JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Tied 13-13 in set five, the tension was palpable in the UNF Arena. But, the moment wasn't too great for the Ospreys, as North Florida (4-0) won two of the next three points to down Virginia Tech, 3-2, claiming the program's first win against a Power Five team since 2005.
The victory gives UNF a 4-0 start, its best start to a season in UNF DI history. The Hokies of the ACC drop to 4-1.
The last time that UNF downed a Power Five team was when North Florida edged Ole Miss in 2005.
UNF 3, Virginia Tech 2 (25-15, 21-25, 25-16, 20-25, 16-14)
Inside the Sets
- Set 1: It was all UNF, all set one … North Florida hit .286 while holding Virginia Tech to just .000 hitting … Anna Butler started her match off with four kills in the opening frame.
- Set 2: The Hokies rebounded to even the match … back-and-forth play ensued in the early going, with the frame seeing five tie scores and two lead changes … both teams committed eight attack errors, but Va Tech posted two more kills.
- Set 3: North Florida hit .190, but once again, the Ospreys held Virginia Tech's offense down, keeping the Hokies to just .057 hitting … Butler, Amy Burkhardt and Maddie Boyd all provided three kills.
- Set 4: The most tightly contested set came in the fourth session … there were seven ties and three lead changes … Virginia Tech managed to outblock UNF 3-0 and 10 UNF attack errors allowed the match to go to five.
- Set 5: It was the Boyd and Butler show in the fifth set, with the duo combining for seven kills … things were tied at 12-12 and 13-13 before Virginia Tech earned match point … a marathon rally ended in an Anna Butler kill to push the match further … UNF claimed the last two points and the match.
Leaders By the Numbers
Virginia Tech
- Mekenzi Heckman | 11 kills
- Talyn Jackson | 21 assists
- Logan Mosey | 15 digs
UNF
Notes
- Butler had a season best 17 kills in just her fourth collegiate match.
- UNF had 86 digs as a team.
- This is the third time UNF has hosted an ACC school in three years. The Ospreys hosted Wake Forest in 2019 and Clemson last spring.
- Julianna Askew and Annie Antar combined for 47 assists.
- Dariana Hollingsworth-Santana was one dig shy of her career high.
Wright's Words
"I knew we could do it, we just needed to play our game. This match was a back-and-forth match off serve and pass. At that moment (tied 13-13) we had [Anna] Butler up and we knew our blocking lineup was really solid. We were just in the moment, letting the girls play [in the fifth set], and I think that's really important. It's just week two and I thought that long play there at the end, is who we are, because we are a strong defensive team. Now, this year is a team that has the arsenal to finish."
Up Next
UNF hosts Georgia State at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.
