BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic Owls battled hard but couldn't overcome hitting and service errors, falling in four sets, 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 20-25, 25-21), against the Charlotte 49ers on Sunday inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
Florida Atlantic falls to 14-7 overall and 5-3 in American play, and Charlotte moves to 15-5 on the season and 6-2 in league play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Charlotte jumped in front first, opening the match on a 7-3. The Owls fought back within one following a 49er service error and back-to-back kills from
Kayla Richardson and
Libby Ashline, but Charlotte went on a 3-0 run of its own to push the deficit back to four, 10-6, and force an early Florida Atlantic timeout. Following a 16-12 Charlotte lead, the Owls outscored the 49ers 9-6, capped off by a kill from
Anna Hartman and a Charlotte error, to battle back within one at 22-21. Charlotte held set point at 24-22, but back-to-back 49er errors brought things even at 24-24. However, the Owls committed a pair of errors of their own as the 49ers took the opening set 26-24.
Ashline got things started in the second as the Owls jumped out to a 5-1 lead.. The Owls maintained a three-point advantage at 11-8 before back-to-back kills from
Maggie Allred and
Olivia Hart pushed the FAU lead back to five as Charlotte called its first timeout of the second, 13-8. Following the break, the 49ers went on a 7-1 run to take their first lead of the set at 15-14. Tied at 18, , Charlotte scored four unanswered points to lead 22-18. The Owls tried to rally, outscoring the 49ers 4-1 to cut the deficit to just one, 23-22, following another Hartman kill, but Charlotte closed the set on a 2-1 run to take the second 25-23, and hold the two-set advantage.
Florida Atlantic jumped out to a 3-1 advantage to open the third, but the 49ers answered back with a 6-1 run of their own to once again force an early FAU timeout as the Owls trailed by three, 7-4. The Owls went on a 3-0 run following the break off kills from Morrissey, Ashline, and Hart, to knot the set at seven, 7-7. The squads traded blows, battling back and forth through an 18-18 tie. However, the Owls dominated the remainder of the third, closing the set on a 7-2 run, capped off by a set-winning kill from Ashline, to extend the match and force a fourth, 25-20.
The 49ers jumped out to a 9-3 advantage to open the fourth, forcing a pair of early FAU timeouts. The Owls rallied to cut the deficit to just three, 12-9, following a 6-3 run, but Charlotte responded with a 10-4 scoring run of their own to push the deficit out to nine, 22-13. Back-to-back kills from Morrissey sparked an impressive 8-1 FAU run, bringing the Owls back within two, 23-21, and sparking the 49ers to call their second and final timeout of the third. However, the Owls' rally came up just short as the 49ers tallied the final two points to take the fourth 25-21 and close out the four-set battle.
STATS & NOTES
- Morrissey led the way for the Owls with a career-high 18 kills on an impressive .298 hitting clip. She also added six digs on the day.
- Hart and Ashline also finished in double figures for the Owls. Hart posted her ninth double-double of the season with 17 kills and 11 digs, while Ashline tallied a career-best 14 kills, hitting a team-leading .524 clip, and adding six digs and an ace in the match.
- Victoria Hensley dished out a season-high 36 assists, while also adding 13 digs for her third double-double of the season.
- Defensively, Isabelle Northam finished with a team-high 17 digs, while Maggie Allred turned in a team-best six blocks, as well as six kills, while hitting .462 on the day.
UP NEXT
The Owls head back on the road, visiting Memphis on Friday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. ET, before closing out the weekend at UAB on Sunday, Oct. 26 for a 2 p.m. first serve.
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