Sept. 22, 2004

Final Stats

Florida Atlantic University defeated the University of South Florida Wednesday night at FAU Gym. The Owls defeated the Bulls for the first time in program history with a 3-1 victory and improve to 6-1 on the season, while the Bulls fall to 2-7.

"As a team, we're playing very well," said head coach Jody Brown. "We're starting to play tougher teams. By beating USF, it shows us we can come out and compete."

A strong FAU offensive performance led the team to its sixth consecutive victory, 30-26, . Out-hitting the Bulls by nine kills, three FAU players finished with double-digit kills. Kelly Paiva (Minas Gerais, Brazil) led the way with a career-high 22 kills and picked up her fifth double-double of the season by adding 10 digs. Iana Andonova (Margate, FL) finished the night with 20 kills, while fellow middle blocker Cayse Kaveny (Cupertino, CA) followed with 13.

After gaining a 2-0 game lead, the Owls came out flat in game three and only held the lead for two points by managing a .122 hitting percentage as a team. The offensive came through in the fourth and took its largest margin of victory.

"We were able to get the ball to our hitters more often," said Brown. "The roles on our team very defined. Once we get out of those roles, we don't look so good."

The Bulls managed to lead in digs with three players finishing with over 10 apiece. FAU senior outside hitter Lindsey Bell (Colorado Springs, CO) led all players with 18 digs.

Courtenay Kiebert dished out 50 assists and picked up 10 digs in her fourth start.

FAU heads to the UNC Greensboro Tournament this weekend to face Memphis, Morgan State, UNC-Asheville, and UNC Greensboro in the two-day event.