Owls Split on Opening Day of Florida Atlantic Invitational

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Florida Atlantic Owls split on opening day of the 2025 season, sweeping Kent State, 3-0, but falling in a three-set battle against Texas Tech, 3-0, on Friday inside Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In game one, the opening set was a tight contest with eight ties and six lead changes. Kent State held a 7-6 advantage early in the first, but a 4-0 run pushed the Owls out to a 10-7 lead. The Golden Flashes battled back within one, making it 12-11 FAU, but three Kent State errors put the Owls back up by four, 15-11. After Kent State evened things up at 21, kills from Anna Hartman and Erin Morrissey, as well as an ace from Victoria Hensley, pushed the Owls to set point at 24-21. The Golden Flashes attempted a rally, evening the set up at 24-24, but Florida Atlantic capitalized on back-to-back errors to take the first, 26-24.
 
FAU bounced back in a big way in set two, dominating with a .500 clip and 16 kills in the frame. The Owls’ strong sideout percentage, 66 percent, helped them control the set. Florida Atlantic jumped out to a quick 10-6 lead to open the frame. Kent State rallied to score four unanswered and bring things even at 10. Following a 17-16 FAU lead, the Owls closed out the set on an 8-1 run to extend their lead to two, 25-17.
 
Florida Atlantic maintained the momentum into the third set, hitting .355 with 15 kills. The third was a back-and-forth battle as the Owls fought the Golden Flashes through a 19-19 tie, however, Florida Atlantic scored five unanswered to hold set point at 24-19. Kent State got one back, making it 24-20, but Madison Dyer called game as she connected on the match-winning kill to close out the Owls’ three-set sweep, 25-20.
 
GAME TWO
Against Texas Tech, the Red Raiders took the early lead in set one, 8-7. However, FAU battled back with a 4-0 run of their own to take an 11-8 advantage. The Red Raiders responded with a 12-4 run of their own to hold a five-point lead late, 20-15. The Owls tried to cut down the deficit, but Texas Tech held on to take the opening frame 25-21.
 
After battling through a 16-16 tie in the second, FAU scored three unanswered off back-to-back kills from Hartman and Dyer and an ace from Olivia Hart to lead 19-16. Florida Atlantic maintained a 22-19 lead late, but a 4-0 run put the Red Raiders back in front 23-22. The Owls held set point at 24-23, but Texas Tech closed the set on a 4-1 run to take the two-set lead, 27-25.
 
The two squads continued to battle in the third as Texas Tech led by just one through a 14-13 advantage. The Red Raiders went on a 9-4 run to hold a 23-17 lead late in the set. The Owls rallied one final time, outscoring the Red Raiders 6-1 to cut the deficit down to just one, 24-23, but an attacking error closed out the frame as Texas Tech took the final set 25-23, to take the three-set match.
STATS & NOTES

• Kent State

  • Hart led the way offensively for the Owls, recording a career-high 15 kills and hitting .303
  • Erin Morrissey and Dyer also had great days. Erin finished with nine kills on a solid .318 clip, while Dyer hit an impressive .538 with eight kills in the middle.
  • FAU outhit the Golden Flashes .309 to .255, as well as holding a 44-41 advantage in kills.
  • Isabelle Northam led the Owls’ back row with 14 digs, and Maggie Allred controlled the net with a game-high four blocks.
  • Emsley Venard dished out a team-best 23 assists, while Victoria Hensley tallied 17 in the win.

• Texas Tech

  • Morrissey led the way for the Owls, recording a career-best 16 kills, hitting .237, and adding six digs.
  • Dyer also posted double-figure kills, recording 10 on an impressive .600 clip, to go along with a game-leading five blocks.
  • Venard finished with a team-high 24 assists, and Hensley dished out 17.
  • Northam led the back row with a game-high 17 digs, followed by Hart with 12.
  • As a team, the Owls held advantages in hitting percentage (.217), kills (48), assists (44), and digs (49).

 
UP NEXT
The Owls will close the Florida Atlantic Invitational, season-opening weekend on Saturday as they take on the Western Carolina Catamounts for a 1 p.m. first serve at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.
 
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