diff --git a/ree/reeResidualFunctionals.cc b/ree/reeResidualFunctionals.cc
index 9f5d33f97..f26adea88 100644
--- a/ree/reeResidualFunctionals.cc
+++ b/ree/reeResidualFunctionals.cc
@@ -710,12 +710,13 @@ static void getOrderedTetsandFaces(apf::Mesh* mesh, apf::MeshEntity* edge,
   else {
     apf::Up up;
     mesh->getUp(edge, up);
-    apf::MeshEntity* firstFace;
+    apf::MeshEntity* firstFace = nullptr;
     for (int i = 0; i < up.n; i++) {
       if ( isOnDomainBoundary(mesh, up.e[i]) ) {
         firstFace = up.e[i]; break;
       }
     }
+    PCU_ALWAYS_ASSERT(firstFace);
     faces.push_back(firstFace);
     mesh->getUp(firstFace, up);
     PCU_ALWAYS_ASSERT(up.n == 1);
diff --git a/test/xgc_split.cc b/test/xgc_split.cc
index deaaddc75..2417362c2 100644
--- a/test/xgc_split.cc
+++ b/test/xgc_split.cc
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ int main(int argc, char** argv)
   char without_extension[256];
   snprintf(without_extension,strlen(argv[3])-3,"%s",argv[3]);
 
-  char vtk_fname[32];
+  char vtk_fname[512];
   sprintf(vtk_fname,"%s",without_extension); 
   pumi_mesh_write(m, vtk_fname, "vtk");