North Texas volleyball falls to FAU in five sets
Denton, Tx 10/14/16Middle Blocker Holly Milam spikes the ball during the UNT vs University of Texas El Paso game.Credit: Taylor Ratcliff
North Texas volleyball dropped a hard-fought, five-set match Sunday afternoon to Florida Atlantic University.
Despite a career day from junior middle blocker Holly Milam and late kills from freshman middle blocker Emma Eakin, the Mean Green (10-11, 4-2) was not able to complete the comeback.
North Texas let technical errors such as digging get the best of them against Florida Atlantic (10-10, 5-1), especially early on. Although there were high-energy plays in the third and fourth sets, costly mistakes in the fifth set ultimately got the better of them.
“Emma did an amazing job today,” junior right-side hitter Alexis Wright said. “[She] helped out a lot. We didn’t come out with a chip on our shoulder. ”
The first and second sets were similar in nature and identical in score, as the Mean Green lost both 25-19. The Owls came out aggressive and North Texas was not able to match their level of intensity.
The third set was a back-and-forth affair until the Mean Green shifted gears and pulled away, winning the set 25-22.
“We just need to come out with more energy from the beginning,” Palileo said. “Today we came out flat and we can’t let that happen.”
The fourth set was an intense battle as North Texas tried to even the match. Eakin had two big kills late in the set, which forced a decisive winner-take-all fifth.
“Just coming out stronger in the first two sets would’ve helped a lot,” Eakin said. “Not having enough energy through errors effected us big time.”
The fifth set was all Florida Atlantic in the beginning, as the Owls grabbed a quick 11-4 lead.
But soon after the North Texas fans began to bolt for the exits, the Mean Green went on a 6-0 run, led by Wright and sophomore middle blocker Jordyn Williams to get pull them to within one.
Unfortunately, for the Mean Green, it was not enough, as the Owls thwarted off the comeback and held on for the match victory.
Next up: The Mean Green host the University of North Carolina at Charlotte at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Featured Image: Middle Blocker Holly Milam spikes the ball during the UNT vs University of Texas El Paso game. Taylor Ratcliff
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