JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The North Florida volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to hand visiting Florida Gulf Coast just their fourth loss of the year. The Ospreys dominated the final two sets of the match to earn a hard fought 3-2 victory (25-21, 13-25,13-25, 25-13, 15-8).

RECORDS: UNF 16-10, 6-3 ASUN | FGCU 21-4, 7-2 ASUN 

LOESWICK'S THOUGHTS...
"Very proud of our team tonight and the choice they made going into the fourth set to play every rally and fight until the very end. It easily could have gone the other way. We came out and played some focused volleyball and did a really nice job with our block. We touched alot of balls and got alot of stuff blocks tonight. Overall, it was a great defensive effort on our part to force them into hitting some shots they were uncomfortable with. It is also very exciting to come out with a positive outcome against an extremely talented Florida Gulf Coast team. We just have to be sure we come back tomorrow night ready to compete and defend our home court against Stetson."

LIGHT THE SPARK
Junior setter Sadie Thurston gave the Ospreys a lift off the bench when she took over the setting duties in the final two sets. Thurston handed out 16 assists while recording six digs and notching the team's only three service aces. She guided UNF to .231 and .250 hitting percentages in the decisive sets and also helped push the squad to a 9-0 lead at the start of the fifth set.

OTHER TOP PERFORMERS
Gabby O'Connell - 17 kills, 7 digs, 3 blocks
Ashley Laborde - 14 digs
Erin Edwards - 7 kills, 8 block assists
Carinne Turner - 9 kills, 10 digs
Madilyn McCarty - 24 assists, 5 digs, 4 blocks
Katarina Raicevic - 8 kills, 6 blocks
Morgan Van Alstine - 6 blocks

HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set was a back-and-forth affair until an 8-1 surge midway through the frame pushed the Ospreys into the lead for good at 18-15. UNF hit a match high .270 while holding the Eagles to a .000 hitting percentage behind a 5-1 edge in blocks. O'Connell (5 kills) and Turner (4 kills) paced the offensive play in the first set.

FGCU turned the tables on the Ospreys in the second set, scoring the first four points on their way to building a 10-3 lead. The Eagles would widen the margin to double-digits as UNF struggled to find an offensive flow and were outhit .250 to .000.

The Eagles again took the early advantage in the third stanza behind strong serving and a balanced offensive attack that finished with a .333 hitting percentage for the set. The Ospreys kept things close until FGCU used an 8-2 spurt to build a double-figure lead late in the frame.

The fourth set started with the squad's trading points for most of the first half. With the score tied at 10, UNF's defense began to take over forcing miscues and collecting blocks that led to a closing 15-3 run to knot the match at 2 sets apiece. O'Connell served a string of six consecutive points in the surge by the Ospreys.

Thurston led the Ospreys to the victory in the fifth set from the service line, tallying the first nine points of the frame. She recorded back-to-back aces early in the run and closed the spurt with her third ace of the night before FGCU would finally get on the scoreboard. UNF pushed the contest to match point, 14-5, before the Eagles tried to mount a last rally that came up short.

UP NEXT
* The Ospreys will play host to Stetson (4-20, 1-8 ASUN) on Saturday at 5 p.m. in UNF Arena, while FGCU travels across town to meet Jacksonville on Saturday.