Final Stats

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - It's often said that when a bitter rivalry is on, records can be thrown out the window.

That saying proved to hold true on Friday night at JU's Swisher Gymnasium when the University of North Florida women's volleyball team fell short to cross-town rival Jacksonville 3-2 (22-30, 30-25, 30-24, 24-30, 11-15) in a classic free-for-all brawl in the SunTrust River City Rumble.

"I'm really proud with how the team played tonight," head coach Kevin Campbell said. "They executed well on offense, which is something we've been working hard on for the past few weeks. Their serves and passing were strong, and they brought it together tonight. We're so close to getting another win in the conference. I'm really excited about the next couple of weeks."

Both freshman Kaley Read and senior Claire Yonutas blasted 16 kills to lead UNF (4-22, 1-9 Atlantic Sun Conference), while junior Bary Rasmussen gutted out 15. Read also orchestrated five aces. Rasmussen hit a team-best .375. Freshman setter Madeline Belvin tied the match-high with 49 assists and led the Lady Ospreys on defense with 15 digs.

With the match pitted at two games each, it was down to which squad could muster enough will to score the knockout. Neither team gave an inch in the fifth game. JU quickly went up 3-0, but UNF rushed back to tie the match at five on kills from Yonutas and freshman Marshay Greenlee. But JU had just enough left in it to put the game and match away after outscoring the Lady Ospreys 10-6 down the stretch.

UNF battled back from deficits all night. Not only did the Lady Ospreys come back after falling behind 1-0 in the match, but they also came back to win after trailing the Dolphins in games two and three. But in the end, a .500 hitting percentage by JU in the fifth game proved to be too big of a roadblock for UNF to get past.

The teams traded blows in game one until JU distanced itself from UNF by going on a 6-2 run to take a 14-10 lead. The Dolphins extended their lead by seven before the Lady Ospreys charged back to pull to within 22-19 by going on a 6-2 run. The run was highlighted by two kills each from Yonutas and Rasmussen. But JU was able to end the UNF rally and close out game one on an 8-3 run.

The Lady Ospreys turned the tables on the Dolphins in the second game by taking control early and jumping out a 12-9 lead. Read had two aces during the early push. JU didn't let UNF get too comfortable, however, tying the score at 13. The teams continued to knot the score until a block by Read and Greenlee followed by a Yonutas ace gave the Lady Ospreys a 26-24 lead.

JU (15-11, 8-2) put the pressure on again and scored the next two points to deadlock the game at 26, but UNF persevered to score the final four points. Freshman Chelsea Rabe showed poise and fought through the hostile crowd to drop in two consecutive aces and wrap up the win for UNF to give the team new life.

UNF continued to push forward in game three and overcome pressure. After falling behind 7-4, the Lady Ospreys got right back in it and took a 9-8 lead on a run that was aided by two kills from Read. JU gave the Lady Ospreys another obstacle to cross when the Dolphins retook the lead and went up by as many as three on two occasions.

But UNF saw JU's challenge and raised the Dolphins another, as the Lady Ospreys battled back to tie the game at 20. From there, UNF took the wheel and drove forward into the winner's circle by closing out the game on a 10-4 run to take a 2-1 match lead.

The Dolphins refused to flounder away in the fourth stanza and got themselves back in it. After UNF tied it at four on an ace from Rasmussen, JU went on a 12-7 run to go up 16-11. The Lady Ospreys dwindled down the Dolphins' lead to as little as three but couldn't get any closer to send the match to the final round.

UNF had its best hitting performance in nearly a month, finishing with a .193 clip. It was also the team's best attacking night in a loss. The Lady Ospreys' 14 aces were the second most this season and most in a conference match.

The Lady Ospreys will try to build on their solid performance when they return to action at 7 p.m. next Friday against Florida Gulf Coast at UNF Arena. The match will be aired live on ASun.TV.