Owls Open American Home Slate Sunday

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic volleyball team is set for its American Conference home opener on Sunday, welcoming the East Carolina Pirates for a 12 p.m. first serve at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

SCOUTING FLORIDA ATLANTIC

Florida Atlantic enters Sunday's contest at 9-5 overall and 0-1 in American play. The Owls are coming off a hard-fought four-set battle against the South Florida Bulls.
Head Coach Fernanda Nelson is just one win shy of her 200th career win, boasting a 199-170 (.539) career record over her 14 seasons in Paradise.
The Owls are led offensively by Olivia Hart, Anna Hartman, and Erin Morrissey. Hart boasts a team-best 3.50 kills per set, while Hartman and Morrissey rank second and third on the team, averaging 2.71 and 2.57 kills per set, respectively.
Florida Atlantic's offense is powered by setters Emsley Venard and Victoria Hensley. Venard leads the team with 294 assists, averaging 6.26 per set, while Hensley ranks second on the team with 236 assists, dishing out 4.92 per set.
FAU's back row is anchored by libero Isabelle Northam, who boasts a team-best 188 digs, averaging 4.27 per set. Hart ranks second on the team in digs, tallying 135 and averaging 2.81 per set.
At the net, the Owls' blocking leader is Maggie Allred, with 48 blocks this season and recording 1.17 blocks per set. Madison Dyer ranks second on the team with 29 blocks, averaging 0.66 blocks per set, while Kayla Richardson and Hartman are tied for third with 25 blocks, averaging 0.54 and 0.52 blocks per set, respectively.

SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA

East Carolina enters this weekend's matchup at 8-4 overall and 0-1 in American play. The Pirates are coming off their American Conference opener on Friday, which saw them fall in four sets against South Florida.
The Pirates are led offensively by Ellie Pate, Sydney Buchanan, and Aulie Huff. Pate boasts a team-best 3.09 kills per set, while Bechanan and Huff rank second and third on the team with 2.55 and 2.52 kills per set this season, respectively.
East Carolina's assists leader is Taryn Gilreath, who boasts a team-leading 8.96 assists per set this season.
ECU Libero Brooklyn Allison leads the Pirates back row, averaging 4.32 digs per set, while Pate ranks second on the team with 2.57 digs per set.
The Pirates are led at the net by Kai Bailey, Carlia Northcross, and Aulie Huff. Bailey leads the team with 1.19 blocks per set, while Northcross and Huff follow just behind, recording 1.11 and 0.89 blocks per set, respectively.

SERIES HISTORY

Sunday marks the seventh all-time meeting and the second in Boca Raton between the Owls and the Pirates. The Pirates won the sole meeting in Boca Raton last season.

UP NEXT
Following Sunday's contest, the Owls will close out their two-game homestand next Friday, Oct. 3, as they host the North Texas Mean Green for a 6 p.m. first serve inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

FOLLOW THE OWLS
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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