Florida Atlantic University women’s volleyball opened the Owls Paradise Classic with straight-set victories over Alabama State and Stetson on Friday at Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena in Boca Raton. The Owls defeated Alabama State 25-9, 25-21, 25-19, then swept Stetson 25-17, 25-9, 25-16. Florida Atlantic improved to 6-4 overall and remained 0-0 in American play.
Florida Atlantic controls Alabama State
Florida Atlantic outhit Alabama State .358 to .107 and led the Hornets in kills, service aces, blocks, assists and digs. The Owls held advantages of 47-27 in kills, 5-2 in aces, 6-2 in blocks, 45-26 in assists and 53-47 in digs. The victory moved Florida Atlantic to 4-0 all time against Alabama State.
Anna Hartman and Olivia Hart tied for the match high with nine kills each. Hartman hit .643 and added two blocks, while Libby Ashline recorded a match-high four blocks.
Maya Van Heyst recorded 33 assists, 13 digs, five kills, two blocks and two service aces against Alabama State. It was Van Heyst’s fifth double-double of the season. Isabelle Northam also recorded 13 digs for the Owls.
Owls complete second sweep against Stetson
Florida Atlantic followed with another efficient offensive performance against Stetson, hitting .451 compared with .143 for the Hatters. The Owls led Stetson in kills, service aces, assists and digs, including a 57-24 advantage in kills and a 50-23 edge in assists. Florida Atlantic also led 3-0 in aces and 44-30 in digs.
Olivia Hart led all players with 14 kills and hit .407 against Stetson. She also recorded eight digs. The performance followed her nine-kill effort in the opening match.
Van Heyst finished the second match with 41 assists, three kills, three digs and one service ace. Northam recorded a match-high 13 digs, while Sequoia Layne and Ashline each had two blocks. The victory improved Florida Atlantic to 44-5 all time against Stetson and kept the Owls unbeaten at 28-0 when playing in Paradise.
What comes next
Florida Atlantic will face Alabama State again Saturday, Sept. 19, at 2 p.m. in the nonconference finale at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. The match will be available to watch live on FAUSports.com/Watch. Alabama State fell to 2-9, while Stetson dropped to 3-7.
FSB Take
Florida Atlantic opened the tournament with two decisive results and strong offensive numbers against both opponents. The Owls combined hitting percentages of .358 against Alabama State and .451 against Stetson with balanced contributions from Hart, Hartman, Van Heyst, Ashline and Northam. The rematch with Alabama State is the Owls’ next scheduled match in Boca Raton.
Source: Original report