JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - UNF opens conference play this weekend with a pair of road matches. The Ospreys head to Kennesaw, Ga., Friday to take on the Owls before completing the weekend at Liberty Sunday.

1. Last Time Out
STARKVILLE, Miss. -  North Florida (6-8) finished up its regular-season tournament slate in style, sweeping Jackson State (3-12) behind another efficient performance from sophomore Solimar Cestero and a double-double from Gabby O'Connell. 

UNF is coming off a 2-2 week in which it picked up wins against Georgia Southern and Jackson State. The Ospreys took losses against UAB and Mississippi State, coming just points away from upsetting the host Bulldogs in a five-set thriller that went MSU's way.

2. Series History
KSU leads the all-time series, 15-7. UNF and Kennesaw State first met in 2006. The Ospreys are 4-8 when taking on the Owls in Georgia. KSU has won the last six meetings. The last time UNF won in Goergia was a 3-2 win in 2014. The Owls won both of the meetings last year.

3. Freshman Phenoms
UNF has claimed three ASUN Freshman of the Week honors, with the last one coming this past Monday when rookie libero Rocio Moro earned her second such award of the year. Moro won her first September 3 and freshman setter Julianna Askew reeled in hers September 16. The rookie combination has gone off multiple times this season. Askew tied the UNF DI five-set match record for assists after dishing out an astounding 70 helpers against FIU September 14. Moro tied the program record for digs in a five-set match with 35 against Mississippi State Thursday, Sept. 19. 

Moro leads the ASUN in digs with 253 and is second in the league in digs/set with 4.77. Askew is second in the conference in assists with 538, helping UNF lead the league in assists. Her 10.15 assists/set is second in the league.

4. Outsides on the Offensive
UNF has had offensive outbursts from outsides Gabby O'Connell and Solimar Cestero this season. O'Connell is second in the ASUN in kills with 186 and fourth in the league in kills/set (3.51). The redshirt-junior surpassed 900 career kills last Thursday and this season she already has over half of her 2018 total for kills. September 14 against FIU she tied the UNF five-set match record for kills with 29. That was a career high for, breaking her previously held career of 25 set September 10 against USF. O'Connell has six double-doubles this season, including a 10 kill, 23 dig performance against MSU, setting a career high for digs. 

Sophomore outside Solimar Cestero has been swinging a hot hand lately, hitting over .300 five times and over .400 four times since September 10. She is on an eight-match streak of at least 10 kills, during which she posted a career-high 16 kills against Florida International. The Toa Baja, P.R., native also notched her first double-double as an Osprey with 10 kills and 11 digs against Mississippi State.

5. Scouting Report
Kennesaw State comes into play 8-5 after sweeping NJIT in the ASUN opener Tuesday ... The Owls have picked up a pair of wins against Power Five programs, earning 3-1 triumphs against Georgia Tech and Alabama ... The Owls are 3-2 over their last five ... KSU is a high-powered offense, leading the league in: kills (695), kills/set (13.37), assists (657), aces (92), digs (713), and aces/set (1.77) ... Setter Lexi Broadwater leads the league in assists/set with 11.12, while Lauren Chastang is third in the league in kills/set at 3.51 ... Liberty comes into play at 8-5 and 1-0 in conference play after downing FGCU in straight sets Tuesday ... The Flames will play Jacksonville Saturday ... Liberty has defeated two ACC programs in Virginia Tech and Virginia ... The Flames have been big on the block this season, leading the league in blocks with 123 ... Kailey Macy sits atop the league in blocks/set with 1.22 ... Anna Gragg is second in the ASUN in hitting percentage with a .376 mark.