Aug. 27, 2005

Box Score

TROY, Ala. - The University of North Florida volleyball team made quick work of Samford on Saturday afternoon in its final game at the Trojan Spiketacular, winning 3- 0 to finish undefeated at the two-day tournament at Troy University.

The Lady Ospreys (2-0) battled back from an early 10-4 deficit in the opening game to win 30-21 and then polished off the Bulldogs 30-18 and 30-25 in the next two games to clinch the victory. Emily Kohler tallied 14 kills and only one error, hitting .565 for the match to lead UNF. She was the only player from either team to record double figures in kills.

UNF hit .153 and had 40 total kills, while Samford (0- 1) hit just .035 and recorded only 29 kills.

"We got down early and started off a little sluggish," UNF head coach Bryan Bunn said. "After that we showed a lot of competitive spirit and maintained that throughout the match. I was proud to see that."

After falling behind 10-4 in game one, the Lady Ospreys rattled off 15 of the match's next 17 points to move ahead 19-12 and never looked back. Kohler tallied five kills during that stretch to lead the charge. In game two, UNF continued with more of the same, racing out to a 17-4 lead.

Heather Kendrick finished with 28 assists to pace the UNF attack, while Jenna Thomas and Kelly Kazmierczak each had 12 digs. Samford's Ashley Klare led the Bulldogs with eight kills.

Bunn said the two wins in Troy were important for a young team still trying to develop an identity.

"When you have so many new players on the floor, you have to learn how to win," Bunn said. "We got a good start on that this weekend."

UNF will return to Jacksonville and open its home season next Friday at UNF Arena when it hosts the two-day UNF Labor Day Classic. The Lady Ospreys will face Charleston Southern on Friday at 7:30 p.m. before playing two games on Saturday - Robert Morris at 12:30 p.m. and Eastern Michigan at 7:30 p.m. Live stats for all three games can be viewed via the World Wide Web at www.UNFOspreys.com.