Volleyball Turned Back by Visiting Stetson

Wednesday, October 3

Jacksonville, Fla.

6:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

6-16, 1-5ASUN

Stetson

10-6, 2-2ASUN

Stetson

North Florida

10/3/2018 9:30:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Redshirt-sophomore Gabby O'Connell and senior Madilyn McCarty missed double-doubles by the slimmest of margins, although the ASUN leader in digs per set was stingy when it counted as Stetson won 3-0 at the UNF Arena Wednesday, Oct. 3.

Stetson 3, UNF 0 | 21-25, 19-25, 22-25 | Box Score

Behind the Box Score

The Hatters (10-6, 2-2) carved out a 5-2 lead in set one, and while UNF (6-16, 1-5) got within one point on four occasions, the visitors didn't relinquish their upper hand. Both teams tallied 13 kills, but four fewer Stetson errors proved to be the difference.
A formidable rally positioned UNF with chance to overtake Stetson late in set two. An early 8-2 advantage gave the Hatters enough cushion to hold on for a 2-0 lead.
Emphatic kills from junior Taryn Griffey and O'Connell, followed by an ace by freshman Charyari Ramos, cut Stetson's lead by three, making it 20-15. Griffey chimed in again a few points later and McCarty turned a pair of crafty kills, but Stetson reoriented itself following a timeout to post the final two points of the set.
Some offensive adjustments paid dividends for the Ospreys as they worked a 9-5 lead in the third session. The Hatters' Julie Varga and Hao Jin uncorked five kills apiece in the final frame to spur a pair of 5-0 runs and surmount the deficit, though.
The final set saw 10 ties and four lead changes.

Leaders By the Numbers

Gabby O'Connell | Nine kills, 13 digs
Madilyn McCarty | 23 assists, nine digs
Taryn Griffey | Seven kills, four blocks (leads the ASUN in both categories)
Naina Ivanova | 33 assists, 12 digs for Stetson

Notes

McCarty hit a team-high .444. She has posted at least a .333 attack percentage in five-straight matches, while registering at least 23 assists.
This is the first time that UNF has lost a midweek contest this season (includes matches played on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday).
The Ospreys are 21-7 all-time against their rivals from DeLand, and 11-4 in Jacksonville.
O'Connell was a kill away from a double-double and McCarty needed only one more dig. They both have eight double-doubles this season and this is the second time they were one tally away from a double-double in the same match.
UNF's Ramos and Stetson's Alejandra Perez hail from Ponce, P.R., and they both attended the Colegio Sagrado Corazón de Jesus prior to joining their respective ASUN teams. Both players are in their first seasons of collegiate volleyball.
Stetson won nine of its first 13 matches this season, its best start since 1996.
Wednesday marked UNF's 2018 Dig Pink match in conjunction with the Side-Out Foundation, an organization committed to unifying the volleyball community in an effort to better the treatment of breast cancer.

Wright's Words
"We had all the opportunities and passed the best we have all year, but Stetson is the best backcourt defensive team in the conference right now," head coach Kristen Wright said. "We had to change our game plan up because we are used to seeing one blocker up. At the beginning they were just digging us, so in the third set we had to change things up."

"In the next match we will have [senior] Asante Lopez back as she has been out with an injury," Wright said. "The girls have stepped up in her place; Callie has done a great job and Donnelly has done a great job."

Up Next
The Ospreys have an eight-day reprieve prior to traveling to NJIT Friday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.. They'll finish the weekend with a 2 p.m. first serve at North Alabama Sunday, Oct. 14.