Boxscore (PDF)
Post-Match Video With Coach Loeswick
Live Stats – UNF vs. Lipscomb (Saturday)
Live Video – UNF vs. Lipscomb (Saturday)
 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Powered by a team season-best .371 hitting percentage, University of North Florida volleyball got its first Atlantic Sun victory of the 2013 season with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-17) sweep of Northern Kentucky Friday night at UNF Arena.
 
"It was a fun night," said head coach Steve Loeswick. "I'm proud of our girls; they came out focused and finally put together three sets of good volleyball."
 
UNF's .371 hitting percentage came as the Ospreys made 49 kills on 105 total attempts and only committed 10 errors. All four Ospreys that had double-digit total attempts hit over .300 for the match. Morgan Van Alstine hit .429 and made seven kills. Cameron McGuire and Anna Budinska each tallied 11 kills and hit .400 and .346, respectively. Kelly Koop hit. 379 and had a team-best 12 kills. She also added 10 digs for her second double-double of the season. Meanwhile, Abby Fesl put up 36 assists and Cari Whitmire tallied 11 digs.
 
Northern Kentucky hit .204 for the night with 38 kills. Megan Wanstrath led the Norse with 11 kills. Taylor Snyder had 35 assists and Anna Prickel made 14 digs.
 
UNF and Northern Kentucky remained close throughout most of the first set. With UNF up by one, the Ospreys made a late run in an attempt to pull away from Northern Kentucky. Up 18-17, the Ospreys used a four-point run to extend their lead to five, using a Fesl kill to take a 22-17 lead. The Norse chipped away at the Ospreys' lead and fended off set point on three occasions in order to pull to within two as a Pickel service ace made it 24-22 in favor of UNF. A kill from Budinska on the next point sealed the set win for the Ospreys, who went up 1-0 in the match.
 
Trailing by four in the second set, a kill from Koop sparked a timely nine-point run that saw UNF surge to a 17-12 lead. Northern Kentucky responded with a 5-1 run in order to come to within one and make it an 18-17 UNF advantage. A kill from Budinska and a Norse attack error allowed the Ospreys to gain a three-point cushion, but Northern Kentucky quickly made it a one-point set again after an Osprey service error and a Wanstrath kill. Up 20-19, a kill from Fesl started a critical three-point run for UNF, who had a four-point 23-19 lead on the Norse. Northern Kentucky score three quick points to make it a one-point set again, but a kill from Budinska put the Ospreys at a 24-22 advantage. Although Northern Kentucky fought off set point with a kill from Tristen Simpson, a Koop kill ended the set and gave UNF the 2-0 lead for the match.
 
UNF came out hot in the third set, hitting a blistering .679 and making 20 kills on 28 total attempts and only committing one attacking error. Northern Kentucky also had a solid third set, hitting. 310.
 
A four-point run midway through the third set allowed the Ospreys to separate themselves from Northern Kentucky. A kill from Koop sparked the 4-0 run, which included two kills from McGuire and one from Budisnka, as UNF took a 15-9 lead. The Norse closed the gap with a 5-1 run and made it 16-14 in favor of UNF on a Snyder ace. A kill from Van Alstine on the next point started a timely 5-0 run as the Ospreys' distanced themselves from the Norse. Fesl had the last two points of the run, serving an ace and coming up with a kill to put UNF up 21-14. UNF went on to capture four of the set's last six points en route to the win.
 
UNF is back at UNF Arena on Saturday when the Ospreys host Lipscomb. Match time is set for 3 p.m.