Final Boxscore
Game Book
Postmatch Interview (Nicole Baran)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The North Florida volleyball team rallied from a two-set deficit en route to a 3-2 win (18-25, 12-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-13) over crosstown rival Jacksonville Friday night at Swisher Gymnasium.
 
The victory not only gave the Ospreys (13-15, 4-7 Atlantic Sun) the season sweep over the Dolphins (12-16, 4-7) but also moved UNF into the lead for the sixth and final spot in the upcoming Atlantic Sun Conference tournament.
 
With the volleyball team's sweep of JU, North Florida now holds a 4-2 advantage in the SunTrust River City Rumble standings through the fall sports season.
 
Junior Carolyn Jenkins led a trio of UNF hitters in double digits finishing with 14 kills while hitting .400 for the match. Jenkins, who had 10 kills with just one error in the final three sets, also led the Ospreys with five blocks.
 
Dagnija Medina added 13 kills and Marija Pantovic chipped in 12 for the UNF win. Libero Nicole Baran led all players with 13 digs while freshman setter Casey Giovanazzi handed out 46 assists. Kelsey Smith aided the Osprey cause with three aces.
 
“This was definitely an exciting match,” said UNF head coach Kevin Campbell, who matched her career high for wins in a season with the victory. “Not sure why we had a slow start but we really played well after the break. We finally started clicking and playing our style of volleyball. Our middle attack, strong serving and improved defense were the differences in the match.”

In a game of runs, set one went the way of the home-standing Dolphins behind a pair of five-point runs. UNF struggled hitting .000 in the set while JU connected at a .211 clip. Jacksonville tallied five team blocks and capitalized on four service errors by the Ospreys in earning the early advantage.
 
The Dolphins maintained the momentum in set two building a 10-1 lead to open the frame. JU kept a double-digit lead for the remainder of the set finishing it off with a service ace. The Ospreys improved their play overall but could not overcome a 10 hitting miscues and a sizzling .520 hitting performance by JU including 13 kills with no errors.
 
The two squads settled into a back-and-forth battle befitting a rivalry in set three. UNF used a four-point surge to grab its first lead of the match, 12-8. The Dolphins fought back and eventually evened the score at 15 with their own five-point run. JU then pushed in front 19-17 before the Ospreys rallied to tie the set at 20-all. North Florida scored the next four points and then closed out the stanza with a kill by Pantovic. UNF outhit JU, .200 to .167, and posted a match-best four blocks.
 
UNF continued to force the action early in set four using aggressive serving and an improved defensive effort earning a 12-8 lead. The Ospreys kept the pressure on refusing to allow JU to get back into the competition. Back-to-back thunderous kills from Jenkins put UNF up 20-14 and forced a timeout for Jacksonville. Jenkins then recorded her fifth kill of the set helping the Ospreys close out the frame and force a decisive fifth set.
 
Smith scored four straight points with her serve early in the final set putting UNF up 6-2. The two squads then traded points through several rotations with UNF continuing to hold a slight edge. Cameron McGuire and Medina teamed for a block helping the Ospreys reach match-point, 14-12. Jacksonville notched the next point before Medina collected the game-winning kill.
 
North Florida has a week off from competition before closing the regular season with a pair of home matches against Florida Gulf Coast (Nov. 11) and Stetson (Nov. 12).