Owls Paradise Classic Champions

Saturday, September 3

Boca Raton, Fla.

12 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

-51,00 CUSA

Stetson

5-1,0-0ASUN

Stetson

Fla. Atlantic

9/3/2022 5:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic University volleyball finished the weekend perfect, defeating the Stetson Hatters 3-1 to capture the Owls Paradise Classic tournament title.

"I am so proud of our girls," expressed head coach Fernanda Nelson. "They showed some incredible personality and passion during the match today. Our blocking and defense made a big impact and was a big focus for us this past week of practice. We are excited to get back to work and keep elevating our game!"

Alicia Hearn posted a kill to get the match started, but the Hatters produced a 4-1 run to lead FAU 4-2. However, the Owls responded with three-straight points of their own to retake the lead from the Hatters 5-4 off a Stetson attack error. The Owls eventually broke open the back-and-forth battle, scoring five unanswered points, capped off by an Arianna Beckham kill to take an 11-6 lead and spark a Stetson timeout. The Hatters got one back after the timeout, but another 5-0 FAU run extended the Owls lead to nine, 16-7. Stetson battled back to bring the Owls advantage down to three, 19-16, however it wasn't enough as FAU outscored the Hatters 6-2 to close out the opening frame and give the Owls the 1-0 lead.

The two continued to battle in the second set to a 3-3 tie, before the Owls scored three-straight points to take a 6-3 lead after a pair of Stetson attack errors. The two squads battled the entire set through 11 ties in which a Valeria Rosado kill brought the Owls back even with the Hatters at 22-22. A Zarnovicka kill and a Hatter attack error put the Owls into set point, but Stetson continued to battle, outscoring the Owls 6-2 to take set two 28-26 and even the match 1-1.

FAU struck first again in the third, but the Stetson Hatters continued to stay on the offensive as they jumped out to an 8-5 lead. The Owls kept the set within a point after a 3-1 run, 9-8, however Stetson scored five in a row to extend their lead back out to 14-8 and spark an FAU timeout. The timeout paid dividends for the Owls though as they produced a 6-1 run, which was capped by a Hatters' attack error to make Stetson call a timeout and bring the Owls back within one yet again, 15-14. Stetson pushed their lead back to three to make it 17-14, but the Owls locked in through the end of the set, outscoring the Hatters 11-4 before a Lauryn Green kill sealed the set to give the Owls the 2-1 lead after three.

The fourth set proved to be the Owls best performance of the season thus far. FAU struck first and opened the fourth on a 7-1 run to quickly take a commanding lead. The Hatters battled back to bring the set back within for at a FAU 19-15 lead, but it was too little too late as the Owls scored six straight to end the contest and capture the 3-1 win.

Stat Leaders

Kills: Klara Zarnovicka - 15
Assists: Noelle Stephens - 36
Digs: Camryn Vogler - 14
Blocks: Alicia Hearn - 6
Aces: Katelynn Robine - 2

Set-by-Set

Set 1: FAU 25, Stetson 18
Set 2: FAU 26, Stetson 28
Set 3: FAU 25, Stetson 21
Set 4: FAU 25, Stetson 15

Match Notes

Four Owls recorded double-digit kills in the contest, led by sophomore Klara Zarnovicka
Zarnovicka had her best performance of the season as she scored a season-best and tied for a match-high 15 kills
Sophomore Noelle Stephens led the Owls with 36 assists in the contest
Senior Camryn Vogler posted a season-best 14 digs in the win
Junior Alicia Hearn tied a career-high six blocks, while also posting seven kills in the win

Up Next

The Owls will hit the road for the first time in 2022 as they head to Jacksonville, Florida on Sept. 9-10 to compete in the Dolphin Classic, taking on Idaho, Tarleton State, and host Jacksonville.