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JACKSONVILLE -- The University of North Florida volleyball team continued its solid play Friday night as the Ospreys claimed the final two sets en route to a 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-20, 15-12) victory over ETSU at UNF Arena.
 
The win marked the fifth straight for the Ospreys (19-11, 10-7 ASun) and their eighth in the last nine matches. ETSU slipped to 20-11 and 11-6 in the conference.
 
Anna Budinska led a trio of Ospreys in double figure kills finishing with 17 kills while Paige Pridgeon added 15 and Carolyn Jenkins chipped in 13. Defensively, Jenkins paced the frontline with eight blocks while four players collected double-digit digs topped by 14 from Pridgeon.
 
Megan Devine posted a double-double (14 kills, 15 digs) in leading the Lady Bucs' attack. Katie Muey finished with 17 digs for ETSU and Meredith Hardy posted a team-best seven blocks.
 
“I was very proud of the poise and control that we showed later in the match,” said UNF head coach Steve Loeswick. “ETSU is a really athletic team that blocks extremely well. For us to be able to go blow-for-blow with them says a great deal about how our team prepared and played at the end of the match. Heading into the postseason we wanted to continue playing at a high level so this match was important for us to play well. Hopefully we can come out tomorrow and keep the same intensity and competitiveness.”
 
The opening set was a back-and-forth battle with neither squad holding more than a two-point edge until the final margin. Jenkins paced the Ospreys offensively finishing with five kills and no errors while Hardy answered for ETSU with five kills of her own and no miscues. Both teams held the lead before a late three-point swing allowed the Lady Bucs to claim the 25-22 decision.
 
Set two continued the tightly contested play but four straight service points for Pridgeon broke open a 13-13 tie and the Ospreys never looked back. Cari Whitmire served the final five points for UNF capping the winning run with one of her two aces on the night. North Florida hit at a .261 clip in the frame while holding ETSU to a -.043 performance.
 
After the break, ETSU regained the momentum using a 10-4 spurt midway through the set to build a 20-13 lead. The Lady Bucs used aggressive serving to keep the Osprey offensive off balance during the run. UNF mounted a late charge but were outlasted by ETSU in a 25-18 decision.
 
On the strength of an 11-3 surge, UNF turned the tables on ETSU in the fourth set rallying from a four-point deficit (13-9) to take a four-point lead (20-16). Medina was the key server during the surge scoring five points from the service line. The Lady Bucs closed to within two but a Pridgeon kill sandwiched between a pair of ETSU errors allowed the Ospreys to earn the 25-20 win and force a deciding fifth set.
 
The Ospreys jumped out to a quick 4-1 lead in the final stanza getting kills from Pridgeon, Budinska and Marija Pantovic. UNF maintained an advantage throughout the set leading by as many as four points before closing out the match on a Jenkins kill.
 
North Florida concludes the regular season with its home finale Saturday afternoon against USC Upstate at 3 p.m. Immediately following the match, UNF will host a ceremony honoring its senior class.