Box Score

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After seeing a two set lead dwindle away to a tough USC Upstate squad, the University of North Florida women's volleyball team pulled together and rallied for a 3-2 win (25-20, 25-23, 16-25, 21-25, 15-10) on Friday night.

Sophomore Kaley Read led UNF (6-3, 4-0 Atlantic Sun Conference) with a match-high 23 kills and a season-high six blocks. She recorded her third- straight double-double. Freshman setter Julie Fye put up a season-high 28 assists, while sophomore Danielle Lerch had 12 kills and senior Bary Rasmussen notched 10 kills.

"We played well defensively," head coach Kevin Campbell said. "In set four, we didn't execute like we should have, but we were able to pull together in the fifth set and put away the crucial points. Danielle Lerch really played well in the critical points toward the end of the match, and Agata Dawidowicz's serving at the end was a key to our win."

UNF began to distance itself from the Spartans in the first set when Read and Dawidowicz combined for four kills and Dawidowicz threw down an ace to spark a 5-1 run, giving the Lady Ospreys a 14-9 lead. Upstate was able to pull to within two at 20-18, but Read and sophomore Marshay Greenlee put the kibosh on the Spartans' rally by combining for two kills and a block to lead a UNF 5-2 run.

Set two proved to be a Texas two-step, with no team holding more than a two-point lead for most of the way. A service error by the Spartans' Jovana Lubura gave UNF the lead for good at 17-16, but each time the Lady Ospreys went up by two, Upstate charged back. A kill by Read off a Fye set put UNF up 24-22 and in position to put away the set point. Moments later, the Spartans did the job for the Lady Ospreys, when Upstate's Morgan Thomas placed her serve in the net.

The Spartans (3-8, 1-3) bounced back in the third set, holding the Lady Ospreys to a negative .091 hitting percentage. Read hit .444 and combined with Lerch for seven kills, but Upstate kept the pressure on in the fourth set and used an early 5-1 run to pull away from UNF.

Despite the mounting Upstate momentum, the Lady Ospreys hunkered down and reclaimed their destiny in the fifth set. With Dawidowicz serving, UNF went on a 4-0 run to go up 6-1. The Spartans didn't go away, however, and cut the deficit to 8-7. But the Lady Ospreys refused to let it slip away and went on to outscore Upstate 7-3 for the win.

Freshman Lizzy Manno led UNF on defense with a team-high 17 digs, while Greenlee tallied seven kills, seven digs and four blocks. The Lady Ospreys improved to 3-0 in five-set matches this season and extended their win streak to five matches.

"We are learning more about ourselves as a team every match and are becoming a tighter unit," Campbell said. "These tough wins are making us a stronger team."

UNF will return to action at 3 p.m. on Saturday against A-Sun foe East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. Live video will be available on ASUN.TV.