Nelson Earns 200th Head Coaching Win in Sweep of ECU

Sunday, September 28

Boca Raton, Fla.

12 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

10-5,1-1American

East Carolina

8-5,0-2American

East Carolina

Fla. Atlantic

9/28/2025 5:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Sunday was a special one. Head Coach Fernanda Nelson notched her 200th career win as the Florida Atlantic Owls earned their first American Conference win of the season, sweeping the East Carolina Pirates, 3-0, inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Florida Atlantic and East Carolina fought back and forth to open the match. After battling through a tight 10-9 ECU advantage in the first, the Pirates tallied five unanswered points to hold a six-point lead, 15-9, at the first set media break. The Owls called their first timeout of the match

Olivia Hart opened the second with a kill to spark a 6-1 run and force an early ECU timeout. However, the Pirates battled back, producing an 8-3 run of their own to bring things even at nine. East Carolina held a 19-18 advantage late in the second, but the Owls closed the set on an impressive 7-1 run, capped off by a pair of kills from Kierstin Bevelle and a Pirate setting error, to give the Owls the 25-20 win and the two-set advantage.

The Owls opened the third on an 8-5 run. The Pirates answered back, scoring five unanswered points to retake the lead 10-8, but a pair of Pirate attacking errors and a kill from Kayla Richardson put the Owls back in front 11-10 as ECU called its first timeout of the set. After battling through five ties to an 18-18 stalemate, the Owls stifled the Pirates, closing the match on a dominant 7-0 run, 25-18, capped off by Emsley Venard's match-winning first career kill, to secure the sweep and first conference win of the season, 3-0.

THOUGHTS FROM HEAD COACH FERNANDA NELSON
"I'm so proud of this team. This team is tough, especially to bounce back and play so well against a really good ECU team after a tough match on Wednesday."

"I'm so blessed to be able to lead the FAU volleyball team, and I can't thank my former players, assistant coaches, and associate head coach Chuck Amshoff enough for being there with me every step of the way to 200 wins."

STATS & NOTES

Nelson improved to 200-170 (.541) as the Owls' leader.
Libero Isabelle Northam also recorded her 1,000th career dig in the win.
Olivia Hart and Anna Hartman led the Owls offensively against the Pirates. Hart posted a team-best 14 kills, hitting .263, and added six digs, two aces, and two assists in the win.
Hartman finished with an impressive .533 hitting clip, while finishing with 10 kills, as well as four digs and a block against the Pirates.
Emsley Venard dished out a team-best 22 assists.
Defensively, Northam tallied a match-leading 16 digs, while Kayla Richardson finished with a team-best five blocks in the win.

UP NEXT
Florida Atlantic will close out its two-game homestand next Friday, Oct. 3, as the Owls host the North Texas Mean Green for a 6 p.m. first serve inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena and on ESPN+.

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