FORT MYERS, Fla. – In a tightly contested Atlantic Sun Conference volleyball match, North Florida was edged by Florida Gulf Coast in straight sets 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 at Alico Arena.

The Ospreys (6-8 overall, 1-1 A-Sun) battled throughout the match but were unable to move past the Eagles (7-7, 2-0) on the road.

Paige Pridgeon finished with a team-best 13 kills and also chipped in nine digs. Anna Budinska added nine kills, eight digs for the Ospreys while libero Nicole Baran led all players with 15 digs.

Olivia Mesner had 10 kills to pace the Eagle attack.

UNF scored the first three points of the match but FGCU quickly responded with eight points in a row to seize the momentum. The Eagle lead remained the same for much of the frame until a late five-point surge by the Ospreys made things much closer. Mesner tallied a kill to end the UNF run and the first set.

Set two featured a sideout battle with neither team holding larger than a four-point advantage. Florida Gulf Coast held a slight lead midway through the set but again UNF clawed its way back into the competition trimming the deficit to just one, 23-22. Again Mesner settled things down for FGCU recording back-to-back kills for the final points.

The Eagles built a six-point margin, 18-12, and held that lead through multiple sideouts. Trailing 22-16, North Florida refused to quit outscoring FGCU 7-1 and getting to a 23-all tie. Gulf Coast broke the tie and slipped ahead to earn the victory.

"Not the final result we wanted but I'm pleased with our competitive effort," said UNF head coach Kevin Campbell. "Our hitters did some good things and we had strong defensive play. We continue to battle and work on finishing out sets. They were just able to put multiple points together late in sets and that was the difference in the match. We are definitely playing better each time out."

The Ospreys conclude their busy weekend of competition Sunday at Florida A&M at 7:30 p.m.