Sixth-Seeded @OspreyVB Opens #ASunVB Tournament Thursday Against Jacksonville

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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Sixth-seeded University of North Florida volleyball begins play in the 2014 Atlantic Sun Tournament on Thursday evening as the Ospreys face third-seeded Jacksonville in the first round at Florida Gulf Coast's Alico Arena. Match time is set for 7:30 p.m., with the winner of Thursday night's match advancing to Friday's semifinals against second-seeded Florida Gulf Coast. The match will air live on ESPN3.

"The team is excited to be back at the conference tournament," said head coach Steve Loeswick. "We're playing a very familiar opponent tomorrow night. Jacksonville is a very good team and we know it will be a fun and intense battle."

This is UNF's fourth appearance in the Atlantic Sun Tournament and the third time the Ospreys are the No. 6 seed. In Loeswick's first season, the Ospreys advanced to the 2012 championship match.

UNF's side in the 2014 bracket features the same opponents as the Ospreys' bracket did in 2012. UNF played Jacksonville in the opening round and then took on Florida Gulf Coast in the semifinals.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Atlantic Sun announced that Cari Whitmire was named Defensive Player of the Year and Courtney Miller was selected as Freshman of the Year. It is the first time since joining the Atlantic Sun in which UNF had multiple players received top conference honors. Whitmire and Miller join Paige Pridgeon (2009 Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year) and Nicole Baran (2012 Libero of the Year) as Ospreys who have collected annual Atlantic Sun awards.

Jacksonville went 2-0 in the final weekend of the regular season in order to earn the No. 3 seed. The Dolphins have won four of their last five matches with their only loss being to Atlantic Sun Regular Season Champion Lipscomb. Jacksonville and UNF are the only two Atlantic Sun teams to enter the tournament averaging at least 2.0 blocks per set. Sammie Strausbaugh was named the Atlantic Sun's Player of the Year earlier on Wednesday. She eclipsed the 500-kill mark for the season last Saturday against Florida Gulf Coast and enters the week averaging 4.73 kills per set.

UNF leads the all-time series 15-12 and both teams split the regular season with each team earning a 3-0 sweep on its home court. This is the second time UNF and Jacksonville meet in the Atlantic Sun Tournament. The Ospreys are 1-0 against the Dolphins in the postseason after winning 3-0 in the first round of the 2012 Atlantic Sun Tournament.

Sixth-Seeded @OspreyVB Opens #ASunVB Tournament Thursday Against Jacksonville

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Players Mentioned

Courtney Miller

Cari Whitmire

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