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Division I Provisional Invitational Blog
Division I Provisional Invitational Central

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Senior Bary Rasmussen was named to the all-tournament team at the Division I Provisional Invitational on Saturday after the University of North Florida women's volleyball team put up a strong fight and played in the third-place match.

Rasmussen hit a team-best .352 (62-17-128) for the tournament and had 62 kills for an average of 3.44 per set. She also had 10 blocks and 24 digs. UNF went 1-2 on the day with a win over Winston-Salem State and two fierce losses to Central Arkansas and USC Upstate. The Lady Ospreys finished the tournament with a 2-3 record but came within one set of making it to the championship match.

"Bary did a lot this tournament," head coach Kevin Campbell said. "She worked really hard to get to the pins and on the slide, and they couldn't stop her. She was swinging really fast this weekend and also moved back and played solid defense, which she hasn't done all season. I think she embraced having an all-around game."

Campbell said she was pleased with how the team closed out the season and it stepped up especially considering the amount of injuries it had to deal with.

"I was really proud of how they played for the tournament," Campbell said. "I wanted them to play the same level they always do, but in reality, we're down two outside hitters. They fought and passed well all weekend, not to mention they attacked offensively and served tough. I was really proud of that."

UNF hit a season-best .333 in its 3-0 win (25-20, 25-14, 25-20) against Winston-Salem State to begin the day. Sophomore Kaley Read led the Lady Ospreys with 13 kills and seven digs, while sophomore Marshay Greenlee blasted 10 kills. Rasmussen was very precise, hitting a team- best .400 (9-1-20).

Read and Rasmussen each had a double-double against Central Arkansas, and the Lady Ospreys stunned the Sugar Bears when they took a 2-0 lead in the match. UNF hit .306 through the first two sets, but a fired-up Sugar Bears team stole the momentum and hit .394 over the last three sets to steal the match 3-2 (23-25, 20-25, 25-13, 25-14, 15-9).

Read and Rasmussen had 16 kills each, while Rasmussen had 11 digs, and Read had 13 digs. Freshman Lizzy Manno had a match-high 16 digs.

After only a 30-minute break, UNF took on USC Upstate in the third-place match. With only 11 players on the roster and playing in their third match of the day, the challenge was tough, but it was nothing the Lady Ospreys weren't up for.

Upstate took control in the beginning, taking a 2-0 match lead despite the Lady Ospreys leading in hitting percentage through the first two sets. UNF turned the tables in the third set, holding the Spartans to a .135 hitting percentage. Greenlee was a perfect 3-for-3 on attacks, and Fye had 10 assists and six digs in the set.

The Lady Ospreys gave the Spartans a run for their money in the fourth set, but in the end UNF ran out of gas and fell 3-1 (25-27, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25). Four Lady Ospreys finished in double-digit kills (junior Agata Dawidowicz, Read, Greenlee and Rasmussen), and Read tallied a tournament-high 20 kills. She topped it off with 17 digs for her second double-double of the day. Fye and Dawidowicz also had double-doubles for UNF.

Read had an outstanding day, finishing with 49 kills for an average of 4.08 per set. She also hit .325 (49-12-114) and had 37 digs. Fye finished with 104 assists for an average of 8.67 per set and also had a team-best seven aces.

With a total of 32 matches played this season, it is the longest season UNF has played in Division I. The tough stretch was a test for a team of only 11 players, but Campbell was happy with how UNF fought through it.

"This is the longest season we've played (in Division I)," Campbell said. "So we fought through end of season injuries and being flat emotionally. I was really proud of how we pushed through that, especially with the energy we brought against a solid Central Arkansas team."

The Lady Ospreys finished the season with a 13- 19 record, which is an improvement of nine wins from 2007. UNF will return 10 players to next year's squad and will be eligible for the Atlantic Sun Conference and NCAA tournaments.

"I think the improvement this year came from the individuals that worked through last season," Campbell said. "They came into this season with very serious ambitions. They are amazing, young women that got to work. We have a long way to go, but we have a great foundation of players that are very committed. It was wonderful to coach them this year."