Boxscore (PDF)
Live Stats – UNF at Kennesaw State
 
MACON, Ga. – Senior Cameron McGuire tied a program record for blocks in a three-set match as University of North Florida powered past Mercer 3-0 (25-19, 25-18, 25-20) Friday night at Hawkins Arena.
 
"I liked the way our team stayed focus from start to finish tonight," said head coach Steve Loeswick. "It was good to see some new players step up and carry the load. Cam [McGuire] and Kelly [Koop] played a really good match on both offense and defense, and Abby [Fesl] did a nice job at spreading the ball around and going to different hitters. We're excited that we won, but we have another tough opponent tomorrow and need to now turn our focus to Kennesaw State."
 
McGuire registered a career-high 11 blocks (one solo, 10 assist) in order to tie Lauren Clement, who first recorded 11 blocks at Rollins on Nov. 2, 1991. McGuire also added 10 kills for her first career double-double and hit .471 for the match.
 
"This was a really important win for us, especially being on the road," said McGuire. "We're going to carry this positive energy with us into tomorrow's match. As great as it is to hit those individual milestones, it was a complete team effort tonight."
 
Kelly Koop added a 13-kill, 12-dig double-double, seven blocks and hit .400 for the match, while Anna Budinska added 11 kills. Abby Fesl notched a 36-assist, 13-dig double-double and also made six kills. Cari Whitmire recorded 15 digs and Kayla Fessler dug 13 balls. As a team, the Ospreys hit .250.
 
Ellie James recorded a team-high seven kills for Mercer. Carly Iannarino put up 16 assists, while Emily Rochefort made 15 digs.
 
In the first set, UNF used a key five-point run to pull away from Mercer midway through the set. Up by two, a kill from McGuire sparked the run that resulted in UNF taking a 19-12 lead. The Ospreys went on to take two more seven-point leads, including at 24-17 on a Carina Hoff kill. Mercer got the next two points to stay alive, but a kill from McGuire ended the set and UNF went up 1-0 in the match.
 
A strong start to the second set saw the Ospreys take a commanding 18-7 lead. However, a questionable call a couple of points later went to the favor of Mercer, who eventually cut the Ospreys' lead down to six. A block from Carolina Carlton allowed the Bears to make it 18-12 in favor of UNF. The Ospreys and Mercer battled over the set's remaining points until UNF won the set on a Bear attack error.
 
UNF used several runs in the early stages of the third set to take a seven-point lead. A kill from Koop gave the Ospreys a 15-8 lead. However, Mercer chipped away at UNF's advantage and came to within three on two occasions, including at 20-17 on an Osprey attack error. A kill from Koop and a Fessler service ace allowed UNF to build a five-point cushion. After trading points, a Budinska kill on match point sealed the win for UNF.
 
UNF finished up its trip to the Peach State on Saturday afternoon at Kennesaw State. Match time is set for 3 p.m., from the KSU Convocation Center.