Volleyball on the Short End of a Marathon Home Opener With New Mexico

Friday, September 7

Jacksonville, Fla.

7:00 p.m.

University of North Florida

1-7

New Mexico

4-3

New Mexico

North Florida

Junior Taryn Griffey posted career highs in kills (18) and total blocks (10).

Volleyball on the Short End of a Marathon Home Opener With New Mexico

9/7/2018 10:54:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Box Score | PDF

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - After two hours and 59 minutes of seesaw action, North Florida volleyball (1-7) was on the short end of a five-setter against New Mexico in home opener and opening match of the UNF Invitational Presented by Courtyard Marriott Mayo Clinic Friday, September 7.

Behind the Box Score | New Mexico 3, North Florida 2 (20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 26-24, 14-16)

The first set saw 14 ties, with the last one coming with the two teams locked at 18. The Lobos (4-3) worked a late run to steal the opener, going on a 7-2 clip behind four kills, an ace and a pair of attack errors.
UNF returned the favor in the second set, stealing turning the tables on a 20-17 Lobos lead behind a UNM error and kills from sophomore Devyn Wheeler and redshirt-sophomore Gabby O'Connell. New Mexico stalled the spurt with a timeout, but the Ospreys continued where they left off, earning five of the final six points to tie the match at one apiece. O'Connell churned out two kills and sophomore Callie Workman dropped in an ace in the late second-set run.
A pivotal 11-2 run allowed the Ospreys to catch wind and edge New Mexico in the third set. Down 14-9, UNF pounced out to a 20-16 advantage. From there Wheeler registered three kills to put the Ospreys up, 2-1.
New Mexico's fourth-set win appeared to be in an anomaly in the box score. The Navy and Gray outhit the Lobos .297 to .149 in the fourth set, although after 13 ties and a slew of lead changes, New Mexico overcame being down 24-23 to knot things up. UNM's Lauren Twitty and Tai Bierria posted kills in their mini-run.
Junior Taryn Griffey showed endurance in the fifth set, pounding out back-to-back kills and a block assist beside freshman Solimar Cestero as UNF held an early 4-2 lead in the decisive set. The Ospreys led by as much as three, ahead 10-7 after a Morgan Schreckler service error. Following UNF's own service error and a UNM kill, North Florida went to timeout, the first of two over the next two plays.
Twitty put New Mexico up 14-13, but Griffey responded with her own kill, tying it at 14. The Lobos benefited from a pair of miscues to steal the set.

Leaders by the Numbers

Griffey | 18 kills; nine block assists
Madilyn McCarty | 50 assists, eight kills, 11 digs
O'Connell | 15 kills, 14 digs
Cestero | 11 kills
Asante Lopez | 25 digs; six assists
UNM's Twitty had a game-high 23 kills.

By the Numbers

For the third-straight match, UNF had three players with double-digit kills, led by Griffey's career-high of 18. The junior surpassed the century mark for kills in the first set and now leads the team with 116. She also went for a career high in blocks, (one solo, nine assisted).
Senior setter Madilyn McCarty dished out 50 assists, hitting the half-century mark for the second time this week. She was just two kills away from a triple-double, adding 11 digs.
O'Connell notched her third double-double in as many games.
Senior Asante Lopez has stepped up this season. Friday she notched a career-high 25 digs, eight more than her previous mark.
UNF outhit the Lobos, .272 to .197.
The Ospreys set or tied team-season highs in: assists (64), digs (74), total blocks (14).
This is the second five-set match in three contests for UNF.
Friday marks the first-ever meeting between these two teams, and the second of three Mountain West opponents on UNF"s slate.

Wright's Words
"That was the best match that we played all year, but in the tight moments we just didn't come through and they did," head coach Kristen Wright said. "I felt that the crowd was really fun and engaged and behind us, but in the end, finding our one-two punch, the consistency, that's who what we are trying to become. The youth of our team is there, we have most of them for three more years. With that being said, our team is talented and our goal is to do something now. I am proud of our girls and it always stinks to lose these types of matches."

Up Next
A far more familiar face begins UNF's day tomorrow Saturday, September, 8 as the Ospreys host USC Upstate at 1 p.m. The Ospreys have faced the Spartans more than any team in school history. They conclude the night with a 7 p.m. match against Furman.