CHARLOTTE, N.C. Â -Â
Florida Atlantic University Head Volleyball Coach
Fernanda Nelson's 100
th career victory came in dramatic fashion, as FAU rallied from a two sets to none deficit to defeat Charlotte in five sets (19-25, 23-25, 28-26, 25-14, 15-13) on Sunday. Â Â
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Key Plays
Already down two sets, the Owls (11-4, 2-1 Conference USA) held off two match points late in the third and scored three points in a row to take the frame 28-26. The fourth set was tied 6-6 when FAU went on an 11-3 run to take a 17-9 lead. The Owls pulled away even further down the stretch, taking the stanza 25-14 to force a decisive fifth frame. Set number five was a tug-of-war between the two teams, with neither side leading by more than a point for most of the way. With the score tied 9-9, an
Ivone Martinez service ace, two
Sigourney Kame kills and a
Massiel Matos kill made up a 5-0 run, giving the Owls a 14-9 lead and five match points. The 49ers (10-8, 1-2) successfully fought off the first four opportunities, but Matos' 15
th kill of the afternoon completed the rally and gave the Owls the win. Â
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Notables
- Sigourney Kame had a match high 27 kills, one shy of her career high in that category.
- Massiel Matos notched 15 kills and 13 digs for her sixth double-double of the season. The 13 digs tie her career best.
- Sydney Nemtuda posted a season high 14 kills and a career-high 21 digs in her first double-double of the year.
- Cailea Gibbs chipped in with 10 kills and a career high seven block assists.
- Abbi Reid also added 10 kills giving the Owls five players with at least that many. It came almost a year to the day since the last time it happened, on Oct. 1, 2017, coincidentally, against Charlotte.
- Ivone Martinez notched career double-double number 28 with a 61 assists and career best 25 digs.
- Coach Nelson becomes just the second coach in program history with 100 career wins.
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Quotables
Head Coach
Fernanda Nelson
On the match...
"Our kids showed a lot of heart being down two sets to none. Charlotte is a very good team, we fought so hard for every point and we stayed focused until the end of the match.
On win number 100…
"I feel blessed to be able to coach all these wonderful players and having great coaches around for the past six years."
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Up Next
The Owls play at North Texas on Friday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. eastern. Live video and live stats will be available at fausports.com.
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