No. 1-Seed Florida Atlantic Advances to CUSA Semifinals

Friday, April 24

Youngsville, La.

11 a.m.

Florida Atlantic

Tulane

Shayna and Kendall - 2026 CUSA Championship

4/24/2026 10:13:00 PM | No. 19 Women's Beach Volleyball

YOUNGSVILLE, La. – No. 1-seed Florida Atlantic beach volleyball fell in the winner's bracket quarterfinals before battling back to topple No. 3-seed FIU, 3-0, and No. 4-seed South Florida, 3-1, to secure its spot in the consolation semifinals.

In the winner's bracket quarterfinal, Tulane struck first, taking court two by a 21-14, 21-14 score. The Green Wave extended their lead to 2-0 with another two-set win on court three, 21-15, 21-17. Tulane eventually clinched the dual win at four, rallying to take a tight three-setter on court three, 14-21, 21-14, 15-13.

The Sandy Owls looked to bounce back against South Florida rival FIU. Cameron Knifton and Allison Spittal got things started for the Owls, earning a dominant 21-9, 21-14 straight-set sweep on court five. FIU answered with a win on court three, with a two-set win to tie the dual up at 1-1. FAU's Olivia Strandberg and Ava Koehl put the Owls back in front with a straight-set sweep on court two, 21-18, 21-17. Kendall Mignerey and Shayna Wolf earned the dual-clinching win for the Owls on court four, with a comeback three-set win, 16-21, 21-18, 15-10.

FAU closed out the day with a 3-1 win against No. 4-seed South Florida. Klaire VanDeusen and Mia Scanlon got things started for the Owls, capturing a 21-16, 21-16 straight-set victory at the 3s. Mignerey and Wolf earned their second win of the day, extending FAU's lead to 2-0 with another straight-set win on court four, 21-15, 21-14. The Bulls used a three-set win at the five 12-21-, 21-10, 16-4 to cut the deficit in half. However, Morgenstern and Starling secured their first win of the day, earning the dual-clinching 14-21, 21-13, 15-11 three-set victory on court one.

No. 1 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 0 – No. 5 TULANE 3
Scores
1. Denisse Morgenstern and Shantel Starling (FAU) vs. Molly Trodd and Skylar Ensign (TU) 21-19, 17-21, 13-11 (unf.)
2. Emma Morris and Katie Hansen (TU) def. Olivia Strandberg and Ava Koehl (FAU) 21-14, 21-14
3. Amirah Ali and Tawny Ensign (TU) def. Klaire VanDeusen and Mia Scanlon (FAU) 21-15, 21-17
4. McKenzie Cutler and Sam O'Connor (TU) def. Kendall Mignerey and Shayna Wolf (FAU) 14-21, 21-14, 15-13
5. Cameron Knifton and Allison Spittal (FAU) vs. Avery Burks and Lauren Mann (TU), 23-25, 21-17, 12-11 (unf.)

Order of finish: 2, 3, 4

No. 1 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 3 – No. 3 FIU 1
Scores
1. Denisse Morgenstern and Shantel Starling (FAU) vs. Katarina Drozd and Brianna Luoma (FIU) 14-21, 21-19, 12-13 (unf.)
2. Olivia Strandberg and Ava Koehl (FAU) def. Hanna Gubik and Nicole Robison (FIU) 21-18, 21-17
3. Isabella Pereira and Kendra Brown (FIU) def. Klaire VanDeusen and Mia Scanlon (FAU) 21-12, 21-19
4. Kendall Mignerey and Shayna Wolf (FAU) def. Elizabeth Nye and Lauren Coady (FIU) 16-21, 21-18, 15-10
5. Cameron Knifton and Allison Spittal (FAU) def. Madalyn Wade and Hailey Prodan (FIU) 21-9, 21-14

Order of finish: 5, 3, 2, 4

No. 1 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 3 – No. 4 SOUTH FLORIDA 1
Scores
1. Denisse Morgenstern and Shantel Starling (FAU) def. Isabella Almedia and Zoey Mitchell (USF) 14-21, 21-13, 15-11
2. Olivia Strandberg and Ava Koehl (FAU) vs. Julia Panko and Cornelia Crudu (USF) 15-21, 21-16, 9-12 (unf.)
3. Klaire VanDeusen and Mia Scanlon (FAU) def. Morgan Anderson and Abigail Lagemann (USF) 21-16, 21-16
4. Kendall Mignerey and Shayna Wolf (FAU) def. Sasha Pasloski and Ryann Genest (USF) 21-15, 21-14
5. Addison Bounds and Kate Stewart (USF) def. Cameron Knifton and Allison Spittal (FAU) 12-21, 21-10, 16-14

Order of finish: 3, 4, 5, 1

NOTABLES

With its wins today, Florida Atlantic improves to 10-19 all-time against FIU and earned its first victory over South Florida, a new program.
With the two wins on Friday, Mignerey and Wolf improve to 2-1 as a 2026 pair.
Morgenstern and Starling improved to 18-14 as a pair after finishing the day 1-0.
Strandberg and Koehl, and Knifton and Spittal both finished Friday's play 1-1, moving to 19-15 and 12-10 as pairs this season, respectively.
VanDeusen and Scanlon ended the day 1-2 but improved their pair record to a team-best 21-14.
With a win in Saturday's semifinal match versus No. 2-seed UAB, the Sandy Owls will face No. 5 Tulane in a winner-take-all championship final, which will air on ESPN+.

UP NEXT
On Saturday, the Owls will face off against No. 2-seed UAB in the CUSA Championship consolation semifinal match at 10 a.m. ET, before hoping for a rematch versus No. 5 Tulane in the winner-take-all CUSA Championship final at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

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