#VB Drops 3-1 Match to Jacksonville In Front of Record Crowd

Friday, October 11

Jacksonville, Fla.

8 p.m.

University of North Florida

-512, 25 ASun

Jacksonville

-162, 61 ASun

Jacksonville

North Florida

#VB Drops 3-1 Match to Jacksonville In Front of Record Crowd

10/11/2013 11:19:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: North Florida Athletics

Boxscore (PDF)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Playing in front of a boisterous home record crowd of 1,321, University of North Florida volleyball fell 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 17-25, 25-19) to cross-town rival Jacksonville on Friday night at UNF Arena in the SunTrust River City Rumble.

"First off, the crowd was amazing," said head coach Steve Loeswick. "The atmosphere they provided is a special feeling for the players. Hopefully, they had a good time and will continue to come out and support us."

Friday night's attendance broke the previous record of 1,109 that was set against Jacksonville on Sept. 9, 2008. Additionally, it marked the fourth time in the series in which the match attendance was over 1,000.

Anna Budinska led the Ospreys with 13 kills, while Saelina Dunn added 10. Morgan Van Alstine hit .429 for the match, making seven kills on 14 total attempts with one error, and also had six blocks. Abby Fesl put up 40 assists. Cari Whitmire recorded 10 digs.

Gabriela Roman and Sammie Strausbaugh each tallied 18 kills for Jacksonville. Strausbaugh added 10 digs for a double-double. Kendall Courtney recorded a 44-assist, 12-dig double-double and served one ace in order to become the Atlantic Sun's all-time leader in career aces (154).

"It's always tough to play Jacksonville," said Loeswick. "This year, they're having a special year with some really good players. Even though I wish we controlled the ball better, I'm proud of the way our team fought. We have a lot of people who need experience in these types of situations. The more we're out there, the better we'll be in the end."

UNF rallied from a six-point deficit midway through the first set. Down 15-9, the Ospreys clawed back and used a Dolphin attack error to take a 19-18 lead. Jacksonville regained the lead, using a four-point run to go up 22-19. UNF pulled to within one twice before a Roman kill allowed the Dolphins to take a 1-0 lead for the match.

Multiple Jacksonville runs and poor Osprey hitting saw UNF have a 10-point deficit late in the second set. The Dolphins had a 22-12 lead after a block from Taylor Nyquist. UNF was able to cut Jacksonville's lead down to seven. Facing set point, a kill from Erin Edwards and then a Dolphin attacking error allowed the Ospreys to make it 24-17 before Jacksonville won the set on a UNF service error.

The Ospreys rebounded with a hot-hitting third set, registering a .500 hitting percentage and making 17 kills on 32 total attempts with one error.

"When you're down 2-0, you have to play aggressive to work your way out of it," said Loeswick. "We challenged a lot in the third set and had some bounces go our way."

UNF led the third set from start to finish. A key five-point run midway through the set allowed the Ospreys to separate themselves from the Dolphins. Up by two, a kill from Dunn sparked the run that resulted in UNF holding a 16-9 lead. UNF continued to pull away in the set, and a kill from Budinska won the set and allowed UNF to stay alive in the match.

However, in the fourth set, UNF had to battle back from several Dolphin runs. Jacksonville had a pair of four-point runs and then two three-point spurts in order to take a 20-12 lead. UNF attempted to cut into the Dolphins' lead and, facing match point, came to within five on a kill from Budinska. However, a Roman kill on the next point was the match-winner for Jacksonville.

UNF returns to action on Tuesday with a trip to Bethune-Cookman. Match time is set for 7 p.m., from Moore Gymnasium.