Florida Atlantic University Athletics Women’s Volleyball lost its American Conference opener to North Texas 3-2 on Friday at the UNT Volleyball Center in Denton, Texas. North Texas won the five-set match 25-16, 17-25, 21-25, 28-26, 15-11 after Florida Atlantic took a 2-1 lead.
Florida Atlantic fell to 7-5 overall and 0-1 in conference play, while North Texas improved to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in the American Conference. The Owls won the second and third sets before North Texas claimed the final two.
Florida Atlantic rallies after opening-set loss
North Texas opened the match with a 12-3 run and led 15-7 at the first media break. Florida Atlantic cut into the deficit with a 6-3 run late in the set, but North Texas closed out a 25-16 win.
Florida Atlantic responded in the second set after North Texas held a 6-5 lead. The Owls used a 5-1 run to move ahead 11-6, then extended the advantage to 15-11 after consecutive kills by Anna Hartman.
Florida Atlantic maintained control and closed the set on a 5-2 run. Olivia Hart added a kill during the late push, and the Owls evened the match with a 25-17 victory.
The Owls carried that momentum into the third set with a 5-0 run. North Texas answered and tied the set at 18-18, but Florida Atlantic responded with a 4-2 run before closing on a 3-0 surge that included kills from Sequoia Layne and Hartman. The 25-21 win gave the Owls a 2-1 match lead.
North Texas wins the final two sets
North Texas led the fourth set 15-11 at the media break and later held a 20-17 advantage. Florida Atlantic rallied with a 6-3 run to tie the set at 23-23.
Isabelle Northam gave the Owls match point with an ace for a 24-23 lead. The teams traded points before North Texas secured a 28-26 victory and sent the match to a deciding fifth set.
Florida Atlantic opened the fifth set with a 3-1 run and later led 7-6 after a kill by Libby Ashline. North Texas then scored four consecutive points to take a 10-7 lead before finishing the match with a 15-11 win.
Hartman leads Florida Atlantic attack
Anna Hartman led Florida Atlantic with 13 kills while hitting .500 across the five sets. She also recorded three blocks and two digs.
Libby Ashline added 11 kills, while Olivia Hart and Sequoia Layne each had 10. Hart contributed one ace and one block, while Layne posted a career-best and match-leading eight blocks.
Maya Van Heyst directed the offense with a match-high 44 assists, along with eight digs and three kills. Isabelle Northam led Florida Atlantic with 18 digs, and Luye Marquez-Moreno added a season-best 15 digs.
Florida Atlantic held team advantages in service aces and blocks despite the loss. The Owls finished with seven service aces to North Texas’ two and held an 11-7 edge in blocks.
What comes next for Florida Atlantic
Florida Atlantic will visit the UTSA Roadrunners on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. ET. The match will be played at the Convocation Center and will stream on ESPN+.
FSB Take
Florida Atlantic recovered from a difficult opening set and took a 2-1 lead, but North Texas won the final two sets to claim the American Conference opener. The Owls finished with advantages in aces and blocks, while Anna Hartman led the attack and Sequoia Layne produced a match-leading eight blocks. Florida Atlantic will return to action Sunday at UTSA.
Source: Original report