FAU Volleyball took both of their contests on Saturday, improving to 10-4 overall.

The Owls swept Alabama State (25-18, 25-19, 25-15) in the morning match.

Ivana Bulajic posted a team best 14 kills in the affair as the team notched an overall 35.1% attack percentage. The senior was ultra proficient against the Hornets (4-12) , connecting on 77% of her own.

In the nightcap Florida Atlantic took down host FGCU 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-22).

Four Owls saw double-digit kill efforts, including Katarina Stepanovic (14), Liene Mellupe (13), Erika Brown (11), and Kristina Rankovic (10).

FAU had eight service aces for the tilt.

The team will now return to league play, travelling to the Lone Star State next weekend for a pair of matches against UTSA and UTEP on Friday and Sunday collectively.

The FAU volleyball team (10-5, 1-1) dropped their first match of the weekend 1-3 to UTSA.

The Owls were narrowly defeated in set one 25-27 before losing the second frame 20-25.

Florida Atlantic would take the third set in handy fashion 25-17 before another close effort saw the Roadrunners (6-7, 2-0) complete efforts with a 27-25 tally in the final stanza.

Kristi Tekavec and Liene Mellupe each had double-digit kills, with 15 and 10 respectively.

FAU will next be at UTEP on Sunday. Match time is 2:00 PM EST.

Florida Atlantic conclude the second leg of their Texas trip with a 3-0 sweep over UTEP on Sunday afternoon.

The Owls (11-5, 2-1) never trailed in the first two sets, winning by scores of 25-11, and 25-12.

However they would have to turn the screws to complete the third and final set, which featured eight ties and two lead changes.

Tied at 28 a piece, FAU's Kristi Tekavec swatted the final two points of the match.

The Miners fall to 2-13, 0-3 on the year.

FAU will return home for a pair of conference contests, and will first play host to UAB next Friday at 7:00 PM at The Burrow.

FAU volleyball swept their second straight conference match on Friday night, downing UAB (4-14, 1-2) 3-0 in The Burrow.

The Owls continue to make some noise in league play, while placing scrutiny on their projected 11th place finish in C-USA after defeating three teams calculated to place higher.

Florida Atlantic (12-5, 3-1) trailed in the first set 6-8 before closing on a 19-10 run. They never trailed in the second, winning the stanza by a tally of 25-17.

The final set would be a see-saw battle with the Owls gaining control after an 18-18 tie for a 25-23 win.

FAU outpaced the Blazers 25% to 12.6% in kill percentage on the night, and was led by Brittney Brown's game high 17 dismissals which featured a staggering 76.2% proficiency off 21 attempts.

The team next hosts Western Kentucky on Sunday at 12:00 PM. The Hilltoppers currently sit in a three-way tie for first place in conference standings with a 3-0 mark, and are 15-4 overall.

No third for the Owls, who were swept by the Hilltoppers on Sunday. Match release via SID Justin Johnson…

The Florida Atlantic volleyball team lost to Western Kentucky in straight sets (25-21, 26-24, 25-18) on Sunday.

WKU grabbed the early advantage in the first set, but the Owls (12-6, 3-2 C-USA) wouldn't go away, scoring every time the margin seemed to be getting out of hand.

FAU was within two at 20-18, but a 5-1 Hilltopper run ended the set.

The second set was a tug of war the entire way, with neither side holding a lead bigger than two points. A WKU attack error tied the score at 24, but back-to-back errors by the Owls gave the Hilltoppers a two sets to none lead.

Western Kentucky used an early 8-2 run to take control in the third set, on their way to a 25-18 match clinching win.
Genesis Viera had 20 assists and 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the year.

Katarina Stepanovic had five kills, six blocks, and two digs in the match.

FAU will travel to Charlotte to face the 49ers on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m.

The Owls downed Charlotte 3-1 on Sunday…match release via SID Justin Johnson:

A season high 16 kills from Liene Mellupe helped the Florida Atlantic University volleyball team defeat Charlotte in four sets (25-21, 19-25, 25-21, 25-22) on Sunday.

Katarina Stepanovic’s kill tied the first set for the 14th and final time at 20-20. From that point, FAU (13-6, 4-2 C-USA) went on a 5-1 run to take the first set. Charlotte got out to an early lead in the second set and tied the match with a 25-19 victory.

The third set was a back and forth affair throughout the early going. The Owls managed to build a five point lead at 14-9, but the 49ers quickly rallied to tie the game at 14. The sides were level at 17 before FAU closed on an 8-4 run to take a two sets to one lead.

Set number four fell into a pattern of the Owls building a small advantage and Charlotte fighting its way back to tie the score. The score was tied at 18 when two Mellupe kills and two 49er errors helped the Owls clinch the match with a 25-22 win.

