No. 15 Florida Atlantic Splits on Opening Day of FSU Unconquered Invitational

Friday, April 4

Tallahassee, Fla.

11:30 a.m.

Florida Atlantic

South Carolina

No. 15 Florida Atlantic Splits on Opening Day of FSU Unconquered Invitational

4/4/2025 6:09:00 PM | No. 16 Women's Beach Volleyball

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 15 Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team opened play in the FSU Unconquered Invitational, earning a hard-fought 3-2 win over South Carolina, before falling in a narrow 3-2 battle against No. 10 LSU on Friday. FAU's win over South Carolina marked head coach Steve Grotowski's 50^th career win.

Florida Atlantic moves to 13-9 overall and 2-1 in CUSA play, while South Carolina falls to 8-11 overall and 0-1 in CCSA play, and LSU improves to 19-9 this season.

The Sandy Owls started off strong against South Carolina, jumping out to a 2-0 lead after earning wins on courts two and three. Julie Honzovicova and Kate McLaughlin got things started for FAU, capturing a straight-set win at the No. 2 position, 21-18, 25-23. Mia Scanlon and Klaire VanDeusen extended the Sandy Owls' lead to two after winning in straight sets on court three, 22-20, 21-15. The Gamecocks battled back taking wins on courts five and four to even the match at 2-2 as court one would decide the match. After dropping the opening set, Ashleigh Adams and Marketa Svozilova battled back to win the second and third sets to secure the reverse sweep, 21-23, 21-17, 15-13, and clinch the 3-2 dual win.

In the second match of the day, LSU took the opening point, winning in two at the No. 4 position. Julie Honzovicova and Kate McLaughlin once again earned the first point of the dual for the Sandy Owls, winning in two at the No. 2 position, 22-20, 22-20, to even the dual at 1-1. The Tigers jumped back in front, taking a straight-set win on court three. LSU clinched the match on court five as the Sandy Owls fell in a hard-fought three-set battle. Ashleigh Adams and Marketa Svozilova closed out the match for FAU, earning their second win of the day with a comeback three-set win at the No. 1 position, 20-22, 21-19, 15-12.

No. 15 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 3 – SOUTH CAROLINA 2

Scores
1. Ashleigh Adams/Marketa Svozilova (FAU) def. Jolie Cranford/Julia Waugh (SC) 21-23, 21-17, 15-13
2. Julie Honzovicova/Kate McLaughlin (FAU) def. Rachel Hartmann/Riley Whitesides (SC) 21-18, 25-23
3. Mia Scanlon/Klaire VanDeusen (FAU) def. Morgan Downs/VB Trost (SC) 22-20, 21-15
4. Sadie Nelson/Evie Ziffer (SC) def. Kendall Mignerey/Shayna Wolf (FAU) 21-16, 20-22, 15-11
5. Lauren Lawson/Kennedy Westendorff (SC) def. Cameron Knifton/Maddie Sides (FAU) 21-12, 19-21, 15-13

Order of finish: 2, 3, 5, 4, 1

No. 15 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 2 – No. 10 LSU 3

Scores
1. Ashleigh Adams/Marketa Svozilova (FAU) def. Gabi Bailey/Parker Bracken (LSU) 20-22, 21-19, 15-12
2. Julie Honzovicova/Kate McLaughlin (FAU) def. Camryn Chatellier/Elle Evers (LSU) 22-20, 22-20
3. Aubrey O'Gorman/Julia Sprecher (LSU) def. Mia Scanlon/Klaire VanDeusen (FAU) 27-25, 21-17
4. Kate Baker/Tatum Finlason (LSU) def. Kendall Mignerey/Kate Stoughton (FAU) 21-9, 21-13
5. Skylar Martin/Emily Meyer (LSU) def. Sydney Schroder/Olivia Strandberg (FAU) 21-10, 19-21, 15-12

Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 5, 1

NOTABLES

The Sandy Owls 3-2 win over South Carolina marked the 50^th career win for head coach Steve Grotowski, as well as their fifth all-time victory over the Gamecocks.
Ashleigh Adams and Marketa Svozilova improved to an astounding 16-2 on the season with their pair of wins against South Carolina and No. 10 LSU.
Julie Honzovicova and Kate McLaughlin paired up for the first time this season, going a perfect 2-0 with their pair of wins today.
Mia Scanlon and Klaire VanDeusen improved to 2-1 this season with their straight-set win against South Carolina.

UP NEXT

The Sandy Owls close out play in the FSU Unconquered Invitational on Saturday, April 5, taking on No. 8 Texas, No. 5 Florida State, and South Florida.

FOLLOW THE SANDY OWLS

For updates, follow @FAUBeachVB on X and Instagram, or like FAU Beach Volleyball on Facebook.