Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Despite double-doubles from sophomores Danielle Lerch, Kaley Read and Marshay Greenlee, the University of North Florida women's volleyball team fell 3-1 (21-25, 20-25, 25-18, 19-25) to a hard-nosed Stetson squad on Saturday at UNF Arena.
Lerch finished with 13 kills and 11 digs to go along with a team-best .243 hitting percentage (13-4- 37) while Read notched 14 kills and 19 digs, and Greenlee churned out 10 kills and a career-high 15 digs. Freshman Shawna Metcalf also finished in double-digit kills with a season-high 10. Senior Bary Rasmussen dropped in a career-high six service aces along with nine kills, six digs and two blocks.
UNF (11-16, 9-11 Atlantic Sun Conference) had 17 more kills than the Hatters but were hurt with 36 attack errors and nine service errors. The Lady Ospreys also led in digs (91-90) and assists (54).
"We had some recent injuries that have played a factor in our confidence," head coach Kevin Campbell said. "Just like last night against Florida Gulf Coast, we had a great run of points, but we couldn't keep it going because had some shaky moments. We were relying on spots that we normally do, but it just wasn't there because we are still adjusting to people in different positions due to the injuries."
The first set was neck-and-neck, with no team getting out to a decisive start. UNF went up 14-12 on kills from Metcalf and Read and moments later went up 15-13 when Read blasted a kill. Immediately following that, however, Stetson stole the momentum and went on a 7-0 run to effectively put the Lady Ospreys away. Lerch and Read combined for 11 kills in the set.
Set two was eerily similar to the first one with UNF taking its first strong lead at 15-12 on consecutive kills by Metcalf. But three-straight errors by Read, freshman Julie Fye and Metcalf helped the Hatters cap a 5-0 run and take an 18-15 lead, which was all they needed to close out the set and take a 2-0 match advantage.
UNF was more commanding in the third set, taking a 15-11 lead when it went on a 4-0 run. Stetson came back to tie it at 16, but the Lady Ospreys stormed back to take a 20-18 lead when Stetson's Melanie Boyer committed a service error. Rasmussen took matters into her own hands and led UNF to five- straight points to claim the third set.
An .098 hitting percentage in the fourth set dug the Lady Ospreys a hole they couldn't find their way out of. Stetson began the set on a 5-0 run, and UNF wasn't able to get closer than four from the lead down the stretch.
Although it was a tough loss for the Lady Ospreys, Campbell brought everything into perspective for the team with her positive outlook.
"Danielle had a great match today," Campbell said. "She was consistent with her serving and offense. Bary and Kaley also showed consistency. There were some examples of good play, but it's just a matter of consistency by the entire team. We are lucky though because our season isn't over, and we have the opportunity to make up for it and close out the season with some great volleyball."
Fye finished with a new season-high for four set matches with 50 assists while freshman libero Lizzy Manno also had a new season high for four set matches with 18 digs. Junior outside hitter Agata Dawidowicz tallied 10 digs as a defensive specialist, a role she is filling because of a less than 100 percent right arm.
The Lady Ospreys will their push to finish the season strong when they begin the 2008 NCAA Division I Provisional Invitational on Friday, Nov. 21 in Spartanburg, S.C. Links to live stats and video will be available on UNFOspreys.com.
