The Eagles played an even split this weekend, going 2-2 at the FAU Invitational in Boca Raton. It was a new team compared to last year, and the Eagles were able to show some of what they had. Their wins over Binghamton and Bethune-Cookman came at 3-0. The loss to Stetson was a close 2-3. Florida Atlantic ended in a 0-3 defeat.

There were certain perks in the team’s performance that Head Coach Dustin Wood noticed, but one of the major keys was that the Eagles showed potential.

“It’s good to have the kids back from injury,” said Wood. “We battled back from all sorts of situations. We were put in some situations that weren’t too favorable, but we battled back. We’ll learn from it.”

2-2 is manageable, but it isn’t the ideal start for the Eagles. Their sights are set ahead and they know their best volleyball has yet to be played.

“We’re disappointed in the two losses,” said Wood. “We really feel that we’re a better team. [The team’s] not hanging their heads. We’re really looking forward to working hard. [This weekend was] something that we have never seen before. We’re ready to get back into the gym and work on everything we need to.”

Sophomore Megan Chevalier and Junior Alex Beecher competed at a very high level at the invitational. They made all-tournament, something the team is very proud for.

This played in part to the team’s tempo for the weekend. Defense wound up a high point for the team. It was a lack of offense in some matches that cost the Eagles. As Wood explained, there were times the team was “one-dimensional.”

“We need to make sure everyone is contributing in our offense. We relied on one or two people each match, instead of our whole team. We just need to get everyone involved in our offense.”

Even with the .500 start, the Eagles are certainly intent to still make the championship run.

“There’s no question about it,” said Wood. “We have to get better each week. I would be concerned if we were playing our best ball right now. Everything is really fixable. We’re going to be clicking on all cylinders. We’re learning a lot, but we’ll get there. We just got to work harder.”

The Eagles will be in Athens this Thursday and Friday to face off against Kennesaw State, Georgia and Georgia Tech. Play on Thursday, Sept. 3 starts at 1 p.m. against Kennesaw State.