Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Florida Atlantic
-1010,25 CUSA
FIU
-311,05 CUSA
Panthers No Match for Owls in Series Opener
10/15/2021 1:34:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team (10-10, 2-5 C-USA) got a much needed straight-set victory over the FIU Panthers (3-11, 0-5 C-USA) on Friday afternoon at FAU Arena.
Graduate transfer Christine Jarman came up big on the attack for FAU to lead al players with 11 kills while Stephanie Young and Aniya Harvey dominated with career days from the service line to finish with five and four aces, respectively.
With the victory, the Owls keep their dream alive of reaching the Conference USA tournament, with just five regular season matches left to play.
Set 1
Knowing their backs were against the wall, the Owls came right out and took it to the Panthers from the get-go, and played inspired team volleyball. FAU quickly jumped out a 6-2 lead as Jarman caught fire for the first of her five kills in the opening period. Lauryn Green would add a kill of her own but it soon became apparent that the Owls defense was to be a major factor in this fray, as FAU began to shut down Panther attacks at the net, and would use their defensive positioning to consistently influence shots into becoming errors. Green in particular stood tall in the first set, rejecting four shots in the frame. The Owls opened up a big lead at 20-11 following another Jarman kill and kept the pedal to the metal, closing out the first set 25-19.
Set 2
The second set kicked off in similar fashion, with the Owls starting on a 3-0 run fueled by a kill and a block by Harvey before taking a comfortable 8-3 lead. The Panthers fought back to shrink the deficit, but FAU showed their depth as newly-promoted Halle Olson involved herself in the scoring with a pair of finishers to keep the Owls up 13-9. Hearn too got into the act with a couple of quick returns over the middle as Jarman fired steadily from the outside. At 21-15, with the set firmly in hand, the fireworks were not over as Young ripped off back-to-back-to-back aces to put the Owls on set point. The set came to a close one point later, and the Owls led two sets to none.
Set 3
Set three found the Panthers hungry to avoid the sweep, and they were able to match the Owls point-for-point early on, with score tied 4-4. The teams struggled for dominance, but the Owls continued to generate blocks by the handful thanks to Green, Harvey, and Hearn - who each finished with 4+ stuffs at the net - as team defense continued to be the difference maker. The Owls opened up a lead at 10-6 and continued to extend their advantage as Young served for five straight points. More FAU defensive displays would put the set out of reach at 23-15, and the Owls finished off the match 3-0.
- Green put up a season-best six total blocks.
- Katelynn Robine hit .300 or better for the 10th time this season
- Young (5) and Harvey (4) each set a career-high in service aces
- The Owls equalled their highest total block output this season with 20 team blocks
FAU gos for the sweep in the series finale against the Panthers with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday.
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