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Action shot of gabby o'connell hitting an attack.
O'Connell's 25 kills makes a career high, and the fourth-most in a four-set match in UNF history.
1
UNF UNF 2-5
3
Winner South Fla. USF 3-3
UNF UNF
2-5
1
Final
3
South Fla. USF
3-3
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
UNF UNF 23 25 23 13 (1)
South Fla. USF 25 23 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Volleyball |

O’Connell Posts Career High, But Ospreys Ousted at USF

Redshirt-Junior Notches Career-High 25 Kills in 3-1 Loss

TAMPA, Fla. - Gabby O'Connell posted the fourth-most kills in a four-set match in program history but the Bulls (3-3) were able to fend off the Ospreys (2-5)Tuesday, Sept. 10. The first three sets were decided, 25-23, with USF taking two of them, before South Florida had its strongest set in the fourth to close it out. 

O'Connell was remarkable, tallying 25 kills on a .291 hitting percentage to give her 73 kills over her past four matches. Not to be lost in the shuffle was sophomore Solimar Cestero's night. The Toa Baja, P.R., native hit a career-high .524 en route to 13 kills.

USF 3, UNF 1 (23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 13-25)

Inside the Sets
  • Set 1: UNF got within two at 20-18, forcing a USF timeout … A big dig from Miriam Stingl finished with an O'Connell kill before Stingl notched an and USF suffered an error, giving UNF a 21-20 lead ... USF created a 5-2 run to take the opening set ... Both teams hit well, with the Ospreys hitting .345 next to USF's .361 percentage.
  • Set 2: Two points was the largest margin for either squad before UNF edged ahead for a 21-19 upperhand ... The set saw three more ties before two kills from Cestero closed out the set ... North Florida hit a scorching .405 in the second set.
  • Set 3: Once more, neither team could build more than a two-point margin ... O'Connell 20th kill made it 20-19 UNF, forcing USF into a timeout … USF won three of the last four points after a North Florida timeout, giving USF the win … O'Connell finished set three with 21 kills ... USF was able to hold on despite seven attack errors and .35 few percentage points in its attack percentage.
  • Set 4: South Florida took a 6-0 lead to start the fourth set, the biggest lead for either team in the match ... 10 attack errors from UNF and five USF aces gave the Bulls the set.

Leaders By the Numbers
UNF
  • O'Connell | 25 kills, eight digs
  • Cestero | 13 kills, .524 hitting percentage, two blocks
  • Rocio Moro | 23 digs
  • Julianna Askew | 41 assists, three kills, six digs

USF
  • Jac'cara Walker | 15 kills, eight digs
  • Lindsay Pliapol | 13 kills, 11 digs
  • Lauren LaBeck | 28 assists, four aces, nine digs
  • CC Clausen | 16 digs

Notes
  • O'Connell posted her second 20-kill effort in four days after notching 20 against Wake Forest Sept. 6.
  • This is the sixth meeting between USF and UNF, and third in Tampa. USF leads the all-time series, 6-0.
  • It's the first set UNF has taken from USF in three meetings.
  • UNF players posted game highs in kills, digs and assists.
  • Askew has posted matches with at least 40 assists in three of her last four.
  • This was UNF's first match against an in-state foe.

Wright's Words
"We were very close tonight, and we were in a position to win quite honestly in three sets," head coach Kristen Wright said. "We had career performances from our outsides. They played with a fire and drive like I've never seen before. Rocio had another great night, but we were outplayed in outher positions unfortunately. We come home knowing we have what it takes to beat a good USF team and need to use the feedback to improve heading into our tournament this weekend. It's all about improvement."

Up Next
UNF hosts the River City Tournament Friday and Saturday of this weekend. The Ospreys will open Friday against Belmont at 10 a.m.
 
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