JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The No. 14-ranked Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team dropped two contests against No. 15 Stetson, 3-2, and No. 17 North Florida, 4-1, on the first day of play in North Florida's tournament at the Cooper Beach Volleyball Complex on Friday.
Florida Atlantic falls to 11-7 overall, while Stetson improved to 16-5 and North Florida moved to 11-6 on the season.
Against the Hatters,
Cameron Knifton and
Allison Spittal scored first for the Sandy Owls, earning a 21-13, 21-14 straight-set win on court five. Stetson tied things up at one all after taking a two-set win at the 4s.
Klaire VanDeusen and
Mia Scanlon put the Sandy Owls back in front, winning 21-16, 21-16 on court three. However, the Hatters tied things up at 2-2 after taking a two-setter at the 1s, before clinching the match at the 2s, 3-2, taking a hard-fought three-set battle.
North Florida took courts four and five to open the second match of the day, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. The Ospreys clinched the match on court three, after winning another two-set battle.
Denisse Morgenstern and
Shantel Starling got the Sandy Owls on the board after claiming a two-setter on court one, 21-16, 21-15, but the Ospreys closed out the 4-1 contest, closing things out with a two-set win on court two.
No. 14 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 2 – No. 15 STETSON 3
Scores
1. Marta Carro/Maria Ozaeta (STETSON) def.
Shantel Starling/
Denisse Morgenstern (FAU), 21-16, 21-19
2. Julia Radelczuk/EJ Cudmore (STETSON) def.
Olivia Strandberg/
Ava Koehl (FAU), 25-23, 14-21, 15-11
3.
Klaire VanDeusen/
Mia Scanlon (FAU) def. Julia Czurylo/Zoe Flueckiger (STETSON), 21-16, 21-16
4. Anniina Muukka/Katie Camp (STETSON) def.
Reese Edwards/
Kendall Mignerey (FAU), 21-16, 21-18
5.
Cameron Knifton/
Allison Spittal (FAU) def. Cayla Sutton/Madeline Camp (STETSON), 21-13, 21-14
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 1, 2
No. 14 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 1 – No. 17 NORTH FLORIDA 4
Scores
1.
Denisse Morgenstern/
Shantel Starling (FAU) def. Presley Murray/Sophie Notaro (NORTH FLORIDA), 21-16, 21-15
2. Cameron Humphries/Mackenzie Murphy (NORTH FLORIDA) def.
Ava Koehl/
Olivia Strandberg (FAU), 21-19, 21-19
3. Andrea Da Silva Encinas/Madison Espy (NORTH FLORIDA) def.
Mia Scanlon/
Klaire VanDeusen (FAU), 21-15, 21-11
4. Samantha Crosby/Natalie Villalon (NORTH FLORIDA) def.
Reese Edwards/
Kendall Mignerey (FAU), 21-15, 21-17
5. Eden Anderson/Ally Bunch (NORTH FLORIDA) def.
Cameron Knifton/
Allison Spittal (FAU), 21-18, 21-12
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 2
NOTABLES
- Knifton and Spittal finished the day 1-1, tying for a team-leading 11 wins as a pair this season and moving to 11-6.
- VanDeusen and Scanlon, and Morgenstern and Starling also went 1-1 on the day, moving to 9-7 and 8-9 as pairs this season, respectively.
UP NEXT
The Sandy Owls close out play in Jacksonville on Saturday, March 21, taking on No. 17 North Florida at 9 a.m. and Saint Leo at 11 a.m.
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