Owls Win Fifth Straight

Tuesday, September 7

Boca Raton, Fla.

6 PM

Florida Atlantic

-61,00 CUSA

Jacksonville

2-4,0-0ASUN

Jacksonville

Fla. Atlantic

Photo by: ©JC Ridley/Owlpix.com

9/7/2021 8:18:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic University volleyball team (6-1) won their fifth match in a row on Tuesday in a 3-1 victory over in-state rival Jacksonville University. The Owls secured the win behind another complete performance from freshman outside hitter Klara Zanovicka who finished 15 plays with a kill while handling a career-high 23 digs.

Nelson Nuggets

"We started off the game really strong offensively. Our serve and pass was also very affective," said Fernanda Nelson, FAU's head coach. "We lost our focus and intensity going into the third set, but they are a resilient group and were able to regroup and close the match. Jacksonville is a very good team, and it was a great win for us tonight."

How It Was Decided

Set 1
Alicia Hearn opened the scoring with the first of her nine kills on the day. As the two teams settled in, it became clear that the first set would be a war of attrition as the neither side was able to separate themselves until Aniya Harvey paired with Zarnovicka for a double-block to make the score 13-10. From there, the Owls rode the steady attacks of Zarnovicka and Katelynn Robine to take the first set going away.

Set 2
The second set opened with the Owls spot the Dolphins three points before Zarnovicka showed up in a big way with three kills out of her team's first eight points. Hearn and Robine kept firing away while junior libero Camryn Vogler played the backline to perfection, finishing the night with 19 digs. The Dolphins managed to keep the set close until a run sparked by Robine and sophomore middle blocker Lauryn Green opened up a 17-11 lead. After the Dolphins were able to knot the game once again at 18, the Owls turned it on, and after a kill and an ace by Halle Olson they won the second set to take a 2-0 lead.

Set 3
Set three was the Dolphins turn to shine. The Owls were held in check by tremendous play over the middle despite Jacksonville not being known for their blocking ability. Dolphin middle blocker Isa Dostal formed a one-woman wall at the net on her way to ten blocks, keeping the Owl attackers at bay and adding a pair of kills. Zarnovicka had four kills for her efforts in the set but it would not be enough as the Dolphins took set three, 25-15.

Set 4
The fourth and final set saw an outstanding response from the Owls. In danger of losing momentum and control of the match, the Owls came alive to play smart, yet powerfull volleyball. MiaBella English found her teammates for 18 assists, and ended a few key plays with heady kills. The Owls wore the Dolphins down in set four with unrelenting drives deep toward the backline, eventually taking the set 25-20 and winning the match 3-1.

Of Note

Robine has finished with at least eight kills in seven straight matches
FAU is ranked fourth in the country in team assists per set (13.94)
Green leads Conference USA and is 13th in the nation in hitting percentage (.484)

Up Next

FAU will travel to Maryland for the Tiger Invitational hosted by Towson University from Sept. 10-11.

Owls on Social Media

For complete coverage of FAU volleyball, follow us on Twitter (@FAUvolleyball), Instagram (@FAUvolleyball) and Facebook (FAU Volleyball).