Florida Atlantic volleyball defeated FIU 3-0 on Aug. 29, winning 25-13, 25-23 and 25-19 at Abessinio Court at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena in Boca Raton. The victory gave Florida Atlantic a 3-0 finish at the Florida Atlantic Invitational, while FIU fell to 2-1. The match also set Florida Atlantic’s program single-game attendance record with 873 fans.
Olivia Hart led all players with 13 kills and hit .500. She added nine digs, four blocks and one ace. Sequoia Layne contributed 12 kills while hitting .478, along with five digs, three blocks and one assist.
Florida Atlantic controls all three sets
Florida Atlantic pulled away from an 11-10 lead in the opening set with a 4-0 run and eventually led 19-12. FIU cut the margin to four points, but Florida Atlantic closed the set on a 6-1 run to win 25-13. Maggie Allred capped the early run with a kill.
FIU opened the second set with a 6-1 run and held a 10-5 advantage before Florida Atlantic began its comeback. The Owls tied the set at 19-19 on a kill by Hart, then the teams battled to a 23-23 tie. Hart followed with a kill, and a block by Layne and Brooke Crummel gave Florida Atlantic the 25-23 win.
FIU took an 8-5 lead in the third set after a 4-0 run, but Florida Atlantic answered with a 4-1 run. The teams traded runs before Florida Atlantic held a 15-13 lead at the third-set technical timeout. Florida Atlantic finished on a 7-3 run to secure the 25-19 set win and complete the sweep.
Maya Van Heyst recorded a match-best 25 assists, along with eight digs and four kills. Allred finished with a match-high five blocks and four kills. Florida Atlantic outhit FIU .348 to .162 and led in kills 41-39, aces 2-0, assists 37-36, digs 46-38 and blocks 9-5.
Florida Atlantic prepares for FGCU Invitational
Florida Atlantic will compete at the FGCU Invitational in Fort Myers on Thursday, Sept. 3, and Friday, Sept. 4. Both dates are scheduled for Alico Arena. The event will be Florida Atlantic’s next competition after the Invitational finale.
Source: Original report