MIAMI – The Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team, ranked No. 12 nationally, extended their impressive season-opening winning streak to 6-0, earning wins over Utah, 4-1, and Palm Beach Atlantic, 5-0, on the first day of the FIU Invite.
The Sandy Owls remain perfect on the season at 6-0 and 1-0 in CUSA play. Utah received their first defeat of the season, dropping to 4-1 overall and Palm Beach Atlantic dropped their second contest of 2025, falling to 5-2 on the season.
The Owls scored first as
Kate Stoughton and
Shantel Starling picked up their first win as a pair this season, defeating Utah's Lauren Sayre and Maeve Griffin in straight sets, 21-13, 21-18. Florida Atlantic extended its lead to 2-0 after
Julie Honzovicova and
Klaire VanDeusen secured a three-set win at the 2s against the Utes' Bella Vezzani and Langley Griffin, 22-20, 17-21, 15-12. Utah finally got on the board on court three as
Kate McLaughlin and
Kendall Mignerey dropped a straight-set battle with the Utes' Kylie Pitzak and Elly Collins, 20-22, 14-21, however the Sandy Owls answered right back to clinch the match at the 5s with
Olivia Strandberg and
Shayna Wolf taking a three-set comeback win against Utah's Sonja Wessel and Elle Burleson, 14-21, 21-15, 15-8. Florida Atlantic's top pair closed out the match to give the Owls the 4-1 win after earning their fifth straight-set win of the season. The victory was versus Utah's top pair of Katie McAlister and Quincy Stephens, 21-11, 21-18.
Scores
1.
Marketa Svozilova/
Ashleigh Adams (FAU) def. Katie McAlister/Quincy Stephens (UTAH) 21-11, 21-18
2.
Julie Honzovicova/
Klaire VanDeusen (FAU) def. Bella Vezzani/Langley Griffin (UTAH) 22-20, 17-21, 15-12
3. Kylie Pitzak/Elly Collins (UTAH) def.
Kate McLaughlin/
Kendall Mignerey (FAU) 22-20, 21-14
4.
Kate Stoughton/
Shantel Starling (FAU) def. Lauren Sayre/Maeve Griffin (UTAH) 21-13, 21-18
5.
Olivia Strandberg/
Shayna Wolf (FAU) def. Sonja Wessel/Elle Burleson (UTAH) 14-21, 21-15, 15-8
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 3, 5, 1
Honzovicova and VanDeusen scored first for the Sandy Owls, picking up a straight-set win against Palm Beach Atlantic's Katelyn Nadeau and Camdyn Albrecht, 21-13, 21-12.
Sydney Schroder and Starling extended the Owls lead to 2-0 after earning a straight-set win on court four, 21-17, 21-14. Svozilova and Adams clinched the match for Florida Atlantic, with their sixth straight-set win of the season, this time over the Sailfish's top pair of Anna Dunbar and Serena Baumgart, 21-12, 21-11. McLaughlin and Mignerey pushed the Sandy Owls lead to 4-0 after bouncing back to get their first win of the weekend in a 21-11, 21-11 win over PBA's Savannah DeCarlo and Sydney Corbett. Strandberg and Wolf sealed the Owls' first sweep of the season, taking their fifth straight-set win of the deal at the 5s.
Scores
1.
Marketa Svozilova/
Ashleigh Adams (FAU) def. Anna Dunbar/Serena Baumgart (PBA) 21-12, 21-11
2.
Julie Honzovicova/
Klaire VanDeusen (FAU) def. Katelyn Nadeau/Camdyn Albrecht (PBA) 21-13, 21-12
3.
Kate McLaughlin/
Kendall Mignerey (FAU) def. Savannah DeCarlo/Sydney Corbett (PBA) 21-11, 21-11
4.
Sydney Schroder/
Shantel Starling (FAU) def. Abby Plevin/Annika Huhtamaki (PBA) 21-17, 21-14
5.
Olivia Strandberg/
Shayna Wolf (FAU) def. Desi Waterman/Angela Goggin (PBA) 21-13, 21-16
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1, 3, 5
The Sandy Owls continue play in the FIU Invite on Saturday, taking on Southern Miss at 12 p.m. ET, before closing out play against CUSA rival No. 17 FIU at 4 p.m. ET.
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