Boxscore (PDF)
Atlantic Sun Championship
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – University of North Florida volleyball got postseason underway in a powerful manner on Thursday, registering a .409 hitting percentage, as the fourth-seeded Ospreys swept fifth-seeded Jacksonville 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-13) in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Championships at Lipscomb's Allen Arena.

"We are very happy to move onto the semifinals," said head coach Steve Loeswick. "The girls did a very good job at staying steady throughout the match. Britt [Claessens] had a balanced attack, which really helped us hit for a high percentage.
 
The win marks the first time UNF, who reached the tournament in 2010 and 2011, advances out of the A-Sun Tournament's first round. UNF moves on to Friday night's semifinals against top-seeded Florida Gulf Coast.
 
"Florida Gulf Coast is a very good team, so we'll have our hands full tomorrow night," said Loeswick,"but we are ready."

The Ospreys' .409 hitting percentage is its highest this season. It is also the first-time UNF has hit over .400 as a team for a match this year.
 
A trio of Ospreys led the offense by hitting .455 or better. Carolyn Jenkins hit .562 for the night, making nine kills of 16 attempts with no errors. Anna Budinska and Marija Pantovic each hit .455. Budinska recorded a match-high 12 kills, while Pantovic added seven kills.
 
Britt Claessens put up 37 assists for UNF, while Paige Pridgeon added 13 digs.
 
Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year Sammie Strausbaugh led Jacksonville with eight kills. Kendall Courtney had a 22-assist, 11-dig double-double.
 
A late first set run was key and powered the Ospreys to an opening set victory. Already up by two, a block by Jenkins and Pridgeon started a seven-point run that allowed UNF to take a 24-15 lead. After Strausbaugh kept the Dolphins alive with a kill, a dump by Claessens on the next point was the set winner.
 
UNF and Jacksonville battled throughout the second set. The largest lead of the set was a four-point UNF advantage that didn't come until late. With the Dolphins up 19-17, the Ospreys put together a critical six-point run that was capped with a kill from Pridgeon that put UNF up 23-19. The two teams traded points before Dagnija Medina tallied the set-winning kill in order to give UNF a 2-0 advantage in the match.
 
UNF led the third set from start to finish, but it was a middle-of-the-set, seven-point run that distanced the Ospreys from the Dolphins. Already up by five, a kill from Pantovic was the start of the Ospreys' run that saw them go up 19-7. Jacksonville attempted to cut into UNF's lead, but kills from Budinska and Jenkins ended the set and the match.
 
Match time for tomorrow's UNF-Florida Gulf Coast semifinal is set for 8:30 p.m., EST/7:30 p.m., CST and will air live on ESPN3. Winner of the UNF-Florida Gulf Coast match will advanced to Saturday's championship match against the winner of the Lipscomb/ETSU semifinal.