ATLANTA, Ga. - North Florida volleyball fell in three sets to Georgia Tech before a bounce-back performance against Xavier winning in four sets to close out the Georgia Tech Invite on Friday.
Georgia Tech 3, UNF 0 (23-25,20-25,11-25)
Top Performers of Match
Taryn Griffey- 10 kills | .300 hitting percentage
Madilyn McCarty- 30 assists | 7 digs
Devyn Wheeler- 7 kills
Carina Hoff- 6 kills | 7 digs
HOW IT HAPPENED
The opening set between the Ospreys and Yellow Jackets was tight throughout as neither team had larger than a two point lead (Georgia Tech, 11-9). The Yellow Jackets then scored four of the next five points to build the biggest lead of the set at 15-11. The Ospreys climbed back to eventually tie the score at 19. The set was tied three times down the stretch before Georgia Tech earned set one, 25-23.
In the second set of the match, the competition remained tight featuring nine ties as both squads netted back-and-forth answers to scoring runs. The difference in the set was Georgia Tech closing surge that saw them score nine of the final 11 points.
The Jackets carried the momentum from set two to help close out the match, hitting .300 in the third set while forcing UNF into nine errors en route to a 25-11 victory.
UNF 3, Xavier 1 (16-25,25-18,27-25,25-21)
Top Performers of Match
Madilyn McCarty- 33 assists | 14 digs
Carina Hoff- 10 kills | 7 digs | 2 service aces
Taryn Griffey- 12 kills | 2 service aces
Alana Shoff- 6 kills | 6 blocks
HOW IT HAPPENED
Xavier opened the first set red-hot, tallying an 11-3 run and controlling the match throughout to claim the win, 25-16. In set one, Xavier forced UNF into nine errors while hitting .286 themselves in the victory.
UNF started set two with a similar quick opening, building an 8-2 early lead. Xavier continued battling in the set, but UNF was able to add to the lead and eventually win set two 25-18. UNF hit a match-high .321 in the set win.
In the third set, the match went back-and-forth before the Ospreys were able to pull away and take a 14-9 lead. Xavier closed the margin to a 21-20 setting up a point-for-point battle down the stretch. Xavier led 25-24 and had a chance to win the set before the Ospreys rattled off three straight points to take the set and build a 2-1 lead in the match.
UNF opened the fourth set with a 8-3 run, but Xavier roared back using a 7-2 run of their own to tie the score at 10. Xavier widenend the margin to 16-13 in front of a sideout stretch for the squads over the next 11 points that wrapped up with a tie at 20. The Ospreys finished it off with five of the last six points to earn the win.
Double-Doubles
Madilyn McCarty- 33 assists | 14 digs
Quick Hits
- Madilyn McCarty had 63 assists between the two matches on Saturday (30 vs GT, 33 vs Xavier). McCarty now has eight matches with at least 20 assists.
- McCarty had her third double-double of the season in the Ospreys win over Xavier.
- The Ospreys as a team had 10 service aces in the win over Xavier, which is a season high for the Ospreys with previous high coming against South Carolina (6).
Coach Loeswick's Thoughts
"I like a lot of the things we are doing, the key though is to continue to do those things for longer stretches. We defenitely got better as the weekend went on and we were happy to end up on top of a really good Xavier program."
Up Next
Following the weekend in Atlanta, the Ospreys return to the court for their final three-match tournament of the season beginning Friday Sept. 15 as they head to New Orleans for the Tulane Invite. The Ospreys face Northwestern State, Alabama State and Tulane. UNF's home match with Georgia Southern originally slated for Tuesday (Sept. 12) has been rescheduled for Oct. 16 due to concerns with Hurricane Irma.
