DENTON – Barbara Teakell returned to action for North Texas volleyball after a month-long absence with an impressive performance as Valerie Valerian and Karley York each extended their string of double-doubles, but the Mean Green fell in four sets (21-25, 25-21, 23-25, 27-29) to Florida Atlantic Friday night inside the NT Volleyball Center.
 
Teakell notched a season-best 15 kills and tied a career-high with four blocks in her first match with UNT (6-13, 2-2 C-USA) since suffering an injury earlier in the season. Valerian's 16 kills and 14 digs increased her consecutive double-doubles to seven, while York's 46 assists and 10 digs provided her with six straight.
 
"I really missed the atmosphere of the game and my teammates," Teakell said. "I came in with a mindset to do the best I could." 
 
The Mean Green were unable to gain a lead on FAU (12-4, 3-1 C-USA) throughout the first set. A Teakell shot to the end line cut the deficit to 9-7 before the Owls gained a trio of points for a 12-7 advantage. UNT pulled within a pair twice more and received help from three late FAU service errors, but the Owls took a four-point victory.
 
Kills from Valerian and Rhett Robinson opened up set two, but FAU steadily put points on the board to grow their lead to 20-14. A timeout by Head Coach Andrew Palileo proved fruitful as Jordyn Williams owned the net with a solo block, a trio of stops with Robinson, and a kill down the middle to knot the set at 20-all. Kills by York, Valerian, and Cailea Gibbs preceded a set-point service error by FAU to tie the set at 1-1.
 
North Texas gained a 10-6 advantage in the third set and pushed ahead at 16-11 following a Kasey Bortnem service ace. An 8-2 run by the Owls switched the lead over at 19-18 as the Mean Green were within a single point on five more occasions, but could not quite take the set as FAU earned a 2-1 match advantage.
 
Sarah Haeussler registered two blocks, one alongside Robinson and the other with Teakell, in set four to help UNT take a 10-4 lead. A 4-0 run by the Owls decreased the advantage to 13-11 before back-to-back kills handed FAU a 15-14 edge. Kills from York and Valerian pushed the Mean Green ahead at 18-16, and Teakell raised it to 21-18 with one of her own. FAU rallied with a 6-0 run for match-point at 24-21, but UNT then responded to take a 25-24 lead. The teams went point-for-point until FAU was able to hit off of a North Texas block to take the final point and the match.
 
Valerian said, "We played hard and competed well. We just need to work on the little things."
 
UP NEXT
North Texas hosts Charlotte Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
QUICK HITTERS
- Williams registered her 400^thcareer kill in the fourth set.
- For the second match in a row, Haeussler had a career-high in blocks as she posted seven on the evening.
- The Mean Green totaled 13 total blocks for the second-highest season total in 2018.