GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Florida Atlantic Owls secured the season series sweep over East Carolina on Sunday, earning a four-set road win against the Pirates inside Minges Coliseum.
The Owls improve to 13-6 and 4-2 in American play, while East Carolina drops to 10-7 on the season and 2-4 in league play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Owls and the Pirates battled back and forth to open the contest. Following a 9-8 East Carolina advantage, FAU scored four unanswered points, capped off by a block from
Anna Hartman and
Maggie Allred, to take a three-point advantage at 12-9 and force an ECU timeout. East Carolina went on a run out of the timeout to cut the Owls' lead, 14-13, but FAU responded with a 5-1 run of their own to extend the lead back to five, 19-14, as the Pirates called their second and final timeout of the first. The Owls outscored the Pirates 6-3 through the end of the first to take the opening lead, 25-17.
Florida Atlantic jumped out to a 12-8 lead to open the second. The Pirates cut the Owls' lead to three at 18-15, but FAU responded on a 4-0 run to spark an ECU timeout as the Owls extended their lead to seven, 22-15. East Carolina went on a 5-1 run to once again cut FAU's lead to three, 23-20, but the Owls secured the set 25-20 after back-to-back kills from
Kierstin Bevelle and
Libby Ashline to take the two-set advantage.
The Owls scored first to open the third, however, East Carolina answered back on a 7-2 run to force an early FAU timeout, 7-3. The Owls and Pirates battled back and forth as the Owls tried to cut into the ECU lead. Following a 16-12 ECU lead, the Owls went on an 8-2 run to retake the lead at 20-18. East Carolina got to set point first, holding a 24-23 advantage, but after seven ties through a 30-30 stalemate, the Pirates scored back-to-back points to close out the third 32-30 and force a fourth.
After taking a 3-0 lead to open the third, the Owls gave up a 9-1 run as East Carolina took a five-point advantage, 9-4, early in the set. The Pirates maintained a four-point lead through a 12-8 advantage, but the Owls rallied off a 4-0 run to tie up the frame at 12 all. The Pirates retook the lead as they extended their advantage back out to three through a 21-18 lead, however, the Owls locked in to produce a 7-1 match-ending run to claim the fourth 25-22 and seal the four-set win.
STATS & NOTES
- Olivia Hart had another stellar performance for the Owls, tying a career-best 18 kills and tying for second on the team with 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.
- Emsley Venard led the Owls in assists in the win, dishing out a team-best 28 assists and recording her second career double-double, adding 11 digs against East Carolina.
- Zoe Winford was a dominant force on the back row for the Owls, leading the way with a career-best 17 digs, while Isabelle Northam, Victoria Hensley, and Hart all tied for a team second-best 14 digs in the win.
- Hartman and Allred had a dominant day at the net, tying for a team-best seven blocks, while Ashline finished just behind with six blocks against the Pirates.
- As a team, the Owls outperformed the Pirates in kills (63-57), hitting percentage (.220-.124), assists (58-55), digs (84-77), and blocks (16-12).
- Florida Atlantic also held an advantage in side-out percentage, outpacing the Pirates 60.9 percent to 52.9 percent.
UP NEXT
The Owls return to Boca Raton next weekend for a two-game homestand, beginning with Temple on Friday, Oct. 17. First serve is set for 6 p.m. inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
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