Florida Atlantic splits four games in the North Florida Tournament – FAU University Press

No. 14 Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team (13-7, 2-0 CUSA) took their game up the Atlantic Coast, making their presence felt in the sand. The Owls played four games in the North Florida tournament at the Cooper Beach Volleyball Complex in Jacksonville, Florida.

FAU came into the tournament coming off a 1-3 showing at the Florida Atlantic Beach Invitational, and they fell from No. 13 to No. 14 following that tournament.

The Owls took on No. 17 University of North Florida (12-8), No. 15 Stetson University (18-5), and Saint Leo University (10-4) this past weekend, winning their final two of the four games.

Friday, March 20

On Court 5, Cameron Knifton and Allison Spittal scored first, earning a 21-13, 21-14 straight-set win. Stetson then tied the dual with a two-set win on Court 4.

On Court 3, Klaire VanDeusen and Mia Scanlon responded, putting the Owls back on top with a 21–16, 21–16 victory. However, Stetson evened the score on Court 1 with a two-set win before clinching the dual, 3-2, with a three-set victory on Court 2.

In the second match of the day, North Florida took an early lead with wins on Courts 4 and 5, followed by a two-set victory on Court 3. Denisse Morgenstern and Shantel Starling got the Owls on the board with a two-set win on Court 1, 21-16, 21-15.

Ultimately, the Ospreys defeated the Owls, sealing the 4–1 dual with a straight-set win on Court 2.

Saturday, March 21

Reese Edwards and Kendall Mignerey opened the day against North Florida with a 21–17, 21–15 straight-set win on Court 4. The Ospreys responded by tying the match with a three-set victory on Court 5.

Morgenstern and Starling put FAU back on top with a 21–14, 21–15 straight-set win on Court 1. On Court 3, Scanlon and VanDeusen secured the match for the Owls with a 21–18, 21–18 straight-set win.

North Florida concluded the dual on Court 2 with a two-set win, securing a 3–2 victory for the Owls.

In the final match of the day against Saint Leo, Edwards and Mignerey secured the first point for the Owls once again with a commanding 21-14, 21-8 win over the Lions.

Shayna Wolf and Spittal paired up for the first time this season and extended the lead to 2–0 with a three-set, 21–18, 18–21, 15–6 win on Court 5. Morgenstern and Starling clinched the win for FAU with a 21–12, 21–14 straight-set victory on Court 1. Scanlon and VanDeusen followed with a 21–15, 21–17 win on Court 3 to secure the fourth point.

Ava Koehl and Olivia Strandberg secured a straight-set win on Court 2, 21–18, 21–10, helping complete the sweep for the Owls and tying for a team-best 11–6 record as a pair this season, as Florida Atlantic improved to 4–0 over Saint Leo.

The Owls look to remain ranked No. 14 after posting a 2-2 record at the tournament.

Next weekend, on March 27th and 28th, the Owls will travel to Austin to compete in the Texas Invitational, facing highly ranked teams from the University of Southern California, Long Beach State, Stanford, and the University of California, Los Angeles.

Ella Haas is a Staff Writer for the University Press. Email her at [email protected] or contact her on Instagram @ella_hs7 for information regarding this or other stories.