On Saturday, the Florida Atlantic Owls women’s volleyball team hosted the Palm Beach Atlantic (PBA) Sailfish in a pre-season showcase. The Owls swept the competition 3-0 in sets. 

The Owls came out strong in their warmups, focusing primarily on defensive technique with high-energy encouragement from coaches and players alike. On the other side of the net, Palm Beach appeared to be aiming for a more offensive warm-up style before the game.

“We did really well [playing] for the first time together, we kept them out of system, which was one of the goals we had for tonight,” said head coach Fernanda Nelson. 

As the first set went underway, players Isabelle Northam and Victoria Hensley took the attention on the court, helping the Owls dominate 16-6 by the second timeout. Libero Isabelle Northam quickly moved wherever the ball went. She played with speed and agility to give her setters passes in the setting box and provided her hitters proper coverage off a block. Setter Victoria Hensley, set with poise and precision, leading her team into an impressive 25-9 win in the first set.

Despite this dominant start, the second set started out a bit more rocky for FAU. PBA had the Owls in serve receive. In this rotation the Sailfish went on a 3-0 run, leaving the Owls with an urgency to change the tone. 

After coach Nelson successfully challenged the referees call of a kill by PBA, on what would have been point four for the Sailfish, FAU regained their rhythm. Outside hitter Romina Cornelio and middle blocker Madison Dyer brought the offensive aggression back up to return the momentum to FAU, who went on to win this set 25-20. It was the closest set of the evening. 

Going into the final set, it was the Owls who went on the run. With outside hitter Katelynn Robine’s hot hand out of the gate getting three kills, she accounted for half of their first six points. Later in this set Dyer ended the longest rally of the game with a powerful hit at the 10-foot line. Cornelio sealed the set and match with a strong kill and the Owls won set three 25-15. 

To the surprise of the fans, the teams decided to play out an extra set to get in some more practice. In this set, the Owls switched it up moving Cornelio to the libero position where she proved that not only is she an offensive weapon but a defensive player as well. Unfortunately, she obtained a slight ankle injury and was taken out of the game. 

Despite this setback, the Owls had other players in the game like freshman Olivia Hart who gained herself some kills from the outside position with this extra set of playing time. Overall, the team performed exceptionally for their showcase, where many fans, including young aspiring volleyball players, cheered them on.

Nelson emphasized defense on her team and said she was proud to see how the new team controlled the floor. She added that even when the team got “sloppy,” they were able to stay calm and composed on defense to get back to where they needed to be.

The Owls start their regular season play at home on Friday, Aug. 30, against Bryant University at 12 p.m. The match can be streamed on FAUsports.

Kiera Matthews is a contributing writer for the University Press. For more information regarding this or other stories, email her at kmatthews2024@fau.edu.