UNF-Dayton Boxscore (PDF)
UNF-UNC Asheville Boxscore (PDF)
 
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The early season tournament portion of University of North Florida's volleyball schedule ended with a split Saturday at UNF Arena during the final day of the Radisson Invitational. The Ospreys were swept by Dayton 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-18) to start the day, but came back with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-12) victory over UNC Asheville.
 
The All-Tournament Team was announced at the end of the day's matches. Courtney Miller was named to the team along with Tournament MVP Savannah Gaster (Charlotte), Claire Kreuz (Charlotte), Jenna Jendryk (Dayton), Jizzian Gesualdo (Jacksonville), Kali Schwartz (Nicholls State) and Cameron Pryor (UNC Asheville).
 
Dayton 3, UNF 0
Poor hitting plagued the Ospreys throughout the morning's match as UNF hit .037 compared to Dayton's .289.
 
"It was a challenging match this morning," said UNF head coach Steve Loeswick. "Dayton is a very talented, athletic, well-coached team. It was a big learning experience for our team. That's the level that we need to play at to really compete for a championship in our league. It gave us a glimpse at what we're striving for. There were times when we were playing point-for-point with them. It gives us some confidence to know that we can do it."
 
UNF got out to an early 7-2 lead in the first set, going up by five on a Courtney Miller kill. However, Dayton answered with an Alaina Turner kill that started a 10-0 run and put the Flyers up 12-7. UNF was able to trim the deficit down to two, but Dayton built up a 21-14 advantage. Although UNF pulled to within four, the Flyers finished the first set on a four-point run.
 
With UNF trailing by one, Dayton took advantage of multiple Osprey attack errors and went on a 9-1 run to go up 20-11. The Ospreys could not string together points for the remainder of the set as the Flyers took a 2-0 lead for the match.
 
The Ospreys battled back after a slow start to the third set. Trailing by as many as seven, UNF chipped away at Dayton's lead and tied the set at 18-all on a Cameron McGuire block. However, Dayton answered with a match-ending seven-point run.
 
Miller tallied a 12-kill, 11-dig double-double. Miller's 11 kills were a match high. Abby Fesl put up 15 assists and Cari Whitmire added 12 digs.
 
UNF made 29 kills and recorded 43 digs.
 
A trio of Flyers – Jenna Jendryk, Alaina Turner and Jill Loiars – each tallied nine kills. Jane Emmenecker tallied 30 assists, while Alaina Turner tallied 14 digs.
 
Dayton recorded 39 kills and 47 digs.
 
UNF 3, UNC Asheville 0
UNF overcame a slow start against UNC Asheville to conclude the Radisson Invitational with a 3-0 sweep. It is the second time this season in which the Ospreys ended a tournament with a 3-0 victory. The previous time came against Bethune-Cookman two weeks ago at the Jax Marriott Volleyball Classic at UNF Arena.
 
"It was nice to have that bounce-back match," said Loeswick. "We had a few people that played a really nice match. Courtney Miller was great offensively and efficiently. She put a lot of balls away for us."
 
UNC Asheville got out to a commanding 16-8 lead after going on runs with five of their first six services. The Ospreys chipped away at the Bulldogs' lead and tied the set at 21-21 on a UNC Asheville attack error. UNC Ashville went up 24-22 on a Madison Vaughn-Catherine Fischer block, but the Ospreys fended off set point, using a kill from Carina Hoff to jump-start a set-ending four-point run. Madison Hatcher served two aces during the run, including one that was the set-winner.
 
UNF withstood the Bulldogs' charge midway through the second set. Up by seven on a Carinne Turner ace, UNC Asheville went on a five-point run to trim the Ospreys' lead to a two-point, 16-14 advantage. UNF strung together several points in order to pull away with Morgan Van Alstine and Hatcher notching the final two kills of the set.
 
In the third set, UNF led from start to finish and opened the set on a 10-2 run. UNF maintained its distance from UNC Asheville, using a consistent offense that would hit .375 for the set. After going up 13-3, the Ospreys held a double-digit lead for much of the set, only allowing UNC Asheville to score back-to-back points three times.
 
Miller had a match-high 16 kills. Carinner Turner tallied 20 assists, while Whitmire made 14 digs. Miller, Carinne Turner and Abby Fesl each served three aces, while McGuire and Hatcher each had two.
 
UNF hit .222 for the match and recorded 40 kills, 43 digs and a season-high 13 aces.
 
Shelby Erickson led the Bulldogs with eight kills and four digs. Amanda Powers notched 15 assists.
 
UNC Asheville hit .168 and tallied 32 kills and 35 digs.
 
UNF returns to action on Friday against cross-town rival Jacksonville in the first River City Rumble meeting of the season in any sport. Match time is set for 7 p.m., at Swisher Gymnasium.