BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic Owls split on the opening day of the Red Raider Classic, claiming a five-set win over Green Bay but falling in four against Texas Tech on Friday at United Supermarkets Arena.
Florida Atlantic moved to 4-2, while Green Bay dropped to 0-4 and Texas Tech improved to 3-1.
Florida Atlantic had a slow start as Green Bay outscored the Owls 11-4 to open up the match. The two squads traded points through a 15-9 Phoenix lead. Green Bay then went on another 6-1 run to extend its lead to 21-10 late in the first. The Owls got three back off a kill from
Kayla Richardson and back-to-back service aces from
Olivia Hart, but it was too little too late as the Phoenix eventually took the 25-15 win and an opening 1-0 lead.
Florida Atlantic opened the second on a 4-1 run, but the Phoenix answered back on a 5-1 run to retake the lead, 6-5. The Owls then took control, producing a 12-2 to take a nine-point lead off a kill from
Romina Cornelio, 17-8. Green Bay battled back to close the Owls' lead to just four, 19-15, but Florida Atlantic outscored Green Bay 6-2 to close out the set and even the match at one, 25-17.
The Owls battled the Phoenix to an 11-10 Green Bay lead to open the third. The Phoenix then scored five unanswered to extend their lead back to 16-10. The Owls tried to rally, closing within five at 20-15, but Green Bay went on a 5-1 run to finish out the third, 25-16, giving the Phoenix a 2-1 set lead.
Florida Atlantic opened the fourth on an 8-5 run. Green Bay evened the set at 13-13, but a 7-3 Owl run pushed Florida Atlantic back out to a four-point advantage, 20-16. The Phoenix produced a 4-2 run to close back within two, but the Owls tallied kills from
Natalie Depaula,
Valeria Rosado, and
Madison Dyer to claim the fourth 25-21 and force a decisive fifth set, 2-2.
Following a 3-2 Green Bay lead, the Owls scored six unanswered to take an 8-3 lead at the side swap. The Phoenix got one back, but Florida Atlantic answered back with a 6-0 run to hold match point at 14-4. Green Bay attempted to rally on a 3-0 run but Cornelio closed things out with a kill to clinch the Owls five-set win, 15-7.
The Owls battled the Red Raiders back-and-forth, trading sideouts through a 21-21 tie. Dyer scored back-to-back kills to give the Owls a two-point advantage at 23-21, which proved to be just enough as the Owls once again traded sideouts to a 25-23 win in the opening set.
Texas Tech opened the second on a 5-3 run, but the Owls answered with a 5-1, capped off by a kill and ace from
Victoria Hensley, to take an 8-6 lead. The Red Raiders answered, going on a 10-3 run to hold a 16-11 advantage. Florida Atlantic closed within one at 17-18 off a kill from
Maggie Allred, but Texas Tech scored five unanswered to push its lead back to 23-17 before eventually taking the second, 25-19, to even the match at one, 1-1.
The Red Raiders scored first in the third, but a 4-1 Florida Atlantic run gave the Owls the opening 4-2 advantage. However, the Red Raiders then outscored the Owls 17-8 to hold a 19-12 advantage late in the third. Florida Atlantic outscored Texas Tech 7-6 to close out the set, but it wasn't enough as the Red Raiders took the third, 25-19, to lead 2-1.
Texas Tech opened the fourth on an 8-2 run, but the Owls answered right back with a 6-1 run of their own to close back within one, 9-8. The Owls evened the set at 12-12 following a kill from Allred. Texas Tech held a 19-16 advantage, but a 4-1 Florida Atlantic run, capped off by a kill from
Katelynn Robine, brought the Owls even at 20-20. However, the Owls couldn't find an answer to the Red Raider attack as Texas Tech closed out the match on a 5-1 run to eventually close out the 3-1 battle.
The Owls will look to bounce back in their Red Raider Classic finale on Saturday, taking on the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at 11 a.m. ET.
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