JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - North Florida volleyball (11-15, 8-6 ASUN) came to play in front of a strong home crowd in the first match on the new CSI Companies Court, defeating Jacksonville (10-16, 4-10 ASUN) in four sets Sunday, Nov. 6. With the win, UNF is 11-1 against JU under head coach
Kristen Wright, while also clinching a spot in the ASUN postseason for the fifth-straight year under Wright.
Mahalia White stole the show, tallying a career-high 28 kills while hitting .351 across 57 attacks, while posting 10 digs for the double-double.
Kailey McKnight poured in four aces, many of which came during a crucial serving run in the second set, as
Rocio Moro added 22 digs in another strong defensive effort.
UNF 3, JU 1 (27-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-18)
Inside the Sets
- Set 1: UNF used a late run in the first set to overcome a JU lead and take a crucial frame … JU led, 22-17, forcing UNF to make a timeout, eventually going up 24-21 … but, UNF rattled off a 4-0 run to take the lead … JU posted a block to tie things up, but UNF won the next two points, getting a kill from White to close things out.
- Set 2: An 8-0 run in the middle of the frame keyed North Florida to a second-set victory … McKnight's masterful serving was a big reason for that run as she rattled off three aces … JU did hit .321, but the Ospreys one-upped the Dolphins with a .467 mark to hold off JU's late push.
- Set 3: White reached 20 kills through three frames, but JU found its only true footing in the third frame … UNF was held to .070 hitting in the third session as the Dolphins got one set under their belt.
- Set 4: After an early 3-0 deficit, North Florida got even, 3-3, as Maymie Guthrie notched an ace to even it … that's when White took over, as the outside hitter notched four-straight kills to overcome a 7-10 deficit and give UNF an 11-10 lead … JU hung around, staying within striking distance … the Dolphins cut into UNF's lead, getting things to 18-17, but Maddie Boyd provided some clutch kills and UNF came through with some key blocks late.
Leaders By the Numbers
UNF
JU
- Jenna McNamara | 16 kills, 8 digs
- Haley Hart | 15 kills, 7 blocks
- Kariana Ayala-Drew | 13 digs
- Rebecca Rocassin | 42 assists
Notes
- UNF is 11-1 against Jacksonville during head coach Kristen Wright's tenure at UNF.
- This was the first-ever UNF volleyball match at the CSI Companies Court and the first-ever competition for any UNF program on the new court.
- White set a career high with 28 kills. Her previous career mark was 27 set back in 2017 at UC Davis. Her previous UNF career high was 26 set Oct. 22 against Kennesaw State.
- UNF has clinched a spot in the ASUN Championship Tournament in all five seasons under head coach Kristen Wright.
- This was UNF's first true home game of the year.
- White posted her third double-double of the season.
- Maddie Boyd tied a season-high with 10 kills.
- White's 28 kills is just two shy of the UNF four-set match record set by teammate Solimar Cestero Nov. 5, 2019 at Bethune-Cookman.
Postmatch Comments
Up Next
UNF hosts Stetson for Senior Night in the home finale Friday, Nov. 11 as the Ospreys honor
Solimar Cestero at the UNF Arena.
