Owls Head to Orlando for UCF Invitational

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Florida Atlantic volleyball continues on the road this week as the Owls head to Orlando, Florida, to compete at the UCF Invitational on Sept. 12-13 at the Venue.

FAU will kick off the weekend on Friday, taking on Arkansas State at 11 a.m. and Brown at 4 p.m. The Owls will wrap up the weekend on Saturday with a 6 p.m. first serve against host UCF.

SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC

Florida Atlantic enters the UCF Invitational at 5-2 overall and is just coming off a 2-1 weekend in Michigan, earning a pair of sweeps against Marshall and Southern Indiana.
The Owls lead the nation in assists per set, averaging 14.14 assists per set this season, in addition to ranking fourth in the nation in kills per set, averaging 15.05 kills per set.
Florida Atlantic's offensive leaders are Olivia Hart, Anna Hartman, Erin Morrissey, Madison Dyer, Kayla Richardson, and Maggie Allred. Hart leads the Owls with 74 kills, averaging 3.52 kills per set. Hartman, Morrissey, Dyer, Richardson, and Allred are also major offensive contributors for the Owls, averaging 3.0, 2.89, 2.52, 1.89, and 1.5 kills per set, respectively.
The Owls' nation-leading assists leaders are Emsley Venard and Victoria Hensley. Venard leads the team with 155 assists, averaging 7.38 per set, while Hensley ranks second on the team with 110 assists, averaging 5.24 per set.
Florida Atlantic's back row is anchored by libero Isabelle Northam with a team-best 85 digs and averaging 4.72 per set. Hart ranks second on the team with 58 digs, averaging 2.76 per set.
At the net, the Owls are led by Allred, averaging a team-leading 1.35 blocks per set.

SERIES HISTORY

Florida Atlantic will face off against Arkansas State for the ninth time in program history as the Owls look to earn their first win over the Red Wolves, trailing the all-time series, 0-8. Friday's UCF Invitational opener will mark the first neutral site meeting between the two teams. In the last meeting, Arkansas State took a 3-1 win on Sept. 21, 2012, in Boca Raton.
The Owls' matchup with Brown will mark the first meeting between the Owls and the Bears.
Saturday's weekend finale against UCF will be the 46^th meeting between the Owls and the Knights. The Owls trail the all-time series 9-36. In Orlando, the Knights hold an 18-2 advantage.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS STATE

Arkansas State enters the UCF Invitational at 2-3 overall, with wins over Wofford, 3-0, and Missouri, 3-2.
The Red Wolves are led offensively by Kaitlin Whitlock and Devyn Lewis, averaging 3.23 and 2.91 kills per set, respectively.
Arkansas State's assists leaders are Erin Madigan and Valeria Ortiz, dishing out 6.14 and 3.59 assists per set.
Mia Maloney leads the Arkansas State back row, averaging 2.91 digs per set, while Whitlock ranks second on the team with 2.45 digs per set.
The Red Wolves blocking leaders are Daedrianna Cail, Payton van Veen, and Haley Glunz, averaging 1.0, 0.71, and 0.68 blocks per set.

SCOUTING BROWN

Brown enters the UCF Invitational at 2-1 overall with sweeps over Bryant and Rhode Island.
Offensively, the Bears are led by Sophia Wolfson, Mariia Sidorova, and Ally Panzloff, averaging 3.67, 3.56, and 2.89 kills per set.
Brown's offense is powered by setter Julia Kakkis, who has dished out 102 assists this season, averaging 11.33 assists per set.
The Bears' back row is led by libero Jessie Golden, who has recorded 4.22 digs per set through three matches.
Sophia Wolfson is Brown's blocking leader, recording 1.0 blocks per set so far this season.

SCOUTING UCF

UCF enters the weekend at 5-1 overall and is just coming off a 2-1 weekend that saw the Knights sweep Stetson and earn a four-set win against FIU but fell in their first contest of the season in straight sets at Miami.
The Knights are led offensively by Avah Armour, Skylar English, Sasha Cohen, and Reaghan Thompson. Armour boasts a team-leading 3.75 kills per set, while English, Cohen, and Thompson average 3.56, 2.60, and 2.10 kills per set, respectively.
UCF's assists leader is Abby Schomers, averaging 10.47 assists per set.
Defensively, the Knights' back row is led by libero Sophia Kotsovolos, tallying 3.53 digs per set, while English ranks second on the team with 2.31 digs per set. At the net, UCF is led by Thompson and Ella Chapman. Thompson leads the team with 17 blocks, averaging 0.85 blocks per set, while Chapman comes in second with 12 blocks and averages 0.86 blocks per set.

UP NEXT
Following the UCF Invitational, the Owls will return to Paradise as they get set to close out non-conference play, hosting their Owls Paradise Classic on Sept. 19-20 inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

FOLLOW THE OWLS
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Calendar

Upcoming Events

Players Mentioned

Maggie Allred

Madison Dyer

Olivia Hart

Anna Hartman

Victoria Hensley

Erin Morrissey

Isabelle Northam

Kayla Richardson

Emsley Venard

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus North Texas on October 3, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at Temple on October 5, 2025 at 12 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at Charlotte on October 10, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball at East Carolina on October 12, 2025 at 12 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Temple on October 17, 2025 at 6 p.m.

Upcoming Event: Women's Volleyball versus Charlotte on October 19, 2025 at 1 p.m.

Florida Atlantic University Athletics