Boxscore (PDF) JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – University North Florida volleyball fended off a late-surging Northern Kentucky team in order to defeat the Norse 3-1 (25-16, 16-25, 25-21, 27-25) in a crucial Atlantic Sun match on Saturday afternoon at UNF Arena.
"It was an important match," said head coach Steve Loeswick. "We've been playing really well for quite some time. We started the match really well tonight, had a tough second set, but rebounded in the last two sets. Northern Kentucky is a solid team, so this win should help propel us forward and continue to play well."
The Ospreys came out strong in the first set and used multiple runs to gain a significant 15-4 lead. Among those runs was an eight-point spurt that gave UNF its 11-point advantage. A kill from
Erin Edwards capped the run and put the Ospreys up 15-4. Northern Kentucky attempted to cut into the Ospreys' lead and used a late five-point run to cut UNF's lead down to 21-16. UNF finished the set on a four-point run that included an ace from
Kimberly Ferguson and a set-winning Edwards kill.
Poor hitting and a slow start cost UNF the second set. Northern Kentucky began the set on a 9-0 run. The Norse capitalized on UNF's miscues and eventually went up 16-4 on a Tristen Simpson kill. The Ospreys tried to make a dent into Northern Kentucky's lead and ultimately came to within seven points twice before Northern Kentucky sealed the set with a Keely Creamer kill.
UNF bounced back in the third set and held a pair of six-point leads late into the set. A Norse attack error provided the Ospreys with a 19-13 cushion. Northern Kentucky attempted to fight back with a 6-1 run to pull to within one. A kill from
Morgan Van Alstine started a critical five-point run that lifted UNF to a 24-19 lead. Although Northern Kentucky fended off set point twice, a Norse service error powered UNF to the set win.
The fourth set featured 11 late ties and seven lead changes. A service ace allowed Northern Kentucky to take a two-point 22-20 lead. After a timeout, UNF went on a three-point run to erase the deficit and gain a 23-22 advantage. A kill from
Tessa Alyman put the Ospreys up by one. The Norse answered with two quick points to hold a 24-23, match-point advantage. UNF fended match point off, and after the teams battled for points, a kill from
Abby Fesl put UNF up 26-25.
Ambre Desaulnay's ace sealed the four-set victory for the Ospreys.
Four Ospreys had double-digit kills, while
Courtney Miller notched a double-double. Miller had a 10-kill, 10-dig double-double for her team-leading 10th double-double of the season. Alyman tallied a match-best 15 kills, while Van Alstine and Edwards added 13 and 12 kills, respectively. Van Alstine also hit .391 for the match.
Fesl and
Carinne Turner put up 26 and 18 assists, respectively.
Cari Whitmire tallied 17 digs. Ferguson made four of the Ospreys' eight aces.
UNF hit .241 for the match with 57 kills, 51 digs and 12.5 blocks.
Simpson led the Norse with 14 kills. Jenna Ruble tallied 13 kills and Keely Creamer added 10. Taylor Snyder notched 38 assists and 12 digs, while Mel Steward added 21 digs.
Northern Kentucky hit .200, making 47 kills and 54 digs.
UNF finishes the regular season next weekend with two important Atlantic Sun matches. The Ospreys host Florida Gulf Coast on Friday at 7 p.m., and Stetson on Saturday at 3 p.m.
