BOCA RATON, Fla. – The No. 12th-ranked Florida Atlantic University beach volleyball team will embark a tough test tomorrow afternoon at the Stetson Sun-N-Sand Invitational, going head-to-head with the reigning NCAA Champion No. 2 USC and No. 18 Stetson. Both matches will serve as a great test for the Owls who have commenced the season 6-2, while riding on a five-game winning streak.
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Saturday, March 12
- Noon – Florida Atlantic vs. No. 18 Stetson
- 4 p.m. – Florida Atlantic vs. No. 2 USC
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Stetson
- All-time record: 5-11
- Last time out: L, 2-3 at Stetson Tri-Match (4/7/21)
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USC
- All-time record: 0-2
- Last time out: L, 1-4 at FIU Invite (3/18/19)
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Stetson
- Stetson has started out the season 4-4 with the team's biggest wins coming against No. 18 South Carolina (4-1) and No. 20 Florida Gulf Coast (4-1)
- Gabriella Bramante (4-4) and Shae Henson (4-4) were both chosen as ASUN Preseason Team selections
- Stetson is led by the pair Carolina Ferraris/Anete Namike, who have a large presence on court two with a 6-2 overall record
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USC
- The reigning NCAA Champions have commenced the 2022 season with a 4-1 record, which is highlighted by wins over No. 7 Grand Canyon (4-1), No. 8 Stanford (5-0) and No. 14/15 Long Beach State (with two 5-0 sweeps)
- The Trojans' loan loss came against rival No. 2 UCLA (2-3)
- USC is led by court one pair Tina Graudina/Hailey Harward, who have begun the season 4-0. Megan Kraft/Sammy Slater on court two and Delaynie Maple/Julia Scoles on court three are undefeated at 5-0 on their respective courts
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- FAU is coming off a dominating weekend after hosting the FAU Beach Burrow Bash, going 4-0 at home with three consecutive sweeps
- The Owls began the weekend with a 4-1 win over (RV) FGCU. After falling on court five, FAU won courts 1-4 to clinch the match
- FAU dominated over Austin Peay with straight-set wins on all five courts
- The team opened up their second day of play with another sweep, 5-0, this time against UNCW. Courts 1-4 earned the win off straight set victories
- The Owls closed out the weekend with a 5-0 sweep against Palm Beach Atlantic. Courts 2-5 registered sweeps and despite being down a few times in their match, Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris recorded the court one win (21-19, 17-21, 15-12)
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FAU is a participant of the March to May Tournament in Gulf Shores, Alabama, which is set to begin next weekend. The Owls will face UCLA, South Carolina, Grand Canyon, UAB and LSU.
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