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University of North Florida Athletics

Lopez_Asante_2017
3
Winner Oral Roberts ORU 1-2
1
North Florida UNF 0-3
Winner
Oral Roberts ORU
1-2
3
Final
1
North Florida UNF
0-3
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Oral Roberts ORU 25 25 26 30 (3)
North Florida UNF 18 21 28 28 (1)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

Ospreys Come Up Short in Seesaw Affair With Oral Roberts, 3-1

Match sees 47 ties and 20 lead changes; Griffey earns all-tournament squad laurel


LARAMIE, Wyo. - It's hard to say that the 3-1 fate did North Florida's loss to Oral Roberts (1-2) justice Saturday, August 25. UNF's final match at the Rumble in the Rockies saw 47 ties and 20 lead changes, with the fourth set being decided despite neither team leading by more than two points at any juncture.

Oral Roberts 3, North Florida 1 (18-25, 21-25, 28-26, 30-28) | Box Score (PDF)

Despite a career high 17 kills from junior Taryn Griffey to complete an All-Rumble in the Rockies Tournament Team weekend, and 15 kills from freshman Solimar Cestero, late runs and errors at the net and on serve proved to be the small edge that ORU used to clip the Ospreys (0-3) in four.

Behind the Box Score
  • The first set established the complexion of the match with there being eight ties by the 11-11 mark alone. Cestero and sophomore Emma Dixon cut into a 16-12 lead with back-to-back kills, but ORU caught the hot hand, hitting .450 in the first set to go up, 1-0.
  • The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 5-0 advantage in the second set, but Griffey got North Florida off the schneid with consecutive kills on helpers from senior Madilyn McCarty.
  • North Florida faired well in the middle of set number two, seeing a Dixon kill and an ace from sophomore Kaileen Herman give UNF the 17-15 lead. An ORU late run was pivotal once more though, as Oral Roberts strung together a 6-0 streak as part of a 10-4 run to take the 2-0 upper hand.
  • The Ospreys got into a rhythm halfway through the third set, hitting a team-high .325 for the match. After trailing for the beginning of the set, North Florida stormed back to create a 17-14 advantage after senior Asante Lopez dropped in an ace. ORU came within one point of winning at 25-24, but the Ospreys held ground, using kills by Cestero, Griffey and senior Alana Shoff to win, 28-26.
  • There were ten lead changes alone in the fourth set, and despite 10 errors by the Golden Eagles, a .78 discrepancy in kill percentage proved to be the difference as ORU outlasted UNF, 30-28.
  • UNF had two opportunties to seal the fourth set, leading 26-25 and 27-26, but a pair of crucial kills by ORU's Inka Inkret helped the Golden Eagles put the set away. Inkret and CeCe Madison joined for 33 kills.

Leaders by the Numbers
  • Griffey | 17 kills, .387 hitting percentage, 4 blocks
  • McCarty and Herman | 29 and 20 kills respectively
  • Cestero | 15 kills, 3 blocks
  • Dixon and Lopez | 7 kills apiece
  • Redshirt-sophomore Gabby O'Connell | 11 digs

Additional Notes
  • This is the first of three Summit League opponents that UNF will face in 2018. It will host North Dakota Monday, Sept. 10 and take on South Dakota State in Boca Raton Friday, Sept. 14.
  • For the second time in two days UNF faced an opponent for the first time in history.
  • The 1,850-mile trek to Laramie, Wyoming marks the longest season-opening trip that the North Florida volleyball program has made since its inaugural 1991 season.
  • Newcomers showed promise again for UNF, with new faces providing a combined 27 points.
  • Lopez also had a career high in kills with seven.
  • Griffey had 40 kills on the weekend, earning her first all-weekend tournament squad selection.

Up Next
More tournament play is on the slate for UNF when it heads to Knoxville, Tenn. for the Rocky Top Invitational at the University of Tennessee. Play begins Friday, Aug. 31 with a 4:00 p.m. match against Indiana State, followed by matches against Tennessee and Winthrop Saturday, Sept. 1.
 
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