Florida Atlantic Falls in Five-Set Battle at Charlotte

Friday, October 10

Charlotte, N.C.

6 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

12-6,3-2American

Charlotte

13-4,4-1American

Fla. Atlantic

Charlotte

10/10/2025 11:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Florida Atlantic volleyball fell in a hard-fought five-set road battle against the Charlotte 49ers on Friday inside Halton Arena.

The Owls fall to 12-6 and 3-2 in American play, while Charlotte moves to 13-4 on the season and 4-1 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After battling through an 11-11 tie to open the match, Charlotte held a 15-13 advantage at the opening media break. The 49ers maintained a five-point advantage through a score of 20-15, but the Owls dominated the remainder of the set, closing the frame on a 10-1 run, capped off by a kill from Libby Ashline, to take the opening lead, 25-21.

Florida Atlantic opened the second with back-to-back points, however, Charlotte answered on a 5-1 run to take a 5-3 lead. The Owls retook the lead off a 4-0 run to make it 7-5 after a pair of aces from Olivia Hart and a kill from Erin Morrissey. But the 49ers responded once again, producing a 10-2 run to spark a pair of FAU timeouts as the Owls trailed by six, 15-9. Ashline got the Owls back on the board out of the timeout to bring FAU back within five, 15-10, but the Owls just couldn't mount a comeback as the 49ers evened the match at one after taking the second, 25-16.

Following a tight 8-7 Florida Atlantic lead to open the third, the Owls produced a 5-2 run to take a four-point lead, 13-9, at the opening timeout. Florida Atlantic scored off a block from Ashline and Morrissey to extend its lead to five, 14-9, but the 49ers responded with four unanswered points to cut the lead down to one, 14-13, and force an FAU timeout. Charlotte took the lead, holding a 21-19 advantage late in the third. However, the Owls clutched out the remainder of the set, scoring six unanswered points, capped off by back-to-back aces from Emsley Venard, to capture a 25-21 win and take a 2-1 set advantage.

The 49ers opened the fourth on a 10-6 run to spark a Florida Atlantic timeout. The Owls cut the deficit to just one, 13-12, after a kill from Ashline, but the 49ers produced another run, outscoring the Owls 5-1 to spark FAU's final timeout of the set, trailing 18-13. The Owls cut the deficit to four at 19-15, but they just couldn't battle back as Charlotte eventually took the set 25-18 to force a decisive fifth set.

Charlotte took the opening lead in the fifth, opening the set on a 4-1 run to spark an early FAU timeout. The 49ers maintained a two-point advantage through a 5-3 lead, however, the Owls then scored five unanswered points, capped off by a kill from Morrissey, to hold a three-point advantage at the side switch. Following the switch, Charlotte went on a 7-1 run to retake the lead, 12-9. Florida Atlantic responded with three unanswered points, closed out by a kill from Hart, to tie up the set at 12 all. The Owls kept things even at 13-13, but a Charlotte kill and an Owl attack error closed out the match as the 49ers took the final set 15-13.

STATS & NOTES

Hart led the way for the Owls with her sixth double-double of the season, recording a team-best 17 kills and adding 17 digs and tying for a team-high three aces.
Victoria Hensley also tallied her second double-double of the season, dishing out a team-leading 23 assists, in addition to recording 12 digs and tying for a team-leading three aces.
Isabelle Northam produced another incredible defensive performance, tying a career-best 27 digs.
Maggie Allred and Ashline tied for a team-best three blocks each.
As a team, the Owls led the 49ers in aces (9-5) and digs (99-94).

UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic closes out its three-game road trip on Sunday, Oct. 12, as the Owls visit the East Carolina Pirates for a 12 p.m. ET first serve inside Minges Coliseum and on ESPN+.

FOLLOW THE OWLS
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