Good morning. Head Coach Steve Grotowski and the reigning CUSA Champion Florida Atlantic beach volleyball team announced their upcoming 2024 season schedule, which will kick off on Feb. 23.
 
The Sandy Owls are set to compete in 10 tournaments during the 2024 regular season and will host three home tournaments in Boca Raton. The Owls will begin postseason play in Youngsville, Louisiana, for the Conference USA Championship and will seek their third consecutive appearance in Gulf Shores, Alabama, for the 2024 NCAA Championship.
 
The Sandy Owls produced a 19-14 record in 2023, marking the second-most by any Owl team. Florida Atlantic also earned its first-ever CUSA championship and second-ever NCAA Championship berth, marking the first time in program history that the Sandy Owls won their conference championship and earned an NCAA postseason berth in the same year.

What else can you find mixed into today’s Brew?

⚾️ Mac’s Musings Podcast returns
🏀 WBB earns a 66-55 road win over the Charlotte 49ers
🦉 And much, much more

📈 STOCK UP

Save Big with Go Solar Power! Attention FAU Owl fans: Grab your FREE Solar and Tesla Powerwall Savings Plan today and get a $2,000 rebate at installation. Join the sustainable energy movement now and enjoy the rewards!

🔼 Unlucky Seven. The No. 20 Florida Atlantic men's basketball team (18-5, 8-2 AAC) fell in overtime to UAB (15-8, 7-3 AAC) on Thursday evening by a score of 76-73.
 
A tough and physical outing did not end up in the Owls' favor, as they saw their seven-game winning streak snapped.

"We didn't finish around the rim nearly well enough,” said Coach Dusty May. “[UAB] were very disciplined staying on our shot fakes as well, so compliment to them. They didn't bite on any of the fakes, made the shots tough for us. This is what we expected coming into this environment, into this arena, a very difficult place to play. We have to clean a few things up before Wichita on Sunday." 

The Owls will conclude their road trip with a matchup against Wichita State (10-13, 2-8 AAC) on Sunday, Feb. 11. It will be an early tip-off on ESPN2, set to begin at noon.

🔼 Beantown Bonanza. The Florida Atlantic women's track & field team will head out of state for the first time this season, heading to Boston to compete in BU's David Hemery Valentine Invite beginning Friday, Feb. 9. This will be the final regular season meet of the indoor season for the Owls after three successful meets in Gainesville.
 
The bulk of the meet will be held on Friday, where the Owls will compete in all of their individual events as well as the 4x400m relay. Distance medley relays are scheduled for Saturday. It will be FAU's largest meet yet in busy events, with as many as 358 runners in one field.

The Owls will then regroup for the 2024 AAC Indoor Championships, to be held in Birmingham from Friday, Feb. 23 to Saturday, Feb. 24.

🔼  Hey, Alexa! Never Mind, We’ve Got It. A dominant second-half effort and a season-best and career-high-tying 22 points from Alexa Zaph powered the Florida Atlantic Owls (8-14, 3-8 AAC) to a 66-55 road win over the Charlotte 49ers (13-10, 6-5 AAC) on Wednesday inside Halton Arena.

"I can't praise our players enough for stepping up in such a big way and executing the game plan with contributions from everybody—the starting group and our bench was huge for us. One of our biggest keys for the game was transition defense. We did a really great job against a really great scoring team and held their best player to just nine points. Just really, really proud of their effort, execution, and scoring.

The Owls return home this weekend as they prepare to face off against the Wichita State Shockers for the Owls' annual Play 4 Kay game. The Owls will also celebrate Alumni Day on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 2pm ET at Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

🔼 A Sports Smorgasbord, If You Will. This week's episode will feature a baseball and softball season preview, plus features on men's golf and Jada Moore of women's basketball. In addition to the features, you can relive the dramatic men's basketball win over North Texas via a cinematic highlight video. The episode aired yesterday on Bally Sports Florida but will air again Friday at 11am ET as well as 7:30pm ET, followed by Saturday at 11:30am ET.

🔼 Mac is Back. Boca Raton’s No. 1-rated baseball podcast returns for its seventh season. With nine days until the season opener at Vanderbilt, head coach John McCormack, aka “Mac,” and host Sam Dean preview the catcher and infield positions, recap the Line Drive Luncheon, and talk stadium upgrades. Coach Mac also makes his Super Bowl pick (sorry, Taylor Swift!).

🔼 Bolstering the D. In the ever-changing landscape of college football, Florida Atlantic continues to use every opportunity to get better, and they did just that on National Signing Day by adding two transfers.
 
The Owls added junior college transfers Logi Hudgens and August Salvati to the defensive side of the ball.

📣 CALL TO ACTION

The PowerOwls Club is an exclusive community dedicated to connecting FAU fans and student-athletes. Stay in the know about all they’re doing here.

We’re encouraging every fan to help the PowerOwls Club reach their 250-card goal by February 29th. Purchase a Collectible Card TODAY to support FAU student-athletes!

🦉 ONE BIG THING

I HERD that. Yep, that’s a dub for FAU Softball’s opening game!

🤝 HERE TO HELP

From the first moment you contact our friends at Shiner Law Group, you’re treated like family. But don’t take our word for it—see what their clients are saying about their experience in Shiner Law Group’s Google Review Profile.

When you contact Shiner Law Group to help you after an accident, you’ll get a team of top-rated lawyers and professionals ready to fight on your behalf and give you the individualized attention you deserve to maximize your recovery.

No matter what type of accident case you may have, Shiner Law Group will always be available to help—24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

📬 FORWARDED BY A FRIEND

Did someone send you the Paradise Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

The Week Ahead is brought to you by our friends at Sage Dental, who are creating a modern, family-friendly approach to dentistry with one thing in mind—you. From pediatric dentistry and orthodontics to teeth cleanings and oral surgery, they work to provide you and your family the best dental care all in one place.

📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday 2/9

👟 Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field @ David Hemery Valentine Invitational

👟 Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field @ Eagle Elite Invitational

🎾 Women’s Tennis @ USF @ 12pm ET

🥎 Softball vs. Penn State @ 7pm ET | Live Stats | Tickets

Saturday 2/10

👟 Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field @ Eagle Elite Invitational

🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. North Texas @ USF @ 12pm ET

🎾 Men’s Tennis @ South Alabama @ 12pm ET

🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Wichita State @ 2pm ET on ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets

🥎 Softball vs. Ohio @ 6pm ET | Live Stats | Tickets

Sunday 2/11

🥎 Softball vs. Michigan State @ 9am ET | Live Stats | Tickets

🏀 Men’s Basketball @ Wichita State @ 12pm ET on ESPN2 Fox Sports South Florida | Live Audio | Live Stats 

🎾 Men’s Tennis @ Georgia State @ 1pm ET

🦉 Click here to view the entire FAU Athletics Calendar

Did you know: Donors and Collectives are prohibited from…

Meeting or communicating with any prospective student-athlete (“PSA”), their family members or representatives?

Offering any form of inducement, NIL or otherwise, to secure a PSAs matriculation to FAU?

🦉 Have a great Friday, y’all