Tournament CentralLive Stats (All Matches)Live Video (UNF-FIU Match Only)Weekly Notes2015 Media Almanac MIAMI, Fla. – The 2015 season kicks off for University of North Florida volleyball with this weekend's two-day Panther Challenge hosted by FIU at FIU Arena. The Ospreys face FIU, USF and Alabama A&M during season-opening weekend.
"Our team is really excited to get on the court and start the season," said Loeswick. "They have been doing a great job in the gym and are a bit tired of competing against each other. There are currently many great battles for starting positions, which is exciting for our coaching staff because we have the ability to make changes and adjustments without having our level of play drop. This weekend's competition will be very good and will give us an opportunity to grow as a team."
Loeswick returns a majority of his team from a year ago, including 2014 Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year
Courtney Miller. The Ospreys' roster is bolstered by three seniors (
Tessa Alyman,
Ambre Desaulnay,
Kayla Fessler), five juniors (
Erin Edwards,
Kimberly Ferguson,
Abby Fesl,
Carina Hoff,
Morgan Van Alstine), four sophomores (
Haley Harrison, Miller,
Katarina Raicevic,
Carinne Turner) and one freshman (
Ashley LaBorde). Only Raicevic and LaBorde are in their first season with the Ospreys.
UNF plays FIU on Friday at 7 p.m., to start the weekend. The Ospreys then face USF (10 a.m.) and Alabama A&M (4 p.m.) on Saturday. Live stats will be available for all three matches, while only the UNF-FIU match will have live streaming.
A First Time: This is the first time in the program's history in which UNF starts the season in Miami. Additionally, it is the Ospreys' first meeting with FIU and Alabama A&M
Just One: Ashley LaBorde is the only true-freshman on the team this season. The last time UNF had one true-freshman on the team was during head coach
Steve Loeswick's first season in 2012. That was the year when
Kayla Fessler was starting her collegiate career.
Preseason Honors for Miller: Courtney Miller was selected to the Atlantic Sun Preseason All-Conference Team. Voted on by the conference's head coaches, Miller was one of two sophomores to land a spot on the team.
