Owls Sweep Catamounts in Florida Atlantic Invitational Finale

Saturday, August 30

Boca Raton, Fla.

1 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

2-1,0-0American

Western Carolina

2-1,0-0SoCon

Western Caro.

Fla. Atlantic

Owls Sweep Catamounts in Florida Atlantic Invitational Finale

8/30/2025 6:44:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic volleyball team bounced back in a big way on Saturday, earning an impressive straight-set sweep over the Western Carolina Catamounts in the Florida Atlantic Invitational finale.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls and Catamounts battled back and forth in the opening frame, battling through 14 ties and six lead changes. Western Carolina took the early lead, opening the match with an 11-5 advantage. However, FAU answered back, scoring five unanswered, capped off by a kill from Anna Hartman to battle back within a point, 11-10. The Owls battled back to retake the lead, eventually holding a 22-21 advantage following a kill from Erin Morrissey. The two squads battled point for point over the remainder of the set as Florida Atlantic held set points at 24, 25, 26, 27, and 29, before back-to-back kills from Hartman and Madison Dyer to close out the set, 29-27, to give the Owls the opening 1-0 lead.

Florida Atlantic really flexed its offensive power in the second set, outhitting the Catamounts .452 to .143. After a back-and-forth battle to open the set, Western Carolina held the early 7-5 lead, but the Owls went on a 6-0 run to take the lead 11-7. The Catamounts evened the frame at 13 and 15, but another 5-0 Owl run pushed FAU's advantage to 20-15 late in the second. WCU cut the Owls' lead to three, 20-17, following a pair of kills, but Florida Atlantic's offense couldn't be stopped, as they closed the set on a 5-1 run to take the 25-18 win and two-set lead, 2-0.

FAU maintained their momentum into the third set. After battling through a 14-14 tie to open up the third frame, the Owls' impressive offense continued to shine as they closed out the match on an 11-7 run, taking the final set 25-21 to capture the straight-set sweep.

HEAR FROM COACH NELSON
"I'm just so proud of this team and our girls for the way they were able to bounce back against a really good Western Carolina team to finish out the weekend. Today's win was a team win. We had incredible contributions from everyone on the floor today, both offensively and defensively."

STATS & NOTES

The Owls dominated the match offensively and defensively.
Hartman led the Owls' attack, recording a game-best 12 kills on an incredible .667 clip.
Kayla Richardson and Olivia Hart also recorded double-figure offensive performances on the day, with Richardson recording 11 kills, hitting .500, and Hart tallying 10 kills on the day.
Defensively, Isabelle Northam led the Owls' back row, recording a game-leading 18 digs, while Dyer led the way for the Owls at the net, posting a game-best six blocks.
As a team, the Owls dominated the Catamounts in nearly every category, holding advantages in kills (56), hitting percentage (.396), assists (56), digs (46), points (71), and blocks (11).

FLORIDA ATLANTIC INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Anna Hartman - Florida Atlantic
Isabelle Northam - Florida Atlantic
Reagan Engler - Texas Tech (MVP)
Peyton Dunn - Texas Tech
Zoe Zudans - Western Carolina
Mackenzie McGuire - Kent State

UP NEXT
The Owls will have a short turnaround as they get set to host the North Florida Ospreys for a midweek matchup on Tuesday, Sept. 2. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. on ESPN+ inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

FOLLOW THE OWLS
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