Mellupe added 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the year, while Genesis Viera had 43 assists and 15 digs for her team best sixth double-double of the year. With the win, FAU matched last season’s conference and overall win totals.

The Owls return to FAU Arena on Friday, October 17 at 7 p.m. when they host Southern Miss.

The sweep was on once again for FAU volleyball, who took down Southern Miss in straight sets on Friday night in The Burrow.

The Golden Eagles (15-9, 4-3) mark the fourth C-USA team the Owls have defeated who were picked to finish higher at season's end by league coaches.

FAU trailed only twice, after one point in both the first and second sets.  However, from that point on it was only upward  in each frame as they finished with 25-20 and 25-17 wins.

The third and final stanza would see Southern Miss keep it close at 7-8 before Florida Atlantic pulled away with a 17-6 run that capped a 25-13 victory.

Utilizing just eight players, the Owls (14-6, 5-2 C-USA) employed an abbreviated line-up for the match, and were led by Kristina Rankovic's 11 kills, and Genesis Viera's 35 assists - both of which were match highs.

Next up for the team will be Middle Tennessee in a 12:00 PM match on Sunday.

FAU is hopeful to change the tide of recent year's play, as they have lost their last 13 matches to the Blue Raiders.

Make it 3-of-5 in sweeps as of late for the Owls, who took care of business in redemptive fashion against the Blue Raiders on Sunday by winning their first match against them in the last 14 tries…contest release via SID Justin Johnson:

Kristina Rankovic had a match high 12 kills as the Florida Atlantic volleyball team swept Middle Tennessee (25-17, 25-19, 25-22) on Sunday afternoon.

FAU (15-6, 6-2 C-USA) had to come from behind in the first set, but Nathalie Rosado and Nicole Unger served the Owls out in front of the Blue Raiders. MT managed to tie the score at 14, but a 5-0 run helped FAU on its way to a 25-17 win.
 
Set number two was tied at 7-7 before a 9-3 Owl run gave them a 16-10 advantage. The lead ballooned to as many as nine points, with the Owls eventually winning 25-19. Katarina Stepanovic had five of her 10 kills on the day in the frame.

The third set was the most closely contested set of the match, as neither team held a lead bigger that three points. The seventh and final tie of the frame came at 18, before FAU took three straight points. The Blue Raiders pulled to within a single point at 23-22, but back-to-back FAU kills ended the match.

The Owls are off to their best start since 2005 and will travel to North Texas and Western Kentucky next weekend.

FAU Volleyball lost to North Texas 3-1 tonight in the first of two weekend road matches.

The contest was won with a strong defensive effort by UNT, who had a 73-52 advantage in digs.

The first two sets were mirror opposites with Florida Atlantic winning the opener 25-23 before the Mean Green (14-9, 5-5) responded with a 25-23 victory in the second.

The Owls, who saw a three match win streak snapped, kept pace in the third early at 4-4 only to see UNT build an 11 point advantage later.

Not giving up, they battled back to within a five point deficit at 22-17 before succumbing to a 17-25 conclusion.

The fourth and deciding stanza was a back-and-forth affair, with FAU leading 21-20 late, until North Texas closed the match with a 5-1 finish.

Sophomore Kristi Tekavec paced the Owls (15-7, 6-3) offensively with 11 kills on the night.

Another tough contest lays in wait for the team, as they will head back east for a match against Western Kentucky on Sunday at 1:00 PM.

The Hilltoppers swept FIU on Friday and are currently receiving votes for top 25 consideration by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

FAU earns a set, but falls in four to WKU on Sunday…match release via SID Justin Johnson:

Despite 10 kills and four blocks from Brittney Brown, the Florida Atlantic University volleyball team lost to Western Kentucky 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-23) on Sunday.

The Owls (15-8, 6-4 C-USA) trailed 6-2 in the first set before reeling off a 12-4 run to seemingly take control of the set. WKU rallied to tie the score at 21. FAU then closed on a 4-1 run, capped off by a Kristi Tekavec kill, to take the set. Another fast start by the Hilltoppers gave them a 9-4 lead early in the second set. The lead never fell below three for the remainder of the set and WKU tied the match at a set each.

The third set was a tug of war, with 11 ties and two lead changes. A Hilltopper service error tied the score at 15, but three straight WKU points gave the Hilltoppers a cushion that they wouldn’t relinquish, eventually winning the set 25-21.
 
Momentum changed sides several times in the fourth set and the two teams found themselves tied at 21. WKU took the next three points and after a Brittney Brown block, an FAU attack error ended the match.

The Owls will return to Boca Raton for a three-game homestand beginning on Wednesday vs. FIU.