Boxscore (PDF)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – University of North Florida volleyball was tripped up the Atlantic Sun's top team, Florida Gulf Coast, 3-1 (27-29, 16-25, 25-19, 18-25) on Tuesday night at UNF Arena.
“Florida Gulf Coast is a very talented team and we did a nice job of pressuring them during different points in the match,” said head coach Steve Loeswick. “I was proud of my team for staying aggressive, but we're going to have to focus on taking care of the ball better during our next time out.”
Paige Pridgeon posted an 18-kill, 19-dig double-double for the Ospreys. Carolyn Jenkins and Marija Pantovic added 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Britt Claessens put up 50 assists, while Nicole Baran had 23 digs.
Jill Hopper paced the Eagles with 20 kills. Whitney Masters had a 26-dig, 11-assist double-double.
Down by four midway through the first set, the Ospreys used a five-point run to go up 18-17. A kill from Pridgeon put the Ospreys up by one. From that point on, UNF and Florida Gulf Coast battled over the remaining points. Facing set point, a kill by Dagnija Medina tied the set at 27-27, but Jill Hopper made back-to-back kills to allow the Eagles to take the set.
UNF saw Florida Gulf Coast go on a costly five-point run during the second set that separated the Eagles from UNF en route to a second-set win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
However, UNF rebounded with a consistent third set that saw the Ospreys hit .311. Up by one, a kill by Julie Trembley was the first of five-straight UNF points as the Ospreys held a 23-17 advantage. UNF eventually capitalized on an Eagle service error to close out the set and to stay alive in the match.
UNF attempted to come back from an early seven-point deficit in the fourth set. However, the Ospreys were only able to cut Florida Gulf Coast's lead down to four on several occasions, including at 22-18 on a Pantovic kill.
The Ospreys return to the road this weekend for matches at Kennesaw State and Mercer on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Friday's UNF-KSU match is set for 7 p.m., while the Ospreys face Mercer on Saturday at 3 p.m.
