Timely Play Cues Volleyball’s 3-1 Win Against EKU

Saturday, October 23

Jacksonville, Fla.

7 p.m.

University of North Florida

19-3,8-2ASUN

Eastern Kentucky

6-18,3-7ASUN

Eastern Ky.

North Florida

Julianna Askew and Solimar Cestero celebrating with a high five

Cestero hit .364 with nine kills.

Photo by: Jeremiah Wilson

10/23/2021 10:45:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

Ospreys improve to 10-1 at home, Moro notches 26 digs and UNF tallies 11 blocks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - A staunch effort on the block, impenetrable defense from Rocio Moro and a timely and diverse offense gave North Florida volleyball (19-3, 8-2 ASUN) a 3-1 win against visiting Eastern Kentucky (6-18, 3-7 ASUN) on day two of the ASUN Crossover Saturday, Oct. 23.

The Ospreys registered 11 blocks, had six players with at least seven kills and Rocio Moro reached 26 digs in a match that saw 33 tie scores and 13 lead changes.

UNF 3, EKU 1 (25-19, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19)
Inside the Sets

Set 1: EKU played solid volleyball early in the first set, creating a three point lead at 10-7 … neither team had more than a three-point advantage until the Ospreys turned on the jets late, breaking a 19-19 deadlock with a 6-0 run close the session … Anna Butler had five kills in the first.
Set 2: UNF never trailed and led 15-10 at the media time before going on a 6-1 run to run away with set two … Maddie Boyd, Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana, Bre Walp and Gabby O'Connell all notched three kills apiece in the second.
Set 3: A wild third session featured 16 tie scores and eight lead changes … the Ospreys hit .046 points better than EKU and notched the same number of kills … UNF staved off set point before the Colonels pulled two points out to close the set.
Set 4: Momentum shifting blocks early on as well as a 7-0 run keyed by a successful challenge helped UNF overturn a 7-9 deficit into a 14-9 advantage … EKU did even things up at 17-17, but UNF knew how to close once more thanks to clutch kills from Butler, O'Connell and Cestero.

Leaders By the Numbers
EKU

Anna Purichia | 10 kills
Sydney Schoen | 17 digs
Reilly Lowe | 4 blocks
Audrey Eurton | 30 assists

UNF

Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana | 12 kills
Julianna Askew | 25 assists
Annie Antar & Gabby O'Connell | 2 aces
Rocio Moro | 26 digs
Gabby O'Connell | 15 digs
Bre Walp & Hollingsworth-Santana | 5 blocks

Wright's Words
"I would like to give it up for Eastern Kentucky. I thought they played with a lot of grit and fire and made it a really fun game for us. On the offensive side of things we had a few more unforced errors than I would have liked, but overall I'm really impressed by Solimar Cestero there in the clutch. We made some nice plays and got a lot of people in."

Notes

UNF is 2-0 all-time against EKU and 1-0 as ASUN foes.
The Ospreys move to 10-1 at home.
The Ospreys tallied 11 blocks, staying undefeated when posting double-digit blocks.
North Florida played 14 different players.
O'Connell is one match shy of tying the UNF DI record for matches played.

Up Next
The weekend finale is set for tomorrow night at 7 p.m. against Lipscomb.