Fresh off a dominant 4–0 showing at the Capri Classic, No. 15 Florida Atlantic beach volleyball (18-14, 2-0 CUSA) traveled to Seattle, Washington, to compete in its final regular-season tournament at the Alki Beach Invitational.
On Friday, the Owls took on the University of Oregon and the University of Washington. FAU split their matches on Saturday, sweeping the University of Portland before falling to Boise State University.
Friday, April 17
To begin the day, Oregon quickly took control of the match, capturing wins on courts four and five. Denisse Morgenstern and Shantel Starling responded to get the Owls on the board with a 21-19, 21-14 straight-set sweep on court one.
On court two, Olivia Strandberg and Ava Koehl evened the dual, capturing a 16-21, 21-16, 16-14 reverse sweep. Koehl was named a National Strength and Conditioning Association All-American. The freshman tied for third best on the team with a 17-14 record this season.
The Owls fought hard, but the Ducks ultimately took the win 3-2 after a three-set battle on court three.
In the evening duel, the Owls took on the University of Washington. Morgenstern and Starling were the first to score with a commanding 21-13, 21-14 straight-set sweep on court one.
The Huskies took the lead with wins on courts four and five before clinching the match with a three-set win on court five. Washington closed out the match with another win on court two, closing out the match with a 4-1 over the Owls.
Saturday, April 18
Coming off a hard-fought Friday, the Owls looked to bounce back stronger on day two of the tournament.
For the first time in program history, FAU faced the University of Portland, and the Owls delivered a dominant performance, sweeping the match 5-0 with every victory coming in straight sets.
Later in the day, the Owls wrapped up the regular season against Boise State. The Broncos struck first on court two, earning a straight-set win before following it up with another on court four. They ultimately sealed the match with a third straight-set victory.
Klaire VanDeusen and Mia Scanlon answered back after holding on to take a three-set battle on court three, 23-21, 16-21, 15-11.
The pair went 2-0 on the day, improving their team-best mark to 19-12 on the season, including a 13-10 record on court three.
The Owls also earned academic awards this season. VanDeusen and Strandberg were named to the Conference USA Beach Volleyball All-Academic Team on Friday. VanDeusen was also recognized with the CUSA Commissioner’s Academic Medal and was named to the CUSA Commissioner’s Honor Roll this season. She is a senior with a 4.0 GPA working toward a master’s degree in social work.
Morgenstern and Starling finished out the 3-2 match, securing the Owls’ second point with another three-set win on court one, 21-17, 21-23, 15-13.
The Owls will begin postseason play April 23–25 as the No. 1 seed in the 2026 Conference USA Championship, marking back-to-back seasons that FAU has earned the tournament’s top seed.
“One of our big focuses this year is winning our conference and getting back to the NCAA Tournament and trying to advance as far as we can,” said head coach Steve Grotowski.
The Owls captured the conference title last season and in 2023, earning automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.
Grotowski credits the team’s challenging schedule as a key factor in its recent success at the conference tournament.
FAU will open play on Thursday, April 23 at 3:30 p.m., facing the play-in winner between Tarleton State University and Sam Houston State University.
Ella Haas is a Staff Writer for the University Press. Email her at [email protected] or contact her on Instagram @ella_hs7 for information regarding this or other stories.
