Concluding October On the Road

Friday, October 27

Charlotte, N.C.

6 p.m.

University of North Florida

Queens (N.C.)

Kailey McKnight going up for an attack at UCA

McKnight comes into the weekend needing just three more kills for 300 this season.

10/25/2023 7:46:00 PM | Volleyball

Live Stats (at Queens)ESPN+ (at Queens)Live Stats (at KSU)ESPN+ (at Kennesaw State)UNF Match Notes

Volleyball Continues Five-Match Road Trip at Queens, Kennesaw State

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - UNF volleyball concludes the month of October on the road with matches at Queens and Kennesaw State Friday and Sunday respectively. This marks matches three and four on a season-long five-match road stint.

MATCH DETAILS
Who | UNF volleyball at Queens, Kennesaw State
What | Final road matches outside of Florida and final matches of October
When | Friday, Oct. 27 and Sunday, Oct. 29
Where | Charlotte, N.C. & Kennesaw, Ga.

Live Coverage
Live Stats - statbroadcast.com
ESPN+

Last Time Out
CONWAY, Ark. - Thanks to 14 aces and 12 blocks from the team and 36 digs from Rocio Moro, North Florida volleyball (12-12, 5-5 ASUN) evened up its weekend road swing with a 3-1 win at Central Arkansas (6-16, 0-10 ASUN) Sunday, Oct. 22.

Series History
Queens: North Florida enters having swept Queens in both of the meetings between the two teams … North Florida and Queens played previously this season, with North Florida sweeping the Royals Oct. 7 … North Florida nearly hit .400 as a team and Amy Burkhardt posted an .800 attack percentage in the dominating win … UNF won in similar fashion in the first-ever meeting and the only meeting in Charlotte during the 2022 season … Mahalia White had 19 kills and Rocio Moro set the UNF-career digs record in that match.

Kennesaw State: UNF and Kennesaw State continue with a long-time rivalry Sunday afternoon … North Florida dominated Kennesaw State Oct. 6 of this year, defeating KSU in straight sets for the first time since 2015 … the Ospreys won in just an hour and 34 minutes … Rocio Moro set the ASUN-career digs record during the win … this will be the 29th meeting between the two teams and the first time UNF has gone to KSU since Oct. 17, 2021.

Scouting Report
Queens: The Royals are 4-18 and 1-9 in league play .. Queens' lone league win has come against Central Arkansas … Queens has been swept in three-straight matches … the Royals went to five sets twice in league play, falling to Bellarmine and Stetson in five-set fashion … the Royals' Jordyn and Alleigh Johnson are the lone Queens players averaging over 2.00 kills/set … three Queens players have posted at least 200 digs this year … the Royals are surrendering 14 kills per set.

Kennesaw State: The Owls are even with UNF in the ASUN standings per league record at 5-5 … Kennesaw State is coming off a 3-0 sweep at Austin Peay … prior to that the Owls were bounced by Lipscomb, 3-1 … Kennesaw State has been streaky, going on three-match losing streaks and winning streaks in league play respectively … KSU is 6-2 at home and 2-6 on the road … Manu Johnsen is head and shoulders above the other attackers for KSU, averaging a team-best 3.95 kills/set … setter McKinley Ferguson missed the match at UNF, but she has been the key coordinator of the KSU offense this season … she hasn't played since Oct. 10 but is pacing the team in assists at 589.

MATCH NOTES

Offense as Usual

Additionally, UNF is second in the league in aces after going for matches of 12, 12 and 14 aces in three of the last four matches.
UNF's high powered offenses under head coach Kristen Wright have continued once again in 2023.
North Florida ranks first in the league in assists, total attacks and total kills. Those marks are also good for 16th, 14th and 36th in the country respectively.

Watching History

Moro put up her latest record match, going for 36 digs in four sets at UCA, good for third in UNF history
Rocio Moro has blessed Osprey fans with a historical career through her 139 matches played.
Oct. 6 she set the ASUN career digs record and last weekend she set the UNF career sets played mark.
Two weeks ago she earned her 11th-career ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honor, which also stands as a league record
She needs three more matches played to surpass Cestero for first all-time in matches played.

Aces High

UNF posted 14 aces at UCA, the most by the Ospreys since 2010
North Florida tallied 12 aces in consecutive matches last week against EKU and Bellarmine respectively
Kailey McKnight posted a staggering seven aces last Saturday vs. Bellarmine, good for the most by a UNF student-athlete since Kaley Read in 2007.

PRESEASON NOTES

Preseason Picks

UNF made some noise in the preseason conference rankings and all-league team
Mahalia White and Rocio Moro were both league superlative award honorees, with Moro being named ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the third-straight time, while Mahalia White was named ASUN Preseason Player of the Year.
Moro is the three-time reigning ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, the only student-athlete to have earned that honor three times in the history of the league
White was named to the ASUN Second Team a year ago after pacing the league in points/set and kills/set

Hungry and Experienced

North Florida brings back significant numbers from last year's team that finished 9-7 in league play
Headlining that group is Moro and White, along with starters in 2022 ASUN All-Freshman pick Kierstyn McFall, Maddie Boyd, Kailey McKnight
North Florida returns 85.5 percent of its sets played for 2022

Highest of Honors

Graduate student Mahalia White received one of the highest honors in all of collegiate sports this past summer
White joined the nation's best female student-athletes in Los Angeles for the Collegiate Women's Sports Award (CWSA) Honda Cup ceremonies
She was selected by the CWSA as the Honda Inspiration Cup award winner, an honor given to a female student-athlete in any of the NCAA Divisions that has overcome an extraordinary trial during their respective careers before overcoming and returning to success
White defeated Hodgkin's Lymphoma and a torn ACL during her collegiate playing career before returning to the court and putting up all-league honors last year

Noting the Newcomers

UNF's roster features 19 total and six newcomers
Just two of UNF's newcomers are true freshmen, as Emma Pohlmann suits up in the Navy and Gray after arriving by way of Birmingham, Ala. Francis-Garay competed for her native country of Puerto Rico this summer before joining the Ospreys in mid-August
Morgan Wilson (Towson), Rylee Moorhead (Presbyterian), Negron (UC Irvine) and Kyla Solis (Clemson), all bring extensive experience in the DI ranks.