SAN ANTONIO, Texas - Despite
Ivone Martinez's 30
th career double-double, the Florida Atlantic University volleyball dropped a closely contested match to UTSA in four sets (25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22) on Sunday. FAU is now 15-5 overall and 5-2 in Conference USA play.
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Key Plays
The Roadrunners (14-5, 6-1) started out fast and quickly built an 11-4 first set lead. FAU responded with a 9-2 run of its own, to pull within a point at 14-13. UTSA answered and stretched the lead back to five at 23-18. The Owls scored four straight points to get back within one, but never pulled even, falling 25-23.
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Set number two began with momentum switching sides on several occasions. UTSA seemed to finally seize control, holding a steady four-point lead until the late stages of the frame, when the Owls whittled the margin down to one, 22-21. FAU got to within a point two more times in the set, but the Roadrunners were once again able to hold on for a 25-23 win.
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After the intermission, the Owls got out to a 6-2 advantage in set three. That margin would hold steady until the midway point, when UTSA closed to within two, 13-11. FAU immediately countered with a 4-0 run. The Roadrunners managed to stay within striking distance and used a 6-1 run to take a 22-21 edge.
Massiel Matos then stepped up with three kills and a solo block to end the set.
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UTSA served its way out to a 9-4 advantage in the fourth set. The margin ballooned to as many as six and after a Roadrunner kill, UTSA led 24-19 with five chances to end the match. The Owls refused to simply go away and fought off the first three match points, before UTSA was able to shut the door.
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Notables
- Ivone Martinez dished out 45 assists and had 10 digs.
- Massiel Matos notched a team-high 17 kills in addition to nine digs and three total blocks.
- Abbi Reid collected 13 kills and hit .542 (13-0-24) on the day.
- Sydney Nemtuda had 11 digs and seven kills in the match.
- Jordan Yauch posted five kills, four digs and a block assist off the bench.
- Alex Cardona led the Owls with 18 digs, while Kori Varney chipped in with 12.
- As a team, FAU had 71 digs in the match, to 58 for UTSA.
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Up Next
The Owls will play five of their final seven regular season matches at home, beginning on Friday, Oct. 19 when they host Southern Miss at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at FAUSports.com. For tickets, contact the FAU Ticket Office at 1-866-FAU-OWLS or logon to FAUSports.com. Â
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