No. 14 Florida Atlantic Splits on Day One of Seminole Beach Bash

Friday, February 27

Tallahassee, Fla.

11 a.m.

Florida Atlantic

UNC Wilmington

No. 14 Florida Atlantic Splits on Day One of Seminole Beach Bash

2/27/2026 7:09:00 PM | No. 14 Women's Beach Volleyball

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 14 Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team split on the opening day of the Seminole Beach Bash, earning a 3-0 victory against UNC Wilmington, but falling in their first match of the season against No. 6 Florida State, 3-0, on Friday.

Florida Atlantic moved to 5-1 overall, while UNC Wilmington dropped to 2-1, and Florida State improved to 8-0 on the season.

Cameron Knifton and Allison Spittal earned their fifth win of the season, scoring first for the Sandy Owls with a 21-14, 21-15 victory on court five. Ava Koehl and Olivia Strandberg extended the lead to 2-0, taking another dominant straight-set win on court two, 21-14, 21-13. Klaire VanDeusen and Mia Scanlon clinched the match for FAU, claiming a third straight-set win on court four, 21-17, 21-10, to close out the 3-0 sweep.

Koehl and Strandberg won the opening set for FAU at the 2s, but the Sandy Owls fell 3-0 against the Florida State Seminoles to close out the day, dropping straight-sets on courts three, one, and five.

No. 14 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 3 – UNC WILMINGTON 0
Scores
1. Denisse Morgenstern/Shantel Starling (FAU) vs. Grace Sistrunk/Lyvia Trimp (UNCW) 17-21, 16-17 (Unf.)
2. Kendall Mignerey/Reese Edwards (FAU) vs. Gabby LaPata/Hannah Parkinson (UNCW) 17-21, 15-16 (Unf.)
3. Olivia Strandberg/Ava Koehl (FAU) def. Sarah Thompson/Keenan Engebretson (UNCW) 21-14, 21-13
4. Klaire VanDeusen/Mia Scanlon (FAU) def. Traci Schrock/Ailvia Hamel (UNCW) 21-17, 21-10
5. Cameron Knifton/Allison Spittal (FAU) def. Sophia Puhala/Addie Marinack (UNCW) 21-14, 21-15

Order of finish: 5, 3, 4

No. 14 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 0 – No. 6 FLORIDA STATE 3
Scores
1. Alexis Durish/Audrey Koenig (FSU) def. Denisse Morgenstern/Shantel Starling (FAU) 21-14 21-13
2. Myriah Massey/Jess Horwath (FSU) vs. Olivia Strandberg/Ava Koehl (FAU) 21-19 9-14 (Unf.)
3. Gella Andrew/Saofe Duval (FSU) def. Kendall Mignerey/Reese Edwards (FAU) 21-13 21-8
4. Kyleene Filimaua/Kenzie Hultquist (FSU) vs. Klaire VanDeusen/Mia Scanlon (FAU) 15-21 19-18 (Unf.)
5. Maddie Trusty/Bailey Higgins (FSU) def. Cameron Knifton/Allison Spittal (FAU) 21-17 21-13

Order of finish: 3, 1, 5

NOTABLES

Florida Atlantic earned its fifth-straight win to open the season against UNC Wilmington.
The Sandy Owls improved to 6-0 all-time versus UNCW.
Knifton and Spittal moved to a team-leading 5-1 pair record this season, while VanDeusen and Scanlon, and Strandberg and Koehl moved to 4-1 as pairs this season.

UP NEXT
The Sandy Owls will close out play in the Seminole Beach Bash on Saturday, facing off against No. 16 North Florida at 12:15 p.m. before competing in the tournament playoffs on Saturday afternoon. FAU's playoff opponent will be determined following Saturday's first match.

FOLLOW THE SANDY OWLS
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