Owls Fall to #19 WKU on Day One

Friday, October 22

Boca Raton, Fla.

1 PM

Florida Atlantic

-1012,27 CUSA

WKU

-191,70 CUSA

Western Ky.

Fla. Atlantic

10/22/2021 12:40:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team (10-12, 2-7 in Conference USA) dropped the first match of their series against #19 Western Kentucky (19-1, 7-0 C-USA) on Friday in three sets at FAU Arena.

Outside hitter Christine Jarman led the Owls in kills for the third straight match but it would not be enough to hand WKU their first ever loss at Abessinio Court.

How It Was Decided

Set 1
The first set found FAU trailing 4-1 just minutes in, and it looked as if it might get ugly early. But the Owls have fought hard in every contest they've appeared in this season, and this match was no different. Hearn kept things close with the first of her three blocks on the day, and the streaky defender was able to make her presence known throughout. A quick run driven by Jarman and Lauryn Green would follow, tying the set at 6-6. As the Hilltoppers began to find their stride, the Western Kentucky offense created havoc for FAU as they were forced to cover the entire court. Still, the Owls resisted well, and found themselves down by one at 11-10. Though a string of aces by the Tops opened up an 18-12 lead, the Owls did not back down, and closed the gap to just three after the first of Camryn Vogler's three service aces, made the score 19-16, Hilltoppers. From here though, Western Kentucky found their groove, and closed out the set on a run, taking it 25-18.

Set 2
Set two saw an invigorated Owls team take the court, as there was plenty to be excited about after the first set. FAU shadowed their opponent as the second period began, making the Hilltoppers work for their points. Green smashed a quick set from Noelle Stephens to make it 6-5, Hilltoppers, and there was a sense the the Owls might give them real problems in the period. But a string of kills by the Tops - aided by a few unfortunate FAU errors - opened a wide margin at 16-7 that FAU was unable to recover from. Katelynn Robine would nail an ace before the end of the set, but Western Kentucky took it convincingly, 25-15.

Set 3
The final set presented the Owls with an opportunity to show their heart and leave everything on the court during one of the biggest matches of the season, and each and every player did exactly that. Facing an uphill climb and backed into a corner, the Owls showed the resilience that has been the hallmark of this team since the beginning of the season. FAU jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead behind two more aces from Vogler. Though the Hilltoppers would respond, the Owls managed to keep pace all the way through an 11-11 tie. Here though, Western Kentucky flexed a defense befitting their ranking, and the scoring opportunities to FAU were reduced to almost nil. In the end, it was the Hilltoppers superior defending and the Owls' own errors that did them in, but the tremendous resolve shown by this team against their highest level of competition will go a long way towards proving that these Owls are capable of competing with even the best teams in the country if they play to their ability. Western Kentucky took the final set, 25-18, winning the match in three sets.

Of Note

Young equalled her season-high in blocks (2)
Green and Jarman hit .300 and .333 respectively against the nation's fifth ranked defense in opponent hitting percentage
Young is now up to 300 assists on the season
Green's three blocks give her 11 across the last three matches

Up Next

FAU will get another shot at their first ever victory over the Hilltoppers tomorrow afternoon at FAU Arena. First serve will be at 1 p.m.

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