Moro Ties Program Digs Record, UNF Falls to UAB and MSU in Nightcap Marathon

Thursday, September 19

Starkville, Miss.

11 a.m.

University of North Florida

5-7

UAB

7-4

UAB

North Florida

Moro Ties Program Digs Record, UNF Falls to UAB and MSU in Nightcap Marathon

9/19/2019 11:27:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Freshman Rocio Moro Posts 35 Digs, Tying UNF Program Record for a Five-Set Match

STARKVILLE, Miss. - A long first day with roughly nine hours between UNF's matches against UAB and Mississippi State finished with the Ospreys going 0-2 despite record performances in the nightcap against the host Bulldogs. UAB (7-4) got the best of North Florida (5-8) in three sets while the Ospreys and Bulldogs slugged it out in a five-set marathon that MSU (10-1) held on to win.

Freshman Rocio Moro posted 35 digs in the nightcap, trying a UNF program record for five-set matches. UNF had two double-doubles, freshman Julianna Askew's tallied her first-career triple-double and Gabby O'Connell set a new career high for digs.

UAB 3, UNF 0 (21-25, 20-25, 21-25)

Inside the Sets

Set 1: UAB went on a 6-0 run to overcome a 21-19 deficit and take the first set … UAB hit only .13 points higher at .189 … UNF had three service aces and five blocks .... Gabby O'Connell posted five kills and Taryn Griffey notched four.
Set 2: A service ace by Julianna Askew capped a 4-0 run to start the second set … UAB took its first lead at 16-15 … UNF cut a 19-16 deficit to 19-18 with a Griffey kill and a block assist from O'Connell and Emma Dixon … UAB turned in a 3-0 run to go ahead, 22-18, before closing out the set.
Set 3: Tied at 7-7, UAB edged ahead with a 3-0 run, establishing a 10-7 lead … The Blazers didn't give up their lead for the rest of the set … UNF posted a match-high 15 kills in the third.

Leaders By the Numbers
UNF

O'Connell | 10 kills, eight digs
Griffey | 11 kills, .435 hitting percentage
Askew | 32 assists, three aces
Dixon | Three blocks
Rocio Moro | 12 digs

UAB

Emma Mitchell | 10 kills, .346 hitting percentage
Rachel Morse | 26 assists
Abby Carlile | Four blocks
Alex Kells | Nine digs, seven kills

MSU 3, UNF 2 (25-17, 17-25, 28-30, 26-24, 10-15)

Inside the Sets

Set 1: UNF set the tone early, taking a 5-2 advantage ... MSU tied it up at 9-9, then UNF strung off a 3-0 run to take a 12-9 advantage … Both teams traded runs, with MSU turning in a 4-0 run to take a 13-12 lead, its first lead of the set … A 3-0 scoring run put UNF ahead, 19-15, ushering Mississippi State to call a timeout … After the break Cestero rattled off two kills and a block assist from Griffey and Cestero made it 22-15 as UNF pulled away ... MSU hit -0.73 in the first set, while UNF hit .200.
Set 2: Mississippi State established a 11-1 lead out of the gates with the help of four-consecutive blocks ... MSU never trailed in the second set ... Neither team hit particularly well in the second set, with both hitting under .100.
Set 3: Teams went back-and-forth in the early going, with MSU getting its first advantage of the set at 7-6 ... MSU broke a 9-9 tie with a 3-0 scoring run ... The rest of the set was characterized by runs, with UNF tying it up 16-16 after a 4-0 run ... MSU turned a 3-0 run to establish a 19-16 lead ... A crucial 3-0 run allowed UNF to take a 24-21 lead before MSU spurned their own 4-0 run for a 25-24 advantage ... UNF evaded three match points, as did MSU as the teams engaged in a marathon set ... Tied 28-28, consecutive attack errors allowed MSU to win, 30-28.
Set 4: MSU opened up the lead and created a 17-12 advantage before UNF caught fire midway through the set, turning in a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to one ... UNF got even after O'Connell kills and a Mississippi State attack error made it 18-18 ... MSU took a 23-20 lead, but UNF roared back, turning in a 4-0 run before finishing things off thanks to a kill from Griffey and a block assist from Griffey and Askew.
Set 5: North Florida raced ahead to a 7-1 lead, although MSU didn't relent, rattling off seven of the next eight points ... UNF did reclaim a 9-8 lead, but the hot hand stayed with the hosts as they went on a 7-2 run to close out the match.

Leaders By the Numbers
UNF

Askew | 42 assists, 10 kills, 10 digs
Cestero | 10 kills, 11 digs
Moro | 35 digs
Griffey | 15 kills, five blocks
O'Connell | 10 kills, 23 digs

Mississippi State

Alleah Stamatis | 45 assists, 19 digs
Gabby Waden | 24 kills
Makenzie Jordan | 22 digs
Deja Robinson | 11 blocks

Notes

It was UNF's first-ever meeting against UAB and Mississippi State respectively.
UNF has one remaining neutral site match on the season in its contest against Jackson State tomorrow.
UNF has faced two Power Five opponents and two Conference USA foes this season.
The last time UNF faced an SEC team was Sept. 1, 2018, when the Ospreys went to Tennessee.
It's the second time this season UNF has taken the first set against a Power Five program. It did so against Wake Forest this year.
O'Connell surpassed 900-career kills during the third set in the win against MSU.
MSU and UNF's third set was the longest set UNF has engaged in this season.
UNF has played in three consecutive five-set matches.
UNF had four players with at least 10 digs, and two with at least 20.
O'Connell's 23 digs set a career high, breaking her previous mark of 20 set November 4 of 2016.
UNF has one win against an SEC program. It took down Ole Miss in 2005.
It was Askew's first-career triple double.
Cestero recorded her first-career double-double.
It's the second-straight match UNF has had four players with double-digit kills and digs.

Wright's Words
"I'm proud of our response after this morning," head coach Kristen Wright said. "We came out swinging and did a pretty nice job of executing our game plan. We fought and had moments of brilliance, but in the end it came to sideouts. I am so proud of Rocio, and we are setting records as individuals in order to be in these matches, but we need to finish. That competitive greatness to play our best when our best is needed is what we must improve!"

Up Next
UNF concludes the Hail State Invitational tomorrow against Jackson State at 12 p.m.