Oct. 27, 2005
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Statistically, the University of North Florida volleyball team managed to hold its own against defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion Florida Atlantic on Thursday afternoon.
In the end, however, the Lady Owls' experience and UNF's inability to take advantage of key opportunities proved too much to overcome in a 3-0 loss to FAU at UNF Arena (30-27, 30-23, 30-28).
The loss snapped a six-match winning streak this season for UNF (14-9, 5-2 A-Sun) and a 51-match home winning streak in conference play that dated back to 1996. UNF is in its first year as an A-Sun member, tallying the first 50 games of the streak while in the Division II Peach Belt Conference.
FAU's Kelly Paiva led the way for the Owls (23-3, 7-0 A-Sun) with 22 kills and eight digs. She hit .340 for the match.
As a team, the teams were nearly identical - with UNF hitting .188 and FAU .212. Both teams had 46 kills. UNF had 24 errors and FAU 21.
"We didn't pass the ball well tonight," UNF head coach Bryan Bunn said. "Statistically, we outblocked them (10-5), had more digs (45-37) and had one more swing they did. We just didn't take advantage of the situations we had."
Jennifer King led UNF with 16 kills and hit .211, while Amy Stroder had 10 kills. Jenna Thomas finished with a match-high 14 digs.
FAU took control early in game one, erasing a 2-1 deficit with a 7-0 run, keyed by four consecutive blocks by the Owls. FAU led 22-16 before UNF made one final charge, slicing its deficit to 22-21 behind Stroder and Allison O'Neill. Things stayed tight from there until FAU put the match away with a Justine Petry kill.
In game two, FAU raced out to a 14-7 lead and never looked back, getting seven kills from Paiva to stretch out to the early lead.
Game three was much closer, with the teams swapping the advantage back and forth and working their way to a 17-17 tie. A UNF error gave the Owls an 18-17 lead on the next play, however, and FAU never relinquished it. A rash of late UNF errors sealed the win for FAU, which won its seventh straight match and extended its school-record victory total to 23.
UNF returns to action next week at home when the Lady Ospreys close out A-Sun play against on Friday against Lipscomb at 7 p.m. and Belmont on Saturday at 2 p.m.
