianna Beckham had a breakout game for the Owls, recording a new career-best 15 kills and hitting an astounding .632 in the match. Beckham also added five digs and tied for a team-best three blocks. Madison Dyer also had a standout performance for the Owls, posting a team second-best 13 kills and hitting .417 in the match, while also adding a trio of blocks. Noelle Stephens and Victoria Hensley split setting duties, tallying 27 assists and 23 assists respectively, while Isabelle Northam notched a season-best 19 digs.
The Owls opened the match on a 3-1 run after a service ace from Romina Cornelio, but FDU responded to take a 7-6 advantage. Arianna Beckham’s first kill of the day sparked a 13-2 Florida Atlantic run to put the Owls back in front in a big way, holding a 10-point advantage at 19-9. The Knights scored three to cut into the Owls lead, 19-12, however the Owls closed the set on a 6-3 run to capture the opening-set win, 25-15.
FDU opened the second on a 6-2 run to take an early lead, but the Owls responded with four unanswered points, capped off by a Dyer kill, to tie things up at six. The two teams traded points through an 11-11 tie before a 3-0 Florida Atlantic run put the Owls back in front 14-11. The Knights battled back to close back within two, but another 5-1 run, closed out by a kill from Lauryn Green, put the Owls up 22-16 late in the second. The Knights outscored the Owls 5-3 to close out the set, but the Owls healthy advantage was enough to capture the 25-21 win and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Owls and Knights battled back-and-forth in set three, leading to an eventual 11-11 stalemate. Another kill from Dyer sparked a 4-0 run to push the Owls in front 15-11. The two squads continued to battle as the Owls maintained a four-point advantage through 21-17, however FDU closed the third on an 8-2 run to leapfrog the Owls and send the match to a fourth set following the 23-25 win.
The Owls looked to close things out in the fourth, opening the set on a 7-3 run, however the Knights battled back to even the set at 8-8. The Owls retook the lead to maintain a two-point advantage at 11-9, however FDU scored seven unanswered to flip the lead at 16-11. The Owls got four back after a 4-0 run but eventually brought things back even at 18-18 after a Beckham kill and a Knight attack error. FDU would lead 21-19, however the Owls played clutch down the stretch to outscore FDU 6-2 to close out the fourth, 25-23, and capture the 3-1 victory.
UP NEXT
The Owls will have a short turnaround this weekend as they prepare to head down to Coral Gables on Monday, Aug. 28 to take on the Miami Hurricanes inside the Knight Complex. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
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