No. 15 Florida Atlantic Drops Two on Day One of Alki Beach Invitational

Friday, April 17

Seattle, Wash.

2:15 p.m.

Florida Atlantic

Oregon

Denisse Morgenstern and Shantel Starling at 2026 Capri Classic

No. 15 Florida Atlantic Drops Two on Day One of Alki Beach Invitational

4/17/2026 9:32:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball

SEATTLE – The No. 15 Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team dropped a pair of contests against Oregon, 3-2, and No. 19 Washington, 4-1, on day one of the Alki Beach Invitational in Seattle.

Florida Atlantic falls to 17-13 overall, while Oregon improves to 16-14 and Washington moves to 18-1 on the season.

Oregon took the opening lead, capturing wins on court four and five to take an early 2-0 lead. Denisse Morgenstern and Shantel Starling got the Sandy Owls on the board, capturing a 21-19, 21-14 straight-set sweep at the 1s, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Olivia Strandberg and Ava Koehl tied up the dual at 2-2 after rallying to capture a reverse sweep, 16-21, 21-16, 16-14, on court two. However, the Ducks eventually took the 3-2 win as the Owls came up just short in a three-set battle on court three.

Morgenstern and Starling got FAU on the board first against Washington, earning a dominant 21-13, 21-14 straight-set sweep on court one. The Huskies tied things up with a court two win, before taking the lead 2-1 after winning on court four. Washington clinched the match with a three-set win on court five, before eventually closing out the 4-1 contest with the Huskies' fourth win at the 2s.

No. 15 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 2 – OREGON 3
Scores
1. Denisse Morgenstern/Shantel Starling (FAU) def. AJ Slojkowski/Gwen Fife (ORE), 21-19, 21-14
2. Olivia Strandberg/Ava Koehl (FAU) def. Liz Rossi/Bella Gamache (ORE), 16-21, 21-16, 16-14
3. Daley McClellan/Elsa Snipes (ORE) def. Klaire VanDeusen/Mia Scanlon (FAU), 21-13, 22-24, 15-11
4. Hanna Bjornson/Sofia Taylor (ORE) def. Cameron Knifton/Shayna Wolf (FAU), 21-17, 21-15
5. Natasha George/Landree Coats (ORE) def. Reese Edwards/Kendall Mignerey (FAU), 21-19, 21-16

Order of finish: 4, 5, 1, 2, 3

No. 15 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 1 – No. 19 WASHINGTON 4
Scores
1. Denisse Morgenstern/Shantel Starling (FAU) def. Emma Hohenauer/Katarina Pantovic (UW), 21-13, 21-14
2. Ella Tyus/Sarah Wilcock (UW) def. Olivia Strandberg/Ava Koehl (FAU) 21-15, 25-23
3. Niki Egan/Mariana Tomasova (UW) def. Klaire VanDeusen/Mia Scanlon (FAU) 19-21, 23-21, 15-8
4. Mayamay Brown/Ellis Hay (UW) def. Cameron Knifton/Shayna Wolf (FAU), 24-22, 21-17
5. Avery Towne/Alina Urzua (UW) def. Reese Edwards/Kendall Mignerey (FAU), 21-16, 16-21, 15-11

Order of finish: 1, 2, 4, 5, 3

NOTABLES

Morgenstern and Starling went 2-0 on the day, improving to 14-14 as a pair and 13-13 on court one this season.
Strandberg and Koehl finished the day 1-1, moving to 16-13 as a pair and 12-10 on court two this season.

UP NEXT
The Sandy Owls will close out the regular season tomorrow against Portland at 1 p.m. ET and Boise State at 4:45 p.m. ET.

FOLLOW THE SANDY OWLS
To stay up to date with everything Florida Atlantic Beach Volleyball, follow @FAUBeachVB on X and Instagram, or like FAU Beach Volleyball on Facebook.