UNF-Duke Boxscore (PDF)
UNF-Furman Boxscore (PDF)
 
DURHAM, N.C. – Although there were several impressive moments, University of North Florida volleyball dropped both of its matches during the first day of the season-opening Duke Invitational at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Ospreys hung tough with No. 21 Duke in a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 25-19) loss before falling 3-1 (20-25, 25-18, 25-15, 25-14) to Furman.
 
"We played some really good stretches of volleyball against some very good competition today," said head coach Steve Loeswick. "We got a little loose with our offense in the second match and were not quite as efficient. The goal still is to get better every chance we get, both individually and as a team. I have no doubt we are heading in the right direction. Tomorrow will be another tough test, but our team is looking forward to the opportunity to get back on the court, compete and get better."
 
UNF played Duke close in both the first and third sets, but was overpowered but the Blue Devils in the second set.
 
After being down 17-11 in the first set, a huge block from Cameron McGuire and Abby Fesl sparked a 6-1 run that allowed UNF to tie the set at 18-18. A kill from Morgan Van Alstine deadlocked set. UNF and Duke traded points before back-to-back kills from Erin Edwards and Van Alstine put the Ospreys up 22-21. However, an Alyse Whitaker kill began a four-point, set-ending run for the Blue Devils.
 
The Ospreys had to contend with a hot-hitting Duke team for the final two sets. In the second set, the Blue Devils connected on 18 kills with only one attack error en route to hitting .500. UNF saw Duke's lone error come late in the set as the error made it 21-9. Meanwhile, the Ospreys could only register seven kills and hit .179.
 
The third set featured strong hitting from both teams. UNF hit .308 with 12 kills, while Duke was .433 with 17 kills. However, several runs allowed Duke to go up 17-10 on a Laura Williams ace. UNF chipped away at Duke's lead and pulled to within four twice, including at 22-18 with a McGuire-Madison Hatcher block.
 
Outside hitter Courtney Miller notched  a team-best nine kills and hit .207, while middle blockers Edwards and Van Alstine hit .385 and .357, respectively. Both Ambre Desaulnay and Cari Whitmire dug eight balls. McGuire registered three block assists. Fesl put up 23 assists.
 
UNF hit .233 for the match and tallied 30 kills and 32 digs.
 
Three Blue Devils hit over .500, two of which double-digit kills. Jeme Obeime hit .583 with 16 kills, while Whitaker was .529 with 11 kills and also had four block assists. Jordan Tucker hit .500. Maggie Deichmeister put up 32 assists and Sasha Karelov recorded 12 digs.
 
UNF came out strong in the first set against Furman, hitting an impressive .390 and making 22 kills. Up by two, a Van Alstine kill sparked a three-point run that put UNF up 19-14 and start to pull away. Furman cut the Ospreys' lead down to three, but another three-point separated UNF from the Paladins. A McGuire kill capped the run that put UNF up 23-17. UNF ultimately won the set on a Van Alstine kill.
 
However, poor hitting plague the Ospreys for the remainder of the match. Twenty-five of the Ospreys' 31 attack errors came in the final three sets, while Furman hit over .340 in each of the final three sets.
 
Furman used an 8-1 run midway through the set second to pull away from UNF and take a 17-11 lead. Furman went up by as many as eight before the Ospreys were able to cut into the Paladins lead. A Saelina Dunn kill started a three-point run as Furman held a 21-16 lead. The Paladins eventually ended the set with kills from Kasey Hohlen and Andrea Fisher.
 
The Ospreys saw Furman use multiple runs to command the third set. Down by 12, a Dunn kill was the first of three-straight UNF points as the Ospreys trailed 20-11. UNF narrowed the gap down to nine points, but that was the closest the Ospreys could get.
 
An early 8-1 run quickly resulted in UNF being down by nine as Furman held a 15-6. UNF attempted to battle back, but Furman used a 6-1 run to end the set and the match.
 
Van Alstine made 12 kills and hit .611, while Miller tallied 10 kills. Fesl and Carinne Turner rallied 29 and 13 assists, respectively. Cari Whitmire made 18 digs and Kimberly Ferguson dug 10 balls.
 
UNF hit .146 for the match with 52 kills and 59 digs.
 
A trio of Paladins – Fisher (12), Annie Bierman (11) and Ashton Gregory (10) – recorded double-digit kills. Wilks put up 39 assists and Meg Demaar tallied 14 digs.
 
Furman hit .339 for the match and made 48 kills. The Paladins also had 50 digs.
 
Opening weekend and the Duke Invitational concludes for UNF on Saturday against High Point at 1 p.m., at Cameron Indoor Stadium.