Boxscore (PDF)
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Despite a strong start on Saturday afternoon, University of North Florida volleyball closed out its Atlantic Sun opening weekend with a 3-2 (25-23, 25-22, 10-25, 18-25, 10-15) loss to Lipscomb at Allen Arena.

"I was very proud of our team and the way they battled, playing the defending conference champion on their home court," said head coach Steve Loeswick.  "It was a close five-set match. In sets one and two, we maintained a consistent, high-level of play.  Coming out of the break, Lipscomb is a good team and jumped on us right away. We didn't respond in a calm manner and that gave them momentum heading into the final three sets.  But we're going to regroup and get ready Tuesday's match at Florida Gulf Coast."
 
Anna Budinska (12 kills, 11 digs) and Paige Pridgeon (15 kills, 17 digs) each had a double-double for the Ospreys. Britt Claessens recorded 48 assists, while Nicole Baran made 22 digs.
 
Lauren Ford and Kaycee Green both had over 20 kills. Ford registered 22 kills and added 13 digs, while Green tallied 21 kills. Jewell Dobson chipped in with 18 kills. Caitlin Dotson put up 61 assists and Stephanie Rex had 20 digs.
 
For the second straight match, UNF contended with a team that hit over .300. Lipscomb registered a .316 hitting percentage for the match and hit over .300 in each of the final three sets.
 
UNF came out strong in the first two sets to go up 2-0 in the match. The Ospreys had their own .300 sets, hitting .300 in the first and then .317 in the second.
 
Several early runs helped UNF build a lead during the first set. After losing the first three points, UNF stormed back and took nine of the next 10 points in order to go up 9-4. The Ospreys eventually went up by seven, using an attacking error to take a 12-5 lead. Lipscomb gradually trimmed UNF's advantage to one when a Stephanie Rex service ace made it 19-18 in favor of the Ospreys. UNF was able to hold on and won the set on a Marija Pantovic kill.
 
UNF and Lipscomb battled back and forth in the second set. The Ospreys were able to build a five-point lead midway through, going up 15-10 on a Carolyn Jenkins kill. Lipscomb battled back and eventually evened the set at 21-all on a kill from Green. Back-to-back Pridgeon kills broke the tie and gave the Ospreys a two-point advantage. Another Green kill brought the Lady Bisons to within one, but a block by Jenkins and Claessens and a set-ending kill from Dagnija Medina secure the win for the Ospreys.
 
UNF contended with a powerful hitting Lipscomb team in the third set. The Lady Bisons hit .407 for the set, making 14 kills on 27 attempts and only having three errors. This along with multiple runs allowed Lipscomb to pull away from UNF early on and have a stronghold on the set.
 
With the Lady Bisons up by five midway through the fourth set, UNF fought back to pull to within one. A kill from Pridgeon made it a 16-15 set in favor of Lipscomb. However, the Lady Bisons answered with a four-point run of their own that propelled them to a fourth set win and force a decisive fifth set.
 
In the fifth set, UNF battled from being down three points early on and pulled to within one when a Medina kill made it an 8-7 set in favor of Lipscomb. However, that was the closest UNF could get as Lipscomb went on a costly six-point run en route to winning the final set and the match.
 
The Ospreys are back in action on Tuesday night with a conference match at Florida Gulf Coast.