Volleyball Sweeps FAU Invitational

Friday, August 30

Boca Raton, Fla.

12 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

1-0

Grambling State

0-1

GRAM

FAU

Photo by: JC Ridley/Owlpix.com

8/30/2019 10:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

BOCA RATON, Fla. - The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team opened its season with a sweep of Grambling State (25-6, 25-11, 25-19) and defeated Stetson in four sets (20-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-17) to take the FAU Invitational title on Friday. In the process, the Owls (2-0) extended their school record winning streak to 17.

Match 1 vs. Grambling State
Key Plays
A pair of extended serving runs gave the Owls a 7-1 lead early in the first set and they concluded on a 12-0 rally to win the frame 25-6.

The second set similarly began with FAU building a 7-1 advantage. The Tigers scored the next four points to trim the lead to two before the Owls pulled away on their way to a 25-11 victory.

Set number three was the most competitive of the match with Grambling taking a 5-2 edge early on. Kori Varney's serving helped the Owls score six points in a row to take the lead, 8-5. Grambling tied the score five different times, the final one coming at 18-18, when the Owls reeled off four straight points, eventually taking the set 25-19 to clinch the match.

Notables

Massiel Matos led all players with nine kills
Cailea Gibbs had seven kills and six total blocks
Nikki Lakman had 16 assists
Varney had a match-high nine digs

Match 2 vs. Stetson
Key Plays
After a hot start to the first set by the Owls, Stetson rallied from a 9-3 deficit to level the sides at 10-10. The two teams exchanged the next 10 points, but the Hatters were able to build a modest lead. A Cailea Gibbs kill pulled FAU to within a point at 20-19, but Stetson took five of the next six to win the set.

Sydney Nemtuda's serving helped FAU establish a small cushion early in set number two, but as was the case all night, Stetson rallied to even the score. Three straight points for the Owls reestablished their lost momentum, and they were able to increase their margin down the stretch, tying the match with a 25-16 decision.

It was Stetson's turn to get out of the blocks early in the third set, holding an early 6-1 edge. The Owls clawed their way back and eventually tied the score at 15-all. The score was tied 17-17 when FAU went on a decisive 8-3 spurt to take the frame.

In the fourth set, a Zuri Smith kill and Gibbs block broke an 8-8 deadlock to put FAU ahead. The Hatters whittled the lead down to one on three different occasions, but six straight Owl points helped to seal the FAU win.

Notables

Nemtuda led the Owls in kills (15) and digs (18) for her fifth career double-double, on her way to MVP honors
Jordan Yauch had 14 kills in the match
Cailea Gibbs posted 11 kills, four digs, and three assists in the victory. Massiel Matos added 11 kills and eight digs of her own
Kori Varney had a match-high 19 digs

Quotable
Junior Sydney Nemtuda
"I thought the whole team connected really well. We had a lot of energy and a lot of fun. You could tell that we were playing our best."

Upcoming
Saturday's match against Niagara has been canceled. The Owls will travel to Fort Worth, Texas for next weekend's Fight for the Fort Tournament, hosted by TCU